If you’ve just bought a new couch, rug, or even armchair… you might feel a bit protective over it. Whether it was trendy and cost a small fortune, or it’s just a piece of furniture you love and want to care for, protecting it is important.
Learning how to protect furniture from stains can be a hassle, but it’s often necessary if you have children, pets, or even if you’re just prone to spills.
Protecting your furniture from unwanted stains is going to increase the longevity of it, leaving it looking brand new for years to come. Read on to learn seven of the best tips for protecting your furniture from stains.
1. Pretreat
Pretreating furniture with a stain protection treatment is an important thing to do from the beginning. It provides an invisible shield between the upholstery and anything that comes into contact with it.
This shield doesn’t allow anything to penetrate furniture immediately, leaving plenty of time for you to wipe it up without worry.
2. Clean Often
Another way to protect furniture from stains is to clean your furniture often. Whether it’s with a furniture-safe product or just vacuuming, the more often you clean, the less likely you are to experience stains.
Vacuuming prevents stray crumbs (and their oils) to situate themselves into the fabric of your furniture while cleaning with an upholstery spray can help any set-in slowly make their way out.
If you try this and find that there are stains you just can’t get out, calling in a professional is always a smart option.
3. Cover It Up
Placing covers or blankets over your furniture is another great way to protect it from stains. You can find fabric protectors for furniture at many stores and online.
If you have a dog, training them to only sit on the couch while there’s a blanket not only establishes healthy boundaries for them but protects your furniture as well.
4. Choose Wisely
Sometimes, if you choose the right furniture, it automatically comes with a removable cover that you can wash, dry, and place back on.
There are also stain-resistant fabrics like Crypton, tweed, and microfiber. Fabrics like these aren’t prone to absorbing liquids quickly, and in the rare instance that they do the stain can be hidden fairly easily.
They perform well and can stand the test of time — even if you have pets or kids.
5. Change Your Habits
Now, you don’t need to keep a towel in your pocket to dab up any moisture you find around the house, but changing a few of your habits can make a huge difference for your furniture.
Statistics show that 65 percent of stains come from sticky foods. Simply eating in the dining room or setting up a small table on the floor in your living room is a great way to practice stain prevention.
If eating popcorn and candy on the couch is a family tradition, try switching it up with a blanket fort and snacks on the floor. You can even forgo the fort and lay blankets out on the floor for an indoor picnic while you watch movies.
If you want to put pillows on the floor, just cover those up too and there’s no worry involved!
6. Be Prepared if You Have Leather Furniture
Leather furniture often has different cleaning methods and products that it needs. A special soap called saddle soap should be used to clean your furniture.
Luckily, all you need is a rag or other type of duster to keep dirt at bay.
If you find yourself needing to wipe down your couch with soap and water, it’s important to dry it with a soft cloth then recondition the material with a leather conditioner.
Remember that leather furniture is meant to have that lived-in look, and you can rearrange it all to keep it even safer (it isn’t meant to live underneath the air conditioner or right next to a radiator).
Pets, however, aren’t as welcome on leather couches. Their claws or nails can tear through the material, which is bad news for your furniture.
Another important thing to remember with leather is that often requires the care of a specialist when things happen to it. It’s best to call in a leather professional if you need help with cleaning this type of furniture.
7. Arm Yourself for Any Situation
The final best thing you can do to protect your furniture from stains is preparing ahead of time. Keeping baby wipes near your living space make it easy to wipe and dab up fresh spills when they happen.
Investing in a power cleaner is another great way to keep your furniture safe! Lint rollers for stray pet hair are also great.
If your furniture is made from a delicate fabric, keeping club soda and Castile soap on hand can clean up and prevent stains in a pinch.
Use These Tips to Protect Furniture From Stains
Now that you’ve read these tips, it’s time to put them into action! Learning how to protect furniture from stains is going to give your home a new life, and you won’t have to worry about spills and other mistakes happening.
Even if spills do happen, you’ll be so knowledgeable on cleaning up those stains that it won’t even become a worry. Remember though, sometimes stains just won’t come out of beloved furniture, and calling in a professional might be the only solution.
Luckily, Rescue My Time Cleaning Service is here to help. Contact us to request a quote today.
