Choosing an Upholstery Cleaner

We all need to clean our upholstery from time to time. It is the key in keeping your furniture looking good for as long as possible. You wouldn't buy a car and never clean the inside or outside (well some people might), and the same goes for your furniture. This is especially true if you have kids or pets.

But there is a wide range of cleaners, but which one do you choose?

1. First you need to know what you are cleaning. Is it leather, vinyl or fabric? Is it indoor or outdoor furniture? Is it used in a domestic setting or a commercial place of business? Once you know the answer to these it's easier to narrow down the product to use.
2. Leather and Cotton. These two products can be finicky when it comes to cleaners, so you need to use a specific product to get the best results. A lot of people are making homemade eco-friendly cleaners which can work well on other fabrics, but these two are likely to response badly. You really do need something specialised, so keep this in mind if you are more the DIY type person.
3. Test. Before cleaning the whole piece of furniture, test it first. Do a colourfast test in an inconspicuous area (like underneath) to ensure that what you have decided to use will work. Br patient with this test. Don't just wait 2 minutes and then carry on with the rest. Test it and then wait 24 hours - until it is dried at least and see what's happened. If it looks good then go for it.
   
4. Ventilation. If you are going ahead with cleaning yourself, please give yourself some breathing room. Some of the products can be pretty smelly. You don't want to give yourself an almighty headache.
5. If you are unsure, call the experts. It is easy to make a mistake that you will regret. So if you are unsure of the type of fabric you are working with, or you've done a colourfast test and you're not happy then call in the experts. If you have invested good money into the furniture then it's worth it to pay for some help.

Have you had a good or bad experience cleaning your own furniture? Let us know if you have some tips you'd like to share.