Upholstery Upkeep


Upholstered armchairs and sofas are comfortable and attractive additions to any home. When neglected, however, upholstery can quickly turn into next year's yard sale's featured item. Help the upholstered furniture in your dining room, living room, family room and bedroom last for years and years, by getting to know the ABC's of upholstery preventative and corrective care.

Stop Damage Before it Occurs

Protect Upholstery from: SUNLIGHT, NEWSPAPER INK, FABRIC DYES, PAINTS & POLISHES

Allow common sense to dictate what you should keep from harming your upholstered furniture. Sunlight will fade upholstery, so keep your upholstered couches, armchairs and ottomans away from the window, or else well-shaded. Put your newspaper on a coffee table or side table, to avoid ink damage to your upholstered furniture.

Other items that can cause permanent damage include dark-colored sheets and blankets, for when damp or wet, the dark dyes on these fabrics can rub off and ruin your upholstery. Finally, paints and polishes, such as nail or shoe polish, should never be used on upholstery. Make sure to cover your upholstered furniture when painting your living room, dining room, or bedrooms!

Keep it Clean!

1: Vacuum, 2: Damp-Dust, 3: Professionally Clean

Cleaning upholstered furniture is easy as 1, 2, 3. First, Vacuum as often as possible. Second, damp-dust arms and headrest areas with cleaning solution recommended by the manufacturer. Third, indulge occasionally in professional cleaning for maximum dirt and dust particle removal.

Here's a tip for keeping your favorite chairs & couches clean: Don't be fooled by the zippers on those cushions: the cushion covers are NOT meant to be removed and washed separately! Before you vacuum, remove the cushions. Beat them, rotate them, then vacuum them.

911 Emergency Care

Blot, scrape, vacuum. Read label, match spill with remedy.

Spills happen. The key to avoiding a permanent stain is to react in the manner most appropriate to the type of spill. For liquid spills, don't rub the spot, BLOT. Use a fresh, clean paper towel. For food or solid spills, first lift as much of the spill as possible with a dull knife or a spoon, scraping gently towards the center. For powder or cigarette ash spills, don't add a liquid or rub. Instead, vacuum up the spill.

When remnants of the spill still remain, use a fabric cleaner. Here are some guidelines:

Check manufacturer's label for cleaning instructions and recommendations. Codes on the labels are as follows:

W=water based cleaning agent;

S=water-free solvent;

WS=water based or water-free agent okay;

X=clean only by vacuuming or light brushing.

Test water or cleaning agent in a hidden area of the upholstered furniture before applying to the stain.

Be patient when applying cleaning agent. Go slowly to avoid causing a ring or spreading the stain. You may need to use several doses, blotting each time with a clean paper towel. Only blot, never rub.

Use a fan or cool blow dryer to speed up drying process, working from outer edge of spill to inner. If velvet, use a brush on fabric before it dries. If a stain remains, call a professional cleaner.

A-Z Home Stain Removal Chart:

Look it up. And remember, don't rub, BLOT!

Dry Cleaning Solvent (Energine®, Carbona®, K2r®): Protein/Enzyme Laundry Detergent (Era®) - Dilute with 30 parts water: Distilled White Wine Vinegar - Dilute with 9 parts rubbing alcohol

Ashes/Soot Alcoholic Drinks Alcoholic Drinks
Butter/Margarine Ashes/Soot Candy
Cake/Frosting/Margarine Blood Felt-Tip Marker
Candle Wax/Margarine Cake/Frosting Fruit Juice
Chewing Gum Candy Ink
Chocolate Ketchup Jam/Jelly
Coffee Chocolate Lipstick
Cosmetics Coffee Shoe Polish
Crayon Cosmetics Wine/Kool-Aide
Dairy Products Dairy Products
Gravy Egg
Grease Feces
Ink Fruit Juice
Lipstick Gravy
Mayonnaise Ice Cream
Milk/Formula Jam/Jelly
Oil Mayonnaise
Salad Dressing Milk/Formula
Shoe Polish Mud
Tar Mustard
Vegetable Salad Dressing:
Sauces
Soft Drinks
Syrup
Tea
Urine
Vegetable
Vomit
Wine/Kool-Aid

Protect, clean and care for your upholstered sofas, chairs and loveseats using these tips and guidelines. With a little attention, the upholstery in your living room, dining room, family room and bedrooms will look fantastic for a long, long time.

