Your upholstery asks for a regular cleanup every once in a while as it gets stained and worn out. However, while you try to refresh it back to life, our San Marcos experts warn of some common upholstery cleaning mistakes you should avoid so that you can clean it well without any harm.
7 Common Upholstery Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid
1. Ignoring the care label
The manufacturer of your upholstery often provides you with a care tag attached to it. That tag states the right cleaning method for your type of upholstery. And one of the common mistakes people make while cleaning upholstery is that they ignore that label.
By doing so, you may use an improper cleaning method and end up harming its fibers. Our pros in San Marcos always urge checking the care label to give it the best care.
(W for water-based, S for solvent-based, W/S for any of the water or solvent, and X for only vacuuming and pros)
2. Not cleaning spills quickly
The reason why your upholstery has stubborn and deep stains is that you may be making the mistake of not cleaning the spills as soon as they happen. When you don’t clean them immediately, they will seep deeper and settle permanently.
So whether it is a food stain or drink spill, we suggest blotting it away to absorb as much as possible to prevent staining.
3. Skipping the spot-testing
Many homeowners in San Marcos often prefer to spot clean stains with OTC stain removers. While they may turn out to be effective, you should never make the mistake of spot-testing them before use.
Not all products are safe for your upholstery and so it is best to be on the safer side by testing it on a hidden area to prevent damaging or discoloring the fibers.
4. Rubbing the stains
Another common upholstery cleaning mistake to avoid is the way you clean the stains. Many people try to clean the upholstery with abrasive rubbing and scrubbing. You may be trying to remove the stains, but it will do the opposite.
Rubbing the stains will cause them to get deeper and the friction caused by rubbing can cause fibers to damage.
5. Using wrong cleaners
Not choosing the right cleaners for your upholstery is again a common upholstery cleaning mistake. Every type of upholstery is different and so you need to choose the solution according to its type. Else, it can cause damage to its fibers.
Further, many people use harsh chemicals for cleaning, which reduces the lifespan of your upholstery. That’s why we always advise using green cleaners that suit their fabric.
6. Overwetting
You may think keeping the upholstery wet or soaking for a while will loosen the dirt and lighten the stains. However, this is a common mistake to avoid while cleaning upholstery because overwetting the fibers can leave watermarks and also pose a risk of mold growth.
Further, if you overwet, it will be more difficult for you to clean it and remove all the moisture.
7. Not hiring pros when needed
Another upholstery cleaning mistake people often make is avoiding deep cleaning. Vacuuming and DIY cleaning can surely help with regular upkeep.
And one of the benefits of hiring professional upholstery cleaning is that have effective and high-end cleaners to remove ingrained dirt and stubborn stains which DIY cleanup cannot remove properly.
Summing Up,
Ignoring the care label and ending up with the wrong cleaning method are some common upholstery cleaning mistakes that are made by many homeowners in San Marcos.
Not cleaning the spills quickly, avoiding spot-testing, and rubbing the stains can also cause damage. Using the wrong cleaners, overwetting the upholstery, and delaying expert care are a few more mistakes to avoid.
