Tuesday, April 7, 2009

How to Keep Your Furniture Clean in Four Simple Steps

For many people, their furniture is the most valuable assets they have. The sofa and other various items that comprise the living room are often the center piece and focal point for the guests that we invite into the home. With this knowledge is not surprising that most people spend time caring for the furniture only to maintain their home so that they still look good and also to maintain its value. This article will address some of the key actions that you should take if you want to clean and maintain the furniture in your home.

Perhaps the most important reason for keeping the furniture clean is the effects that they have on the quality of air within the home. Dust, mold and other bacteria can all build up over time if the furniture is not cleaned on a regular basis. Inevitably this can be the cause of health problems within the home, particularly if you have young children and elderly or ill relatives.

So with this in mind, what should you do to keep the furniture clean?

The first thing that you should do with your furniture is to position it away from direct sunlight and away from any other heat source within the home, such as a radiator. This will prevent premature damage and reduce the possibility of the colors fading. This simple step can straight away ensure that the furniture maintains its new look for as long as possible.

Secondly, as soon as the stain or dirt gets on to the furniture you need to clean it immediately with the correct cleaning fluid. You need to blot the stain to prevent it from becoming ingrained into the material. If you leave it, it will be harder to remove later on.

A third tip is that as the furniture gets used, be sure to help protect it by using table cloths, mats and coasters. This is common sense and will save you a lot of time later on cleaning stains that could have been prevented.

The final stage of the cleaning process is to carry out a regular full clean of all furniture within the home. Typically, it is recommended that you do this every six to twelve months.

You should wash any sofa and cushion pillows as recommended by the manufacturers label and then dust and polish the rest. If you have leather furniture then you need to ensure that whatever you use will not damage the material. Leather is fantastic to have in home furniture and can add vitality to a dull room but keeping them clean can be difficult.

The best advice is to use a soap that is not oil-based. It is important to use natural soaps and avoid chemicals that can damage the material. To begin with you need to test the soap on a small area of the leather that is not visible. If this does not present any problems then apply a small amount of soap to a wet cloth and apply evenly across the surface of the furniture. You should gently massage the soap into the leather but be sure to remove any build up of excess water as this can damage the texture.

Once this is completed, you should remove any soap that remains and wipe the leather with an absorbent cloth.

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