Avoid These Upholstery Cleaning Mistakes - Call the Pros at Chem-Dry

Your upholstered furniture is exposed to dirt, stain-causing substances, and normal wear and tear on a regular, if not daily, basis. Additionally, since upholstery traps dust particles and irritating airborne pollutants, it can come to hold onto a lot of dust over a period of time. This makes upholstery cleaning a necessity, but not just any type of cleaning will do. To protect the look, feel, and performance of your furniture, it is crucial to take the right approach to its cleaning and maintenance.

Because of the way upholstered furniture is constructed, it’s not always clear how to best clean it. First and foremost, you don’t want to damage the delicate fabric or cause dye to bleed, which would ruin the beautiful appearance of the piece. However, you want to be sure to give the fabric a deep clean that removes stains and dust accumulation, prevents fading, and promotes the longevity of your possessions.

Our Top Upholstery Cleaning Tips

Before you go about cleaning your upholstery, it’s always best to consult with professionals who do this for a living and know exactly how to care for fabric-covered furniture. Here are some tips from our Chem-Dry technicians to help you sidestep some of the most common upholstery cleaning mistakes.

Tip #1: Avoid drenching upholstery.

Excess liquid of any kind can damage upholstery and leave unsightly watermarks. That’s why it’s essential to use the minimum amount of liquid possible to clean the fabric. However, you may find that it’s difficult to get your upholstery clean on your own without using ample amounts of water. 

Fortunately, you can always turn to the experts at Chem-Dry, who utilize the low-water Hot Carbonating Extraction (HCE) process to thoroughly clean furniture. HCE relies on a naturally carbonated cleaning solution rather than buckets of water to do the work of lifting stains and dirt from textile fibers.

Tip #2: Never scrub at stains.

You may be so desperate to remove a stain that you find yourself rubbing at it vigorously without giving a second thought to the consequences of this action. While this is a common response to a stubborn stain, the truth is that rubbing or scrubbing only pushes the stain deeper into the fabric and spreads the stain-causing liquid over a larger surface area. As a result, the stain becomes even more difficult to remove.

Dabbing is the key to dealing with stains. Whenever an accident occurs on your furniture, quickly reach for a white cloth or paper towel and gently press it over the spot. This will absorb excess liquid, making the stain easier to erase. Then, call on a professional upholstery cleaning service like Chem-Dry to remove the rest of the stain without damaging the fabric.

Tip #3: Be very cautious about using cleaning solutions.

Upholstered fabric can be very sensitive to certain cleaning formulas, which is why you should always think twice before reaching for chemical cleaners, spot solutions, or detergents. The wrong formulas can bleach the dye in the fabric, leave residues behind, or cause moisture marks that are impossible to get out. 

One way to possibly avoid these disastrous results is to do a spot test on a discrete area of fabric. However, this still won’t guarantee that the formula is safe to be applied all over the upholstery. The only way to have full peace of mind is to call on professionals who work with proven processes designed specifically for your type of upholstery.

Don’t risk making any upholstery cleaning mistakes on your favorite couch or loveseat! Call (800) CHEM-DRY today to get started with a professional upholstery cleaning service that can preserve the beauty of your upholstered furniture while giving it a deep clean.