Upholstery is referred to the art of providing seats, springs, fabrics, leather covers, and webbings to different types of furniture, especially seating ones. The types of upholstery generally depend upon your selection and vary based on different factors. The types include:
- Traditional furniture upholstery
- Automobile upholstery
- Commercial upholstery
- Marine upholstery
Not just the type, but even the material used for manufacturing upholstery vary as well. Different types of materials include:
- Covering Materials: Fabrics, Leather, and Vinyl
- Hardware: Coil Spring, Marshall Spring, and Zig-Zag Spring
- Padding: Feathers, Organic Cotton, Foam Cushions, and Polyfoam
- Supplies: Screwdrivers, Staple gun, Magnetic Hammer, Upholstery Tacks, Fabric Scissors, and Measuring Tape
Essential Tips to maintain Upholstery & keep it looking good
Choose the right fabric
If you consider upholstery maintenance to be a taxing task, choosing the things correctly in the first place will make it easier. You must know what kind of fabric would look great on your upholstery furniture. Choosing a right fabric will not only ease out the difficulties of maintenance but will also extend the life of your furniture. The precise type of fabric mainly depends on how you are going to use the furniture. If you have children and pets in your house, then make sure that the fabric is robust as well as durable. And then, keep other important factors in mind as well, such as:
- Style
- Resistance
- Allergies
Protect your upholstery
Upholstered fabric needs special attention. Therefore, if you want it to last long, you cannot take its accurate maintenance for granted at any cost. Protect your upholstery from dirt, garbage, and other particles. Clean it right away whenever there are stains. Moreover, you must pay attention and avoid food items or wet things from spilling over your upholstery. If you think you cannot be cautious all the time, then you can even use additional fabric to cover upholstered furniture.
Also, if you have placed the furniture in the backyard or anywhere outside, make sure that it is situated under the shade as sunrays for a longer period of time can end up causing damage to the upholstery and its fabric.
Vacuum
Vacuuming is another important aspect that can keep your upholstery up-to-the-mark. You must set a weekly routine to vacuum the furniture to take away all the dust particles hidden underneath. However, when it comes to vacuuming, you cannot just blindly do it. Take the vacuum from left to right if your furniture has nappy material, like corduroy, suede, velvet, and chenille. On the other hand, for another type of materials, you can overlap the strokes and start from the top and vacuum till the bottom. If your fabric is delicate, such as linen or silk, then you can use low suction power.
Sudsing your upholstery
Another way that can keep your upholstery furniture stout and sound is sudsing. This foamy method is not only easy but effective as well. For this, you can pour a ½ teaspoon of dish soap in a bucket full of warm water. In this way, you will be able to create suds easily. And then, take an upholstery brush and dip it in the foamy bucket a bit. Use that brush to sweep upholstery fabric with a light touch. Once you have sudsed the fabric entirely, you can then wipe it with a damp and clean cloth. Make sure that before you use the furniture, it is completely dry.
Spot Cleaning
Regardless of how cautious you are toward the maintenance of your upholstered furniture, there is no guarantee that you will be able to keep it secure all the time. If there has been a spill on the furniture accidentally, then make sure that you don’t rub it but blot. Most of the times, rubbing expand the stain while blotting can help in getting rid of it. Use mild cleaning products and apply them by using a soft brush. Also, before you utilize any product for cleaning spots from the fabric, make sure that you are well-versed with the instructions given by the manufacturer to avoid further problems.
Call a professional if needs
Even after trying all the home-made or recommended formulas, you are facing troubles while keeping your upholstery furniture maintained, then it is the high-time to get in touch with our professional. Also, if you think that things are going out of your hand or you aren’t aware of the proper maintenance techniques, then you can call a professional once every couple of years to get the servicing done. These experts will not only refresh and rejuvenate the charm of your furniture but will also provide you reliable and easy tips and tricks.