When your new sofa or armchair is delivered, you probably don’t really notice the care instructions that are attached. But sooner or later spills, drips and smudges will have you wondering exactly what those upholstery cleaning codes mean.
Where do I find upholstery cleaning codes?
It’s always a good idea to familiarise yourself with where to find your furniture’s care instructions before you need them. There’s usually a label attached to the underside of your furniture but you may have to hunt around for it. Once you’ve located it, you’ll see various symbols and letters.
The codes you’re looking for are W, S, S-W, and X.
If you can’t find the cleaning instructions on your upholstery, sometimes they’ve been cut off. If this is the case, go to the manufacturer’s website. There you’ll be able to get the full cleaning instructions for your type of furnishings.
What do the upholstery cleaning codes mean?
W – this means that you should only use water-based cleaning solutions
S or P – your upholstery can only be cleaned with solvents, or in other words ‘dry-clean only’
SW or WS – indicates that you can use either water-based cleaning solutions or a solvent-based cleaner. You could also use a steam cleaner for this type of upholstery.
X – you should only use a professional upholstery cleaner and you can’t use water or detergent-based solutions on the fabric.
DIY upholstery cleaning
There are times when for whatever reason, you can’t book a professional upholstery cleaner. What can you do instead?
For minor marks, you could try a little spot-cleaning with white vinegar. White vinegar is well known for its cleaning properties and it’s a great natural stain remover for a variety of different types of upholstery.
Always check the area to be cleaned carefully first. If in any doubt, use a small test patch to see how the fabric responds to this type of cleaning. Use a small area that isn’t too visible, such as the underside of the fabric cover. Blot the stain with equal parts of a water and vinegar solution. Then, gently wipe with a microfibre cloth. Ensure that you don’t use a coloured/dyed cloth so that there is no risk of colour leaching from the cloth to your upholstery.
After the initial blotting part of the procedure, follow with a mixture of mild detergent/dish soap and tepid water. This should be used to remove any residual smell of vinegar.
Make sure that the area is not overly wetted, otherwise you risk leaving water stains on your upholstery. Then, leave to dry naturally.
Keep your upholstery clean and smelling fresh
Whether it’s the children’s sticky fingers, a late-night cheeky Nando’s in front of the TV, or the dog snoozing away the day on your favourite sofa, our fabric upholstery absorbs a lot of different smells and dirt. To freshen up your upholstery, in-between professional cleaning appointments, you can sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over the fabric. Then leave it overnight to absorb all the smells. In the morning you can vacuum off the bicarbonate of soda to reveal fresher-smelling upholstery.
I share more of my top cleaning tips to remove more stubborn stains in some of my other blog posts.
For more details about the services I offer and news about The Rutland Cleaning Company, please follow me on Facebook and Instagram
Leave a Reply