Upholstery Care
For your larger upholstered items of furniture Bright and Klean offers you advise on cleaning your goods and making the best use out of your purchase no matter how inexpensive. All upholstered goods usually come with a manufacturers recommended care instruction which should be followed in order to maintain the life of your settee, sofa, chaise lounge, dining chair seats, love seat, ottoman and headboards.
Some items of upholstery tend to get used more than others, (simply through sitting, feet, dirty clothing, hair, crumbs, spillage, dust, etc), and can become worn and disfigured very quickly, however, regular care of your upholstery will generally help to maintain the items beauty much longer.
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Accumulated soil and grit are the most common causes of reduced fabric life for your upholstery under normal use and hoards of harmful mites and bacteria live in the soil and girt sometimes causing you allergic reactions.
Everyday care for your upholstery
- Vacuum cleaning your upholstery is as good as any way to remove abrasive dust particles from your goods stopping them from settling and causing any lasting damage. You should try to use your vacuum cleaners upholstery and crevice nozzle attachment to get in between the nooks and crannies to ensure all the grime is removed.
- Hair, loose dirt and crumbs can be removed from upholstery by using a sticky tape lint brush.
- Using arm and headrest covers or throws will protect upholstery from skin and hair soil and it can also come in very useful when protecting your upholstery from accidental spillage.
- To avoid discolouring try to position your upholstery out of direct sunlight
- Keep your upholstery smelling fresh and clean by limiting cigarette smoke around your upholstery. Also try to avoid putting your upholstery in areas where any cooking will be done.
- Rearranging your furniture and cushions from time to time can help to retain their natural shape and allow even exposure to sunlight.
Wet or Dry Cleaning
Before attempting to clean your heavily soiled or stained upholstery it is best that you identify the type of fabric that was used to make the upholstered part of your goods; check the labels on goods from the manufacturer for clarity. Most manufacturers’ instructions will easily identify the best cleaning method for your product. Most instructions will range from simple wet cleaning to wet clean with care, and dry clean only. (Some older items may not have manufacturers cleaning instructions on them due to their time of manufacture, so you should seek advice before attempting to clean your 18th Century furniture using a simple wet cleaning technique or any other technique).
Always try to establish the source of any heavy soiling or staining that you’re intending to clean before choosing a cleaning product or method as this will make every difference to the outcome. Depending on the type of stain or soiling, combined with the type of material used to make your upholstery, you will have to choose carefully which solution, (i.e. detergent) to use in each circumstance. (Beware that some detergents will cause colour bleeding while others result in rapid re-soiling and some do not clean effectively. Always test a small unseen area of your upholstery to check against discoloration or damage from the cleaning product).
A deep clean can be obtained for your upholstery from many different cleaning products available on the market, however you should always be sure to read the instructions before purchasing or using against the instructions for cleaning on your upholstery. Upholstery cleaning products and the use of upholstery cleaning products cannot stop soiling or wear and tear on your goods however it can go a long way to preserving the material beauty and condition of your upholstery hence increasing its durability under normal use.
Loose Covers
Dependant on the type of furniture you own some parts of the upholstery will be removable from the main body in which case you, (check instructions on how to remove before detaching from main body), then simply follow the manufacturer’s care instructions. Where removal covers are washable you should aim to replace them slightly damp to allow the fabric to reshape and fit correctly; do not replace the item when still wet unless instructed to do so by the manufacturer.
Whenever you have removable/detachable covers that are ‘dry clean only’ your simple solution is to take them along to Bright and Klean and lets us do the cleaning for you.
Upholstery Leather Care
Both leather and fabric upholstery are in need of persistent care to maintain its original features but none more so than leather. When choosing a cleaning product for leather upholstery make sure you choose carefully as some cleaning products are liable to cause irreversible damage to your items such as staining.
The following actions are recommended when maintaining the leather in your upholstery:
- Vacuum all pieces of the item with an appropriate soft brush attachment
- Remove dust with a damp soft cloth about once a week
- Position your leather upholstery away from direct sunlight to prevent fading
- Keep your furniture about 2 feet away from heat sources
- Keep cigarette smoke and cooking fumes away from your furniture, as they can cause fading or discolouration
- For leather that has already become discoloured, it may be possible to repair some damage with a matching leather dye but always read instructions before attempt to make repairs,