5 Common Issues When Cleaning Upholstery

What are the most common issues cleaning upholstery?

From stains to odors, there are a lot of issues that can arise with upholstered furniture. But no one wants to throw their furniture out just because it has a stain. So what can you do?

Most issues with upholstery tend to arise when the wrong cleaning methods are being used – or when the upholstery simply isn’t being cleaned as thoroughly as it should be. With that in mind, here are some of the most common issues you’re likely to encounter and how to fix them.

1. A Persistent Odor

Smokers and people with pets may find that scents seem to linger on their upholstery, and often these scents persist no matter how often the upholstery is cleaned. Scents pervade the entirety of an item, which means the smell will go through cloth and even cushions.

Because of this permeation, upholstery often needs to be deep cleaned to be entirely treated. For a light odor, use baking powder on the entirety of the upholstered item. Let the baking soda sit overnight, and then vacuum it off. If the odor persists, the furniture will need to be treated with special enzymatic cleaners by a professional.

2. Returning Stains

Have you ever cleaned a stain off a couch or chair only to see it rise up again? Stains will periodically return because they have actually penetrated all the way through the item. Though you can clean the surface, the stain will just rise up again when the area gets damp – even if the issue is just due to moisture in the air.

The only way to fix this problem is to continue blotting the stain until it disappears entirely. Saturating the entire area, and then gently dry it with a cloth. If the stain still comes back, you’ll need a professional extraction device, which will reach down deep into the upholstery.

3. Fading or Dulling

If your upholstery seems to be losing its sheen, it’s likely that you are using something too mechanically abrasive to clean it. You may be using corrosive cleaning agents or just a particularly rough cloth. The solution is to start cleaning your upholstery more frequently but also more gently. A frequent cleaning will stop stains and dust from becoming too ground in, allowing you to clean with less abrasive materials.

4. A Musty Scent

After cleaning your furniture, you may find that it has a musty scent. This musty scent builds up when the furniture has been cleaned properly and then left to air dry. If the furniture doesn’t air dry fast enough, it will start to develop bacteria and an odor.

After you clean furniture, make sure the room is well-ventilated, preferably with a fan pointed at the furniture. The faster the furniture dries, the less likely there is to be any resulting scent.

If you’ve had to saturate your furniture thoroughly to remove a stain, the area should be blotted as dry as possible. If you can’t get the spot completely dry, a professional extraction device may be able to remove the majority of the water.

5. Warped Cloth

After you’ve finally gotten rid of the staining, you may realize that your upholstery has warped. This warping is one reason it’s usually preferable to get expensive furnishings cleaned by a professional. Wool and other natural fibers may warp when they are wet and may never dry taut again. In this situation, the fabric may need to be tightened by an upholsterer. In general, most issues with your upholstery can be safely dealt with without professional help. You just need to make sure that you use a gentle cleaner and don’t scrub the fabric too harshly. But for more serious issues, you may want to contact a professional cleaning company.

Call us at 831-423-5235 to schedule your upholstery cleaning appointment today.