Perhaps you bought vintage furniture at a San Francisco flea market, and you (and your cat and dog and guinea pig and children) have since adored your upholstery to near destruction. Or maybe you just purchased some pricy high end upholstery, and you want to protect your investment. In either case, you need to know the basics of upholstery cleaning and care. To that end, here are a few tips about how to make the upholstery last for a long time:

Get the Proper Fabric

If you plan on jumping up and down on your sofa or allowing your toddlers and cats to run wild on it, synthetic fibers may be the way to go, since synthetics tend to last longer and reduce your maintenance requirements.

Protection > Cure

As the old medical saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Some fabrics will come treated with special repellents for soil, moisture and mildew. But even if you’ve “chemically bulletproofed” your furniture, don’t get lazy. If the dog makes a mess on your chair or your toddler spills chocolate milk on the couch, don’t trust the repellent to do your work for you. Clean up spills quickly and treat them per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Clean, Clean, Clean

Cushions should be turned over every once in a while to even out the wear and tear. You also want to spot clean when accidents happen – and they will happen, no matter how neat and tidy you try to be. Use a brush and a vacuum to eliminate soil, dust and debris. Keep a keen eye out for pollen, dust, mites or anything small and annoying that can get into the fabric.

Avoid Abuse

Furniture can be abused and damaged in all sorts of ridiculous ways. See YouTube for some crazy examples of furniture destruction. Abuse can come from a three year old and his pals from pre-school bouncing up and down on a sofa like it’s a bounce house. It can come from the sun blazing a trail on the side of your leather armchair every afternoon. It can come from pollutants, like cigarette smoke or cooking smoke, which can get trapped in the upholstery.

Regular Upholstery Cleaning – A Must

To extract the maximum utility from your furniture, connect with the team here at Elegant Carpet Care. For over two decades, our family-owned business has been a leader in Bay Area rug, upholstery, and carpet cleaning. Call us at 650-961-1339 to discuss your needs, or visit us online at www.elegant-carpetcare.com.

Image source: lapofluxuryinteriors.com