Proper care and maintenance is necessary if you want to extend the life of your upholstery and get the best value for your money. However, there are many common myths and misconceptions about upholstery cleaning that mislead people. Debunking them is important to ensure you can clean your upholstery in the correct way. Here’s a look at the top upholstery cleaning myths:
Myth #1: You Should Only Use Hot Water
This is among the most widespread upholstery cleaning myths. This is because it is easier to get rid of soils and stains by washing upholstery made from synthetic fiber using hot water. By using hot water, you can actually avoid using cleaning solutions that might cause color bleeding or fading.
That being said, in certain cases, hot water can cause more harm than good. This is particularly true for non-colorfast fabrics and also synthetic fiber velvets. These fabrics can fade or distort when exposed to extremely hot water. Therefore, stick to warm water when cleaning upholstery made from these materials.
Myth #2: You Can Always Rely on the Tags
The tags on your upholstery might provide some cleaning guidelines, but that does not mean you have to stick to them religiously. This is true for both the tags that detail the fiber content and also the cleaning code.
Sometimes, the fiber content only details the material the upholstery is ‘stuffed’ with, and the cleaning guidelines for the fabric that covers it might be different. Also, in the case of the cleaning code, you have to do some testing to ensure you are on the right path.
Myth #3: Dry Cleaning is 100% Safe
Yes, it is true that using dry cleaning solvents reduces the risk of color bleeding and other problems you face when cleaning your upholstery with water. However, there is no guarantee that it will work every time. After all, the process through which each fabric is manufactured is different and therefore cleaning requirements also vary. Hence, you have to do a little research about the type of upholstery you have before you opt for dry cleaning.
Myth #4: No Trouble When Cleaning Synthetic Fibers
Synthetic fiber is definitely one of the easiest to clean upholstery materials. You don’t have to exert much energy or effort to get the job done and the risk of distortion is low as well. That being said, there are a couple of inherent risks when cleaning upholstery made from synthetic fiber.
Firstly, not all synthetic fibers are as colorfast as you might expect, and may bleed color when you are washing them. Secondly, as mentioned above, velvet made from synthetic can be damaged permanently when exposed to hot water. That being said, besides these two minor issues, synthetic fiber is your safest bet when it comes to selecting upholstery material.
These are 4 of the most common upholstery cleaning myths – now debunked for you. The point is not to dissuade you from buying upholstery but to ensure that you can get the maximum value for the upholstery you do purchase. You can always save yourself the hassle of cleaning upholstery by calling a professional service to take care if for you.