Cushion Protection: Basic steps in maintaining your home upholstery
Nothing beats lying on a warm, smooth, and velvety sofa after a long day’s work. Aside from its obvious function as a furniture, sofas and other upholstery also creates a huge impact on our home’s interior design. For some homeowners, they actually consider it an investment. And just like any other investment, we have to make sure to maintain it as clean as possible for as long as we have it.
Regular maintenance of your sofas can preserve the beauty and keep the sturdiness of the furniture, not to mention making it as comfortable as a brand new couch. Now, to keep the longevity of your upholstery, here are some basic reminders to keep in mind. Let’s go have some cushion protection.
It’s in the fabric and function
Before you purchase the sofa, make sure that you will select the right fabric for the right location where you will put the furniture. This will help in maintaining the upholstery easier. More than that, you should also consider how the furniture will be used. If you need it for heavy use like in an entertainment room or the living room, it’s advisable to use synthetic fibers. And if you have pets, then make sure to not choose fabrics that have too much texture and will have loose weaves. You don’t want your sofas to unravel, right?
Keep it away from sunlight and other pollutants
Upholstery fabric does not love the sun; actually, it damages it. Exposing your sofa in too much sunlight can leave its colors fading and it can also cause fraying. Silks and other delicate fabrics get worn out when it sits in the sun for an extended period of time. So, make sure to keep your sofa away from direct sunlight.
Also, as much as possible, keep your sofas away from airborne pollutants such as fumes caused by cooking or smoke. The cushion easily absorbs its odor, and it weakens the foam. Make sure that it’s properly ventilated. There’s a reason why we cook in the kitchen and the couches are in the living room.
Give abrupt attention
In case of spills or any liquid-related accident, make sure to attend to it right. Do some “first-aid” actions, especially for those that may cause stains, to keep it from sticking on the fabric. Do not let the underlying paddings absorb the liquid. Just make sure to follow the manufacturers’ instructions in cleaning or wiping the spills. You can also use fabric protectors on your upholstery to keep its quality.
Turn the cushions periodically
It’s the easiest sofa maintenance that even children can do! Turning the cushions of your upholstery can prevent it from being loose. Also, it will not develop grooves right away. And there’s another effective way of keeping the cushion in good shape: fluff them! Periodically fluff the throw pillows and cushion to make it live long. Even the pillows need a pat in the back for always keeping you comfy.
Clean it weekly and use a vacuum
This is probably the most common and the easiest, home maintenance for upholstery. Whenever you’ll have general cleaning at home, there’s a tendency that the dirt and dust will fall on the cushions; and it cannot be cleaned by just dusting them. Clean your sofa using a vacuum to completely remove the dusts from goes within the fabric.
But for easy maintenance, just make sure to clean and dust out your sofa on a weekly basis, especially if it’s being used all the time.
Keeping it dry all the time
If in case you need to wet it entirely when cleaning, make sure that it is completely dry before you put in inside the house. If you will let it still while it’s wet, there’s a high tendency that it will attract moisture which can cause the development of mold and mildew. It will not just damage your upholstery, but it can affect other furniture as well. Also, make sure that you will thoroughly cleanse it when you use any detergent or cleaner to remove any residues.
Be wary of harmful cleaning materials
Don’t just use anything that you will find in the market. Make sure that you will only use cleaning solutions and materials as recommended by the manufacturer. Not all cleaners are safe with the fabric of your sofa; some can be harmful and can ruin it. Incompatible cleaners can cause permanent damages to your upholstery such as discoloration and thinning of the fabric. The best solution: test it first or just have a professional handle the deep cleaning for you.
Otherwise, call a professional
After all, we can only do the basics. But it’s still recommended, and it’s the best choice, to seek help from a professional upholstery cleaning service in Singapore. Come to think of it, even if you are doing your daily chore of keeping your sofa clean and sturdy, you still need an expert to make sure that the cleaning is more effective. Don’t wait before it completely torn apart, make a move and give your sofa the premium care that it always give you.
