How to Choose an Upholstery Fabric

By Beth Larson,

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Reupholstering an old piece of furniture is a great way to update it and help it to match with your decor. One of the most fun parts of upholstering is choosing the fabric. There are many different types of upholstery fabrics available to choose from. Here the benefits and downsides of some of the most popular upholstery fabrics to help make your decision easier and to be sure that you get a fabric that is perfect for your room.

Leather
Although leather is more expensive than other types of upholstery fabric it is extremely durable and can last for years. It also brings a certain elegance to a piece of furniture and helps it to look upscale and classic. Leather is one of the most popular choices in upholstery fabric because of its durability and simply because it looks beautiful.

Vinyl
Although vinyl upholstery fabric may seem like a good alternative to leather, it actually can be quite uncomfortable to sit on. Not only that but over time it has a tendency to crack as it ages which means it won't last nearly as long as many other types of upholstery fabric. The main benefit of choosing vinyl for your upholstery fabric is that it is easy to clean; however the uncomfortable texture and relatively short lifetime should be considered before choosing vinyl for your furniture.

Linen
Linen is probably not the best choice for upholstery fabric for most people. Linen wrinkles easily and also takes a lot of care to help keep it clean. The fibers in linen can have a tendency to stretch which means it will also require extra care to help keep its shape. When it comes to upholstery fabric there are much better choices than linen.

Denim or Heavy Cotton Fabric
Denim or heavy cotton fabrics are a great choice for upholstering a piece of furniture. Cotton fibers are durable and tough and stand up well to most types of cleaning solutions and to every day wear and tear. Look for cotton fabric or denim that is color fast for ease of cleaning. After you've upholstered the furniture consider treating the fabric with a stain resistant spray to help protect it.

The Right Steps on How to Clean Upholstery

By: Brian Jones

Cleaning your upholstery can be easy if you do the necessary steps. There are proper steps on how to clean upholstery so you can remove the spilled drink or stains effectively.

1. The first step on how to clean upholstery is removing the large chunks of crust first. The crust can come from different food stains. The right way to remove it is scraping it off using the spoon. You can also use a spatula if the stain is still wet so u can scrape off almost everything. You should be careful that you don’t rub the spatula on the upholstery.

2. The next step on how to clean upholstery is getting the vacuum and using it on the furniture. Then get a brush for dusting to clean the upholstery well. Most vacuums have this accessory. The brush will not work for wet stains so do not do this step anymore. Using the brush will only make the damage worse.

3. The third step on how to clean upholstery is applying a cleaner for upholstery. Most hardware stores sell it however you can also mix your own cleaner. The first thing to do to make your own mixture of cleaner is grabbing a measuring cup and filling one fourth of it with detergent for dishes. The detergent should be the biodegradable kind. Then pour it in a bowl with one cup of lukewarm water and then get the mixer. Beat the mixture with the electric mixer until it becomes very thick that it starts foaming.

4. The fourth step on how to clean upholstery is getting a brush with soft bristles and using it to rub the mixture of cleaner to remove the grime. The dirt will get mixed with the soap’s foams. Then get the spatula and remove the foam with the dirt.

5. The fifth step on how to clean upholstery is wiping the suds away. You can use a damp cloth to rinse it. Make sure that there are no foams left. You can repeat this procedure if you still see some dirty spots. Drying the upholstery is the last step. You can use a fan to speed up the drying process. You have to make sure that it is really dry already or you might get mildew on it. Try these steps on just a single spot on your upholstery before doing it on the entire upholstery.

Please click these links if you want to know more about how to clean upholstery or how to clean upholstery in general.