Furnishings that Must be Cleaned Correctly
Maintaining a household can be tricky if you do not know how to look after your furniture and fittings correctly. While most modern soft furnishings are easy to look after, being machine washable and crease-resistant, there are still some tricky aspects of your house-keeping. Let us take a look at some of these:
Furnishings that Must be Cleaned Correctly – Carpets
Carpet cleaning does not have to be a mystery. You can easily source a reliable carpet cleaner complete with instructions on its use, however, do take care to test any products on an unobtrusive place before using it for real.
If you have any doubts, you can find a reliable carpet cleaning company by simply searching for services online. For instance, anyone based in Glasgow who is in need of carpet cleaners would find a site such as alscarpetcleaningservices.co.uk. They provide free quotes to anyone in the surrounding areas, so you could start the process off by speaking to them.
To ensure your carpet stays in good condition for as long as possible: protect any high traffic areas, vacuum at least once a week (more if necessary), and use a reliable and professional carpet cleaner from a reputable company.
Upholstery
Leather upholstery should be cleaned using saddle soap or a similar product which is designed to lift the dirt from leather without drying, cracking or damaging the material. Following the cleaning, a protective polish should be applied, that will make the upholstery impermeable to splashes and spills, also making it easier to keep clean in the long run. Leather tends to be expensive, and professional deep cleaning or repairs are also costly if they are done right.
Keep throws over the furniture while children are small and clumsy, and move quickly to clean spills before they can ‘set’ in. Prevention is infinitely cheaper than cure in this case.
Faux leather/ pleather/ leatherette (all types of leather-like imitations) are made from plastic-type materials and are usually more tolerant of damp cleaning than real leather might be. In this case, usually a multi-surface cleaner will do the trick – spray on, leave for the correct length of contact time that allows the product to work, and then simply wipe off, leaving a clean and fresh-smelling piece of furniture.
Fake leathers tend to be hardy and durable, able to take a reasonable soaking without suffering too much harm – but over rigorous scrubbing might wear through the polished veneer, leaving an unsightly patch, so do be careful when cleaning.
Fabric upholstery can usually be washed in a domestic washing machine, zipping on and off the cushions for trouble-free washing – it saves it from getting damp
Furnishings that Must be Cleaned Correctly
Wooden Floors – Furnishings that Must be Cleaned Correctly
Wooden floors look wonderful, giving any room a wonderful, spacious warmth that is very appealing.
Furnishings that Must be Cleaned Correctly
Laminate flooring is a cheaper option that still looks very good, and as many types of laminate come with inbuilt protection this means that the floors can stand a fair amount of abuse.
Real wood floors are more worrisome, warping and discolouring if allowed to become saturated with water or spills. They also have to be treated with care with furniture pads used on all items that touch the floor, cleats and high-heels banned, and cleaning undertaken with a soft brush to remove any abrasive particles before a barely damp mop is used to gently wipe away more persistent grime.
After cleaning, a protective, lightly sealing polish can be applied to repel small spills of water, or to allow enough time for a hasty mopping operation without the wood suffering damage.
3 Household Furnishings that Must be Cleaned Correctly is a feature post – you might also like my post on the pros and cons of a polished concrete floor
