Spring Cleaning for Your Furniture

Spring is here! With the warmer weather, it’s a great time to freshen up your home and say goodbye to winter. So open up those windows, let in the fresh air – here is your spring cleaning checklist of ways you can freshen up your home.

Vacuum and Shake Out Cushions. While we all usually give a quick swipe to our furniture with the vacuum, it’s a good idea to give your furniture a bit more attention a couple times a year. Take your cushions outside and give them a good shake/pat to get rid of dirt and dust. While cushions are off, give your sofa, loveseat, chair and thorough vacuuming – don’t forget to get underneath and behind your furniture!
Lift, Never Push Your Furniture. If a piece of furniture is too heavy to move for vacuuming, place a towel or piece of cardboard underneath the leg to help it slide easier. Use a towel for hardwood or tile floors, cardboard for sliding on carpet.
Spot Treat. Now is a good time to get to those spots you’ve been meaning to clean. Before you spot treat any fabric, we recommend you use a mild dish soap diluted in water and ALWAYS test your fabric in an area not visible (back of cushion) before cleaning. Only use cleaners intended for upholstery