You spend thousands of dollars on your living room furniture, only to have it damaged or dirtied. It can be incredibly frustrating and perhaps even embarrassing to say the least, especially when you have company over.
No matter what you have done to prevent spills, stains and smells, your sofa has endured a lot. Everything from wine stains to coffee spills to foul odours emanating from your cat’s recent visit to the litterbox, there is so much that your living room furniture combats on a daily basis.
Do you want your investment and pretty pieces to go to waste? Of course not! It would be throwing money down the drain. This is why it is crucial to employ several precautionary measures to shield your loveseat, armchair and footstool from the wretched elements of daily life.
Here are five tips to keep your living room furniture clean:
1. Turn the Cushions & Pillows Over
When your pillows and cushions are constantly in use, then you risk wear and tear in addition to the stains and smells. A simple remedy to this situation is to turn over the cushions and pillows every week so you can have even wear. It can be awkward over time when one side of a pillow or cushion is in great shape and the other side is simply disgusting.
2. Vacuum the Furniture Regularly
Let’s be honest: we are not pigs, but we’re not exactly the cleanest of people.
That said, whether you are lounging on your sofa during movie night or you’re entertaining guests in the living room, a lot of mess can be made. Crumbs from potato ships, hair from your dogs or leftover chocolate chip cookies, it is important to vacuum the furniture regularly.
Depending on how filled your home is, it is always a wise decision to vacuum twice a week.
3. See a Spill? Slay the Spill
A common issue that many dwellers make is that they just wipe away a spill at the scene of the crime. What they really be doing is this: wipe away the spill…and to rigorously slay the spill with some sort of spray, or even club soda.
Simply put: don’t let the spill stay idly by; attack it at the source almost immediately.
4. Keep Your Furniture Out of Sunlight
Many of us are unaware of this rudimentary trick: keeping your furniture in the sunlight can hurt your sofa, chairs, loveseats and carpets more ways than one. This is because too much sun can damage your fabric, generating fading and fraying.
When you’ve just moved in or you want to rearrange your pieces, you must position them in a way that they do not receive extended bouts of sunlight. This is especially important for delicate fabrics, like silks.
The sunlight can oftentimes be finite in the Great White North – we experienced this last summer – but it can also be the bane of your furniture’s existence.
5. Wash & Dry the Slipcovers
In order to expand the lifespan of your living room furniture and to protect it from a harsh environment, we utilize the power of slipcovers. This is a wise idea and it will save you headaches down the road. However, you must remember to clean your slipcovers by placing them in the washer and dryer at least once a month – it’s better if it’s a weekly basis. Should you be unable to use a washer and dryer, brush or vacuum your slipcovers every week, and spray it with a freshener.
By the end of it all, you will likely have spent $5,000 on your living room furniture: sofas, coffee tables, side tables, TV stands, chairs, stools and a carpet. This is a hefty investment to make. You don’t want to throw money down the tube so be sure to do your best to keep it clean at all times.
