Upholstered furniture is often a focal point of your living spaces and the experience they offer. Ideally, you want it to be comfortable, but you also need it to look great and smell nice.

On the surface, this doesn’t seem like a lot. All you need to do is invest in some good upholstery cleaners to get started, right? But it usually takes more effort than that.

Here are some top upholstery and home cleaning tips you need to keep in mind. Of course, these tips won’t guarantee the same results as those professional cleaning technicians following IICRC standards can manage, but they can help with everyday upholstery maintenance.

Always Check the Cleaning Codes

Almost all furniture pieces have cleaning codes and instructions on labels attached to them. You’ll mostly find these on the sides of the base of the furniture. These labels will help you figure out which products you can safely use on the material and what kind of cleaning processes are okay.

For instance, some upholstered furniture is often labeled with an S or a W. An “S” indicates that you could clean it with solvent-based cleansers. On the other hand, a “W” means you can use water for cleaning.

These cleaning codes are important to consider to avoid damaging your upholstery with the wrong products.

Don’t Use Too Much Moisture

This is something to keep in mind even if your furniture’s label has a “W” on it. To be safe, you should never use too much moisture on upholstery. It can seep into the padding, and the soaked furniture piece will start attracting bacteria.

So, always make sure you use any solvent or water-based products sparingly and ensure they dry completely. If a solvent cleaner is used, it has a high chance of damaging the padding, so use very little of it.

We suggest spraying very little cleaner and blotting it with clean rags before it has time to soak through the top layer.

Take Care of Spills Right Away

This is a home cleaning tip we’ve all heard while growing up, and it’s still incredibly valid. If something spills on your upholstery, you can not leave it for another day; you have to deal with it right away.

If there’s a spill, use a dry cloth to quickly soak up the liquid—absorb as much of it as possible by patting the cloth against the surface, but don’t rub. If you press too hard, the spill will seep through the fabric and into the padding.

Alternatively, you can try vacuuming it all up!

Also, make sure not to brew up any DIY cleaning solutions; these can cause more harm than good. If you’re looking into deep-cleaning your upholstery, consider professional upholstery cleaning in Tarpon Springs.

We also offer carpet steam cleaning and leather furniture cleaning. Reach out to us for more information.