Cleaning your upholstery is certainly a good practice, but it has to be the right way. During our service visits, we often encounter poorly treated upholstered pieces due to the cleaning mistakes committed by the homeowners.
So, to provide the right care to your upholstery, here are certain things you should avoid. Read on to learn some common upholstery cleaning mistakes suggested by our experts at Skyy Blue Carpet Cleaning.
6 Upholstery Cleaning Mistakes You Should Not Commit
1. Not reading the care label
The cleaning codes mentioned on the care labels state how to treat your fabric correctly. However, we often find many homeowners not paying any heed to the care labels and ending up using the wrong cleaning method on their upholstery, which leads to damage.
We suggest reading them before you start cleaning so you know what’s the right way to care for your sofas and couches.
- Code W: Water-based cleaning
- Code S: Solvent-based cleaning
- Code W/S: Water or solvent-based cleaning
- Code X: Only vacuuming & professional care
2. Using and combining harsh cleaners
Many of you may believe using strong cleaners will get you sparkling results, but it is one of the biggest upholstery cleaning mistakes you might be making. The chemical-based cleaners may seem to work on the surface but end up damaging the fibers internally.
We’ve seen new upholstered pieces getting damaged & faded just because of cleaning with harmful cleaners like bleach or ammonia or combining them at worst. We always advise homeowners to use green and EPA-certified cleaners that are safe.
3. Not cleaning spills promptly
The lack of quick spot-cleaning is one of the major reasons behind stubborn or permanently stained upholstery. Whether you are removing a coffee stain or treating a pet accident, acting fast is the key.
If you are not cleaning them as soon as they happen, you are allowing them to sit deeper, which will make it difficult to deal with them later.
We suggest keeping paper towels handy and blotting the spills immediately before they turn into a stain.
4. Rubbing the stains vigorously
When we ask homeowners how they clean their sofas, we found many of them cleaning the wrong way which includes rubbing the stains while spot cleaning.
If you think rubbing the stains will remove them easily, it’s yet another mistake you are making. Firstly, rubbing can push and spread the stains even deeper. Secondly, the friction while you scrub can even damage its delicate fibers.
So, a gentle blotting while spot cleaning is what we recommend.
5. Over-saturating the fabric
Many homeowners tend to over-wet the surface while cleaning. But this is among the biggest mistakes that can ruin your upholstery.
Keeping the fabric wet for long can lead to mold growth in your upholstery because household steam cleaners are not that efficient at pulling out all the excess water.
So, we’d say using water minimally and preferring spraying instead of drenching.
6. Cleaning only when visibly dirty
We know many of you wait for the ‘cleaning day’ to fully clean your upholstery and that’s only when you see it getting visibly filthy and needing a deep clean. But that’s yet another mistake.
Your upholstery might not look that dingy from the outside but might be hiding a lot of dirt and germs deep inside the fibers, which might not be visible.
That’s the reason why we emphasize the importance of cleaning them regularly to keep that dirt away.
Experts Can Save Your Upholstery From Ruining!
While routine cleaning is good, it is not enough to get rid of the ingrained build-up of dirt which keeps on damaging it internally if you do not provide it a periodic deep cleaning.
At, Skyy Blue Carpet Cleaning, we have trained and certified experts who can provide the best care and the right cleaning to your upholstery. Don’t let these mistakes ruin your sofas and couches, and hire our experts for deep cleaning. We know what it takes to keep it squeaky clean and maintained for years. Call us now!
Also Read: Benefits of Getting Your Upholstery Deep Cleaned By Experts
