Tips On Cleaning Furniture

For years of beautiful furniture, keep any pieces out of sunlight and away from heat sources. These can dry out wood, paint finishes, leather, and rot upholstery fibers.

Have you ever made the shocking discovery of a stain on the back of a favorite chair or a water mark on the top of the desk in your guest room? You really can't blame anyone. But you can fix it. We'll help you find how to clean any piece of furniture and keep it looking like new.

• Painted Furniture
  
  • Everyday Care
    Painted furniture is almost the easiest to keep clean. On a weekly basis, dust or wipe clean with a cloth dampened with water. Be sure not to leave water spots on the surface, as they'll dry and could leave permanent marks.

  • Special Cleaning
    If your piece of painted furniture has stains on visible surfaces or nicks and scratches on it, you'll want to make whatever repairs you can. Gently sand down any mars, taking care not to damage more painted finish than you have to. Carefully glue and clamp any loose joints.

    Match the paint as best you can or select a new color of paint and restore the piece to near-perfect condition. Add an oil finish for greatest protection. Read more about cleaning painted furniture in these tips from eHow.com.

• Wood Furniture
  

  • Everyday Care
    Before you decide how to clean your piece of furniture, you need to determine what type of finish it has on it. You can find information about cleaners and conditioners for wood furniture and information on getting built-up finishes off to expose the beautiful wood underneath. Check these tips on caring for hardwood furniture from the American Hardwood Information Center.

    You should use a lint-free cloth to polish your furniture on a regular basis. Use just a little furniture polish on the cloth and rub the surface to get a beautiful shine.

Tips On Cleaning Furniture

or years of beautiful furniture, keep any pieces out of sunlight and away from heat sources. These can dry out wood, paint finishes, leather, and rot upholstery fibers.

Have you ever made the shocking discovery of a stain on the back of a favorite chair or a water mark on the top of the desk in your guest room? You really can't blame anyone. But you can fix it. We'll help you find how to clean any piece of furniture and keep it looking like new.

• Painted Furniture
  
  • Everyday Care
    Painted furniture is almost the easiest to keep clean. On a weekly basis, dust or wipe clean with a cloth dampened with water. Be sure not to leave water spots on the surface, as they'll dry and could leave permanent marks.

  • Special Cleaning
    If your piece of painted furniture has stains on visible surfaces or nicks and scratches on it, you'll want to make whatever repairs you can. Gently sand down any mars, taking care not to damage more painted finish than you have to. Carefully glue and clamp any loose joints.

    Match the paint as best you can or select a new color of paint and restore the piece to near-perfect condition. Add an oil finish for greatest protection. Read more about cleaning painted furniture in these tips from eHow.com.

• Wood Furniture
  

  • Everyday Care
    Before you decide how to clean your piece of furniture, you need to determine what type of finish it has on it. You can find information about cleaners and conditioners for wood furniture and information on getting built-up finishes off to expose the beautiful wood underneath. Check these tips on caring for hardwood furniture from the American Hardwood Information Center.

    You should use a lint-free cloth to polish your furniture on a regular basis. Use just a little furniture polish on the cloth and rub the surface to get a beautiful shine.

Upholstered Walls - An Elegant Alternative

One of the alternative choices in Interior design that has become rather popular in the last several years is upholstered walls. This elegant yet soft look can be achieved relatively easily with few tools and minimum experience. Try this project in an informal den, home office, or in the bedroom. A luxurious boutique hotel look can be achieved by mounting the panels behind a bed as a headboard.

The tools and basic materials to make your fabric panels are readily available and inexpensive to purchase. You will need particle board for your base panel. This can be cut to size, free of charge, at any local Lowe's or Home Depot. Velcro can also be purchased at these locations. Soft poly foam to pad the base, and fabric to cover it can be found at your area fabric shops. Depending on your budget and style different looks can be achieved by using different fabrics. Clean, simple lines can be achieved by using ducks, twills, or canvas. Plush, full sumptuous looks can be achieved by using velvet or chenille. Damasks and suedes add a feeling of richness and have become very reasonable in price with the advent of new weaving technologies and fibers.

1) Measure and cut your panels. Remove any trim from the wall you are covering. This includes any crown molding or chair rails. Measure carefully and divide the measurement into equal sized panels. Take your measurements to your local lumber yard and have them cut your panels to size. Use a pencil to mark the locations of the panels on the wall.