Please find the original article and more information about this subject at http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=UpholsteryCare

When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read from http://www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

If you would like to publish this article on your own site, please feel free to do so. Please let us know the url of the posted article by emailing the url to batsheva@homeandliving.com. All we ask is that you include the whole article, without changes, including the link to the original article location, author information, this disclaimer and the following link.

Find great home furniture online at http://www.homeandliving.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Talking Business: Carpet One closes Longview shop
Longview Daily News
Columbia River Carpet One Floor and Home shut down its Longview interior decorating store last month and consolidated its merchandise and services at its original Rainier location. "The economy won't support two of them. The builders aren't building ...



Christina's on Magee offers upholstery, home interior services
Danbury News Times
Christina Spano Manowitz poses for a photo at her upholstery and custom interior decorating business, Christina's on Magee, on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Photo: Lindsay Niegelberg / Stamford Advocate | Buy This Photo Christina Spano Manowitz poses ...

and more »


Business Insider

Gingrich's 'Modest' 5000 Square Foot House Has Issues According To Interior ...
Business Insider
AP Newt Gingrich lives in McLean, VA, in a house that can only be described as modest, considering real estate values in the Washington DC Beltway suburb. But it's pretty clear that the former House Speaker wants to trade up. Campaign website photos of ...

and more »


Divorce Claims Man's Star Trek Apartment
Seattle Post Intelligencer
By Joyce Eng, TV GUIDE One man boldly went where interior decorating had never gone before - until divorce snatched it all away from him. After separating from his wife, Georgina, in 1994, British DJ/die-hard Trekkie Tony Alleyne spent 10 years and ...

and more »


Mission in Milot
U-T San Diego
MILOT, Haiti — The first lesson that 10 students from the University of San Diego's Hahn School of Nursing learned on their weeklong immersion into community health care in Haiti was interior decorating with mosquito netting. The exercise, which took ...

and more »


Boston.com

Standout symbols of a program on the rise
Boston.com
But he did find time to do a little interior decorating. Hang a left when you walk through the doors, and there on the wall are super-sized photographs of Patriots defensive back James Ihedigbo and Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz.

and more »


TV Guide

Divorce Claims Man's Star Trek Apartment
TV Guide
by Joyce Eng One man boldly went where interior decorating had never gone before — until divorce snatched it all away from him. After separating from his wife, Georgina, in 1994, British DJ/die-hard Trekkie Tony Alleyne spent 10 years and $150000 ...

and more »


Farmington Valley women meet in Avon
Foothills Media Group
Club members participated in a hands-on class in interior decorating. Each participant had the opportunity to create their “fantasy room”. They were provided with a floor plan, templates, and wood, paint, carpet and fabric samples.



Rumors of Alcoa's Demise Might Be Exaggerated — Maybe
Investorplace.com
Interior decorating taste aside, he's made a compelling case that I can't criticize too much — if only for the reason that he's the one who hired me. I'm not as convinced, however. I'm not sure you should be jumping in with both feet.

and more »


Divorce Claims Man's Star Trek Apartment
abc40
By TV Guide News - email One man boldly went where interior decorating had never gone before — until divorce snatched it all away from him. After separating from his wife, Georgina, in 1994, British DJ/die-hard Trekkie Tony Alleyne spent 10 years and ...


Google News

Interior Design Dallas | Home Decorating Ideas | site map
Web Design | Search Engine Marketing
© 1998-2008