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Clean Your Upholstery in Minutes

posted by Chris Valentine

What You’ll Need

It’s best to prepare everything before you begin. Having the correct materials at hand will mean an easy clean up and less of a chance of doing any damage to your furniture. Gather a vacuum, some clean white cloths, a can of compressed air, gentle colorless liquid detergent, an upholstery brush and a small bucket.

For stains: Order the Fabric & Rug Cleaner Stain Spotter from Guardian Protection Products which works on all washable fabrics and rugs with cleaning codes W or WS.

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Suck it up!

With the upholstery attachment, move from left to right vacuuming, in short, overlapping strokes, starting at one end of the piece and work towards the other end. For nappy materials such as chenille, suede, velvet, and corduroy using this left-to-right technique is an excellent method to remove embedded dirt. Make use of the attachments and be sure to get in all the cracks and crevices. Tip: If you’re concerned about sucking up coins or small items, cover the nozzle with some pantyhose secured with a rubber band). Vacuum under the cushions and around seams. Then take the can of compressed air and blast the rest of the dirt from tufting and buttons.

Spot Removal

Go after stains on linen, cotton, jacquard, and polyester-acrylic blends with your Guardian Protection Products and use them according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If at first, it doesn’t succeed, try again but by the third time the stain is not lifting, leave it, or you might harm the fabric; call a pro if it has to go. For any stains on leather and vinyl, spray with Pledge or another leather cleaning product on a cloth first and then gently rub the area. Wipe well with a dry cloth making sure no residue remains. Tip: Don’t use cleaning products with silicone —they block the pores of leather and vinyl, which causes them to tighten and could potentially crack.

Sudsing*

Taking your clear dishwashing liquid and put a small amount – 1/” a teaspoon into a small bucket of warm water. Create lots of suds and dip the bristles of the brush into the suds only. Do not get the bristles wet. Then using a light touch gently brush the fabric in small sections. You do not want to soak the fabric. Less is more here.

After take a clean damp cloth and wipe the soap away. Let it completely dry before using the piece of furniture. If you want to clean the other side of the cushions, be sure to let the first side dry completely.

* Note: This step is for upholstery labeled containing W or WS code. (Before you begin, look for a label usually hidden under a cushion or on the underneath of the furniture.) If the label is an S, you can vacuum and spot clean, but no sudsing—water is a bad idea on your upholstery. An X means only use a vacuum; you will need to hire a pro for a deep cleaning.

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