How to Clean Different Types of Upholstered Dining Chairs

The ultimate guide to cleaning upholstered dining chairs

Here is another handy guide for our valued customers at Lakeland Furniture. Today, we're tackling different types of upholstered dining chairs, and how to clean them. Gathering around the table on a Sunday for a roast dinner. Taking your place with a glass of wine after a hard day's work. The dining room is a centrepiece of the modern family home. Maintaining your dining chairs means maintaining this important part of modern life.

Fabric dining chairs

What you’ll need: vacuum cleaner, clean cloth and towel, rubbing alcohol, liquid detergent, white vinegar. Regularly vacuuming your fabric dining chairs to remove dirt, dust and crumbs is key. Removing these pesky bits of dirt once a week will stop them penetrating the fabric and keep it looking bright and fresh. Make it part of your weekly cleaning routine, and you’ll wonder how you never made it a habit before. It is recommended that approximately twice a year you have the upholstered fabric on your dining chairs professionally cleaned. This is important if you want the best possible conservation of your precious fabric chairs. In case of any spills, which are inevitable, the quicker you can set to work, the better. Stains or spillages left to fester will only cause worse damage and be harder to remove. Blot up as much excess liquid as possible with a clean towel or absorbent cloth. For coffee and tea stains, use equal parts white vinegar and alcohol and soak into a cloth. Then, dab the cloth gently over the stain. Lastly, press the area again with a dry absorbent cloth. For alcoholic drink stains, firstly dab the area with a clean cloth dampened with rubbing alcohol. Then, blot the stain with a mixture of cold water and liquid detergent. You may need to repeat these steps. Blot the area dry with a clean towel. Never use: bleach, ammonia, abrasive cleaning products, alkalis.

 

Velvet dining chairs

What you’ll need: vacuum cleaner, upholstery cleaner, dish soap, dry cleaning detergent, soft brush, hair dryer or fan Again, as with fabric chairs, regular vacuuming is a good way to ensure the maintenance of your velvet dining chairs remains at a good standard. If the velvet in your chairs is made from cotton or polyester, you can clean them with an upholstery cleaner such as Kilrock. Apply the cleaner with a soft sponge, and vacuum afterwards. Always spot test when using certain cleaners on your velvet dining chairs in a discreet place. This is to ensure that the cleaner will not damage or discolour the fabric. For liquid spillages, you can clean your velvet fabric chairs with a mixture of (a small amount of) dish soap and water. Soak a cloth in the sudsy water and gently blot the stain with it, then use a hair dryer or fan to speed up the drying process. Alternatively, you can use a cloth or paper towel to soak up the liquid spill. Dry cleaning detergent can be applied to a sponge and blotted over the stain. Once the cleanser has dried (with a hair dryer or fan to aid), use a soft brush to restore the velvet's texture if needed. If the fabric is wet, use a paper towel or soft cloth to soak up the liquid. Apply dry cleaning detergent to a sponge and blot the stain repeatedly. Let the cleanser dry entirely on the fabric, using a hair dryer or fan to dry it as quickly as possible. Again, if required, use a soft brush to restore the chair's texture. 

 

Faux leather dining chairs

What you’ll need: paper towels, clean rags, dish detergent, baby wipes, faux leather polish Faux leather chairs are easily wiped, yes, but it is still important to get the cleaning process right. Blot stains as soon as they appear, to reduce the potential damage. Use paper towels for the blotting. Fill a bucket halfway with warm water, then mix in a dish detergent until bubbles appear. Dip a soft, clean rag into the sudsy water and squeeze it out (never let it be dripping wet!). Then, wipe the mess on the chair away with the damp rag. You need to ensure that you get a good balance between having enough liquid to clean the stain, but not so much that it saturates the leather and causes further damage than intended. Baby wipes are a good alternative for removing a relatively quick and easy stain to remove. If your chair needs a touch-up, spray a small amount of faux leather polish onto a dry rag and wipe over your clean chairs.