Upholstered furniture is made by covering the frame of the furniture with paddings such as foam, webbing, springs as well as a fabric or leather cover. The material covering the furniture makes it hard to clean as it may get damaged by too much moisture. Additionally, if your upholstered furniture is made of leather, cleaning the inside padding becomes very complicated.
This is why many people wonder how often should you clean upholstery. Spot cleaning of upholstery should be done as soon as stains occur. So, if you spill food or drink onto your couch you should wipe it off immediately. Vacuuming of upholstery should be done weekly or as often as you clean your floors. The dust that accumulates on the carpet will also be forming on your couch. But you may need to vacuum more often or less often depending on how your couch is used.
So how often should you vacuum upholstered furniture? Keep reading for more information on upholstery vacuum cleaning and the best vacuum for upholstery.
You may be surprised to learn that couches are one of the dirtiest pieces of furniture in many homes. This is because people spend a lot of time lounging with their pets on couches. Hair, food, dust as well as germs get trapped in the upholstery. The situation is even worse if you have pets as pet hair, urine, feces, and dandruff gets added to the mix.
Due to the complex nature of upholstery, many people shy away from cleaning it. Unfortunately, this makes upholstered furniture a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Perhaps your family is getting allergies or infections because your couch is dirty. Using a vacuum cleaner for sofas could help keep germs at bay. Alternatively, you could cover your couch with a slipcover and machine wash it a couple of times a month to keep your couch clean and germ-free.
So how often should you vacuum upholstered furniture? Let's discuss it below.
How often you use a furniture vacuum depends on how much use your furniture gets. Furniture that doesn’t get a lot of traffic such as headboards can be vacuumed about once a month. Other furniture that gets used a lot such as couches or chairs should be vacuumed at least once a week. If you do have pets or young children you may need to vacuum your couch even more often, perhaps thrice a week. Doing so will help you stay on top of all the food spills as well as messes that pets create.
Everyone has their own preference for vacuum cleaners. But which works best for upholstered furniture? If you have very delicate furniture then it's best to get it professionally cleaned as regular vacuuming could destroy your fabric. In case you have a big house and lots of upholstered furniture to vacuum, consider getting a backpack vacuum cleaner. These are light and easy to move around with. The vacuum cleaner will also be able to reach all the nooks and crannies of your upholstered furniture.
A standing vacuum cleaner would be okay if you don’t have a large amount of vacuuming to do. Ensure it has the proper attachments such as an upholstery tool, dusting brush, and extension wand to ensure that you can reach all corners of your upholstered furniture. You can also combine your vacuuming with an appropriate upholstery cleaner. These chemicals are usually made of foam and are great at removing stains from fabric upholstery.
If you have leather upholstery, stay away from vacuum cleaning. The best option would be to wipe down the furniture on a weekly basis with a soft microfiber cloth. You can also polish the leather with the correct leather upholstery cleaner and protectant every few months.
Upholstered furniture should be vacuumed at least once a week. In case you have pets or young children you can increase the frequency to thrice a week or more. Always read the care labels on your new furniture as certain types of cleaning or maintenance may damage your couch and void any warranties you may be holding. Certain types of upholstery like leather or delicate fabrics shouldn’t be vacuumed as this may damage your upholstery.
In such cases, you should hire the services of a professional cleaner. Professional cleaning is also recommended for deep cleaning couches to remove dirt and bacteria that may be hiding inside the upholstery. You may damage your furniture by trying to deep clean it by yourself as you may use too much water. Too much water does ruin couches and other upholstered furniture since it's hard to suck the water out of the upholstery. For more information on how to clean stains from carpets and couches, read the rest of our blog.
