It's often a challenge to find the right upholstery for your furniture, and it can feel like a real blessing to find upholstery that goes well with the rest of the interior design.
But like all surfaces, upholstery gathers dust after some time.
So it pays to know a few rules about DIY upholstery care, as they will ensure your furniture stays beautiful as long as it's supposed to.
Upholstery Rule #1 - Read The Labels.
Furniture and upholstery manufacturers readily give information on how to maintain upholstered furniture, and it's a good idea to pay close attention to their advice.
Different upholstery materials are cleaned in different ways, so if you're not sure how to maintain your furniture, find out what the upholstery material is -- then look for the instructions on the Internet.
Upholstery Rule #2 - Choose Upholstery That Fits Your Style..
Your upholstered furniture can be better maintained by using certain fabrics instead of others.
Covering the furniture with upholstery is also a method to protect the fragile framework, keeping dirt and grime away.
(And yes, the upholstery also makes your furniture look good.
) In some cases, leather upholstery can work better than fabric, especially in warmer, dustier places.
Fabric upholstery tends to gather dust more easily than leather, and can be harder to clean.
Leather, on the other hand, often only requires a wet cloth for cleaning.
On the flipside, while leather upholstery is generally easier to clean, it also gathers heat more easily (since leather can't "breathe").
So if you plan to nap on your sofa often, leather may not be your best choice for upholstery.
Upholstery Rule #3 - Vacuum Fabric Upholstery Regularly..
The easiest and most effective way to keep fabric upholstery clean with DIY Upholstery care is by using a mini-vacuum cleaner.
The device can suck up dirt, dust, dead skin cells, and even parasites.
Some of these devices even come with their own shampoo-application mechanism, which means you wash and vacuum your upholstery at the same time.
(Make sure the cleaning solution is compatible with the fabric!) If you don't have a mini-vac, then simply use a gentle brush to remove dirt and dust.
This is just a temporary solution, though -- it's always, always best to either vacuum or wash your fabric upholstery.
Upholstery Rule #4 - Don't Use Tough Brushes On Fabric Upholstery..
Gentle brushes are meant to brush off the dirt and dust on the surface of fabric upholstery, but there's little you can do about the dirt and parasites that's in between the fabric strands, and tougher brushes will only ruin the upholstery fiber.
If you don't have a mini-vac, have a cleaning service do the cleaning for you.
Upholstery Rule #5 - If You Can Manage It, Don't Drink Or Eat Around Upholstered Furniture..
There's no easier way to DIY upholstery clean as to keep it from getting dirty to begin with.
So as tempting as it may be to bring beer and chips to the sofa, try not to.
And make sure your kids don't bring their homework and coloring books to the sofa, too.
But like all surfaces, upholstery gathers dust after some time.
So it pays to know a few rules about DIY upholstery care, as they will ensure your furniture stays beautiful as long as it's supposed to.
Upholstery Rule #1 - Read The Labels.
Furniture and upholstery manufacturers readily give information on how to maintain upholstered furniture, and it's a good idea to pay close attention to their advice.
Different upholstery materials are cleaned in different ways, so if you're not sure how to maintain your furniture, find out what the upholstery material is -- then look for the instructions on the Internet.
Upholstery Rule #2 - Choose Upholstery That Fits Your Style..
Your upholstered furniture can be better maintained by using certain fabrics instead of others.
Covering the furniture with upholstery is also a method to protect the fragile framework, keeping dirt and grime away.
(And yes, the upholstery also makes your furniture look good.
) In some cases, leather upholstery can work better than fabric, especially in warmer, dustier places.
Fabric upholstery tends to gather dust more easily than leather, and can be harder to clean.
Leather, on the other hand, often only requires a wet cloth for cleaning.
On the flipside, while leather upholstery is generally easier to clean, it also gathers heat more easily (since leather can't "breathe").
So if you plan to nap on your sofa often, leather may not be your best choice for upholstery.
Upholstery Rule #3 - Vacuum Fabric Upholstery Regularly..
The easiest and most effective way to keep fabric upholstery clean with DIY Upholstery care is by using a mini-vacuum cleaner.
The device can suck up dirt, dust, dead skin cells, and even parasites.
Some of these devices even come with their own shampoo-application mechanism, which means you wash and vacuum your upholstery at the same time.
(Make sure the cleaning solution is compatible with the fabric!) If you don't have a mini-vac, then simply use a gentle brush to remove dirt and dust.
This is just a temporary solution, though -- it's always, always best to either vacuum or wash your fabric upholstery.
Upholstery Rule #4 - Don't Use Tough Brushes On Fabric Upholstery..
Gentle brushes are meant to brush off the dirt and dust on the surface of fabric upholstery, but there's little you can do about the dirt and parasites that's in between the fabric strands, and tougher brushes will only ruin the upholstery fiber.
If you don't have a mini-vac, have a cleaning service do the cleaning for you.
Upholstery Rule #5 - If You Can Manage It, Don't Drink Or Eat Around Upholstered Furniture..
There's no easier way to DIY upholstery clean as to keep it from getting dirty to begin with.
So as tempting as it may be to bring beer and chips to the sofa, try not to.
And make sure your kids don't bring their homework and coloring books to the sofa, too.