2) Cut a piece of 1 inch foam large enough to cover each panel. Add 6 inches to the width and length to allow for working the foam. 1 inch batting can also be used. Cut your fabric the same size (6 inches extra) as your foam.

3) Lay one inch two sided tape along the edge of your panel. This will hold the foam or batting in place while you attach the fabric. Place the fabric over the foam layer. Place fabric side down and wrap the extra 3 inches of fabric on each end around the panel. Using your staple gun and 1/4" staples, put one staple in the midpoint of each side. Make sure you pull the fabric firmly as you staple. Work your way around the panel, pulling, flattening, and stapling the fabric into place. Be aware of wrinkling and creases as you work your way around. Meticulous work during this stage will pay big dividends.

4) Cut lengths of heavy duty Velcro to the width of the panels. Use staples and your staple gun to attach the lengths of Velcro to the back of the panels. Staple corresponding side of the Velcro to the wall. Hang your panels by simply pressing them into place on your walls.

Stand back and enjoy your new, sophisticated, elegant upholstered wall!

By Mark Mehler

How to Remove Cat Urine From Upholstery

Contributor

By eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (88 Ratings)

You know right away when it's happened - Fluffy has forgotten to use her litter box again. Here's how to get that urine out of your couch or chair upholstery.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pet Stain Removers
• White Vinegar
• White Vinegar
• Bacteria/enzyme Cleaners
• Rubber Gloves
• Rubber Gloves
• Paper Towels
• Paper Towels
• Paper towels

1. Step1
   

   Blot stain immediately with paper towels, absorbing as much fluid as possible.

2. Step2
   

   Sponge stain with cold water.

3. Step3
   

   Blot again with paper towels.

4. Step4

   Mix solution of 1 tbsp. white vinegar and 2 cups warm water.

5. Step5

   Dab vinegar and water solution on stain.

6. Step6
   

   Apply a specialized stain and odor removing bacteria/enzyme cleaner, such as "Outright Pet Stain Eliminator," "Pet 'Oops' Remover," or "Stain Gobbler" if the urine odor persists; follow the manufacturer's directions.

Upholstery Cleaning

Welcome to our site where we cover all things regarding upholstery and upholstery cleaning that let you know what to do and what not to do.

Upholstery Cleaning

Most people don’t realize how many things they purchase that contain upholstery. The most obvious items include furniture and cars, but upholstery is also common in office settings, bags and other merchandise.

The first step to upholstery cleaning occurs before you have any upholstery to clean. Yes, I am talking about understanding what you are buying. Some upholstery is easier to clean when compared to other types. When evaluating items for purchase, it vital you know what type of cleaning obligation you are buying into and we provide you with that information.

Once you buy a car, couch or so on, you are going to be faced with cleaning it at some point in time. There are do it yourself options with some upholstery fabrics, but others require the attention of an upholstery cleaning professional. You can find information in our articles section on doing it yourself or find a upholstery cleaning professional near you.

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How to Select Upholstery Fabric

Choose upholstery to suit your lifestyle as well as your decor. Here are some tips about common upholstery fabrics.

Instructions

1. 1. Consider leather, because - although expensive - it can be a wonderfully rugged choice. It does lack the formality of a damask or brocade.

   2. Think long and hard before going with vinyl. It's tough and easy to wipe off, but may not feel good against skin - it will feel cold in cool rooms and stick to skin in warm rooms. However, polyurethane faux leathers are supposed to have a better feel than polyvinyl chloride faux leathers.

   3. Choose nylon for its resilient, long-lasting properties, and because any stains usually can be removed. For formal rooms, nylon velvet is a surprisingly durable option.

   4. Make cotton a top choice: it's absorbent, feels cool against skin in warm climates and it's just as comfortable in colder climates. Heavier-weight cottons such as canvas and denim wear well, while polished ones such as chintz tend to weaken and split in just a few years.

2. 5. Forgo linen in many situations. This tough fabric wrinkles easily and tends to feel stiff. It's expensive and needs care when cleaned to hold its color and shape.

   6. Opt for wool in cool climates because it's strong and warm. Its drawbacks are moth problems and potential shrinkage.

   7. Stay open to acrylic blends. They are washable and resilient while deterring shrinkage. Acrylic can lend a woolly appearance without the moth problems; however, pure acrylics tend to pill.

   8. Look to polyester as an attractive choice - it is strong, resistant to wrinkles and it neither stretches nor shrinks. It can pill, but polyester-cotton blends combine the advantages of both of these fabrics.

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.