We invest a lot of money in our furniture. So knowing how to clean and care for our upholstery is essential. Here are some general care guidelines to consider before cleaning.
Caring for Upholstery
You can increase the life of upholstery by following a few simple rules:
1. Vacuuming and light brushing on weekly basis helps to eliminate dirt before it becomes embedded in the fibers, causing the fabric to abrade.
2. Turn and reverse loose cushion every week to allow even distribution of wear and tear.
3. Clean spots and stains quickly.
4. If you have a large family, consider using nylon covers for your upholstery. It is long lasting and you can remove most stains easily.
Cleaning Upholstery
Clean your upholstery with an effective cleaner. Choose one that is safe on your fabric and does not contain harsh chemicals to avoid having any sticky remains. Getting a cleaning solution that cleans, remove stains and control odors is a good choice. It saves you time and money.
•Always vacuum or brush your upholstery first to remove dust and loose hair.
•Apply the cleaner and brush firmly any stained areas.
•Wait for one minute or less then wipe away the cleaner with a damp cloth or sponge.
•Keep your upholstery dry while cleaning it to avoid damage. Open a window or use air condition and allow it to dry thoroughly.
Identify Stains
Before trying to remove a stain from your upholstered furniture, you need to know the type of fabric you have. Most manufacturers put cleaning codes on the furniture hangtag or label. These codes tell you the best way to clean and remove stains. Here is a list of those codes:
•WS:fabric may be cleaned with water-based cleaning agents and foams, as well as with mild, water-free dry cleaning solvents.
•W:use water-based cleaning agents or foams only.
•S:use only mild, water-free dry cleaning solvents.
•X:do not use foam or liquid agents on this fabric. You can vacuum or brush lightly to remove soil and grime.
Removing Stains
You should inspect your upholstery for spots and stains and identify your problem areas. Usually a good cleaner can clean and work on removing the stains as well. But for the tough and sticky stains like grease, crayon, gum, and ink, treat the stain first before cleaning. A great option to use is a powerful solvent containing citrus , which break down tough stains easily leaving fresh smell.
•Always pre-treat stains first for color fastness in an inconspicuous area.
•Spray directly on stain and let stand for 30 seconds.
•Scrub with a brush and let is sit for 2 to 4 minutes.
•Clean with a damp sponge or rinse with water. If stain persists, repeat treatment and rewash.
To remove stains from non-washable upholstery, use an effective product made especially for dry cleanable fabrics . It is an excellent pre-treater with a lot of convenience and ease of use. Spray the soiled part and blot immediately from outside to the center, to avoid the clean part from leaving a mark.
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About The Author
Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company. Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean. Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com
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Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
How To Be Your Own Cleaning Maid
Being a professional cleaning maid is not as sexy as it sounds. You don’t get to wear a short little dress and a frilly apron with fishnet stockings to do your job (if you do, cleaning probably isn’t part of the job description). If you’re a professional cleaner, you probably wear ordinary workaday denims or track pants that can stand getting in contact with lots of water and gunge. Or even a boiler suit.
However, one of the downsides of being a professional cleaner is that you can be over-exposed to household toxins. You think being exposed once or twice a week is bad enough as you clean – just think what handling ammonia, etc. for hours is like. Rubber gloves are a must, as a minimum.
Unless you switch to natural methods, which work just as well as the commercial stuff. This may be a bit harder to implement if you become part of a cleaning team, but if you’re cleaning your own house (or you are starting your own cleaning service), it’s time to crack out the microfibre cloths, the vinegar, the vodka and the baking soda, plus good old-fashioned soap and warm water. Honestly, they get the same job done for a fraction of the cost. If you want to introduce natural cleaning products and you’re the cleaner, you can suggest to your employers that they’ll save money and will reduce workplace hazards.
Where to use what cleaning product:
* Ordinary soap and water: hard floors.
* Baking soda: bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks, inside microwave ovens, removing greasy marks, getting foul smells out of rubbish bins.
* Dilute vinegar: glass and mirrors, around the lid and seat of the toilet, cleaning metal and stainless steel.
* Damp cloths: general dusting and wiping down stuff.
* Vodka or strong spirit: removing “permanent” marker, glass and mirrors, as a disinfectant, removing residue left by sticky post-it notes.
If you’re an ordinary amateur cleaner giving your own house a bit of a scrub down, make things a bit easier with these tips that this writer used as a professional cleaner:
* Categorise jobs into daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly and less frequently. Exactly what job will fall into which category depends on the sort of place you are cleaning. For example, as a professional cleaner of a school library that had lots of people trekking through, plus a big birch tree by the door shedding seeds, vacuuming was a daily job, as was cleaning the staff toilet. However, in my home, the vacuuming and toilet cleaning needs to be done only weekly.
* Carry a bucket, even if you’re not using water. You need some way of carrying the tools of the trade around with you.
* Work in a set order. This may sound boring, but once you get into the swing of things, your hands (and feet and legs) get into the pattern of working automatically, allowing your mind to concentrate on other things while you’re cleaning.
* Little and often is better than one big session less frequently.
* Do the vacuuming last – the work of dusting, straightening, etc. can knock fluff and the like onto the floor.
* You can never have too many cleaning rags.
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_5872.shtml
However, one of the downsides of being a professional cleaner is that you can be over-exposed to household toxins. You think being exposed once or twice a week is bad enough as you clean – just think what handling ammonia, etc. for hours is like. Rubber gloves are a must, as a minimum.
Unless you switch to natural methods, which work just as well as the commercial stuff. This may be a bit harder to implement if you become part of a cleaning team, but if you’re cleaning your own house (or you are starting your own cleaning service), it’s time to crack out the microfibre cloths, the vinegar, the vodka and the baking soda, plus good old-fashioned soap and warm water. Honestly, they get the same job done for a fraction of the cost. If you want to introduce natural cleaning products and you’re the cleaner, you can suggest to your employers that they’ll save money and will reduce workplace hazards.
Where to use what cleaning product:
* Ordinary soap and water: hard floors.
* Baking soda: bathroom sinks, kitchen sinks, inside microwave ovens, removing greasy marks, getting foul smells out of rubbish bins.
* Dilute vinegar: glass and mirrors, around the lid and seat of the toilet, cleaning metal and stainless steel.
* Damp cloths: general dusting and wiping down stuff.
* Vodka or strong spirit: removing “permanent” marker, glass and mirrors, as a disinfectant, removing residue left by sticky post-it notes.
If you’re an ordinary amateur cleaner giving your own house a bit of a scrub down, make things a bit easier with these tips that this writer used as a professional cleaner:
* Categorise jobs into daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly and less frequently. Exactly what job will fall into which category depends on the sort of place you are cleaning. For example, as a professional cleaner of a school library that had lots of people trekking through, plus a big birch tree by the door shedding seeds, vacuuming was a daily job, as was cleaning the staff toilet. However, in my home, the vacuuming and toilet cleaning needs to be done only weekly.
* Carry a bucket, even if you’re not using water. You need some way of carrying the tools of the trade around with you.
* Work in a set order. This may sound boring, but once you get into the swing of things, your hands (and feet and legs) get into the pattern of working automatically, allowing your mind to concentrate on other things while you’re cleaning.
* Little and often is better than one big session less frequently.
* Do the vacuuming last – the work of dusting, straightening, etc. can knock fluff and the like onto the floor.
* You can never have too many cleaning rags.
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_5872.shtml
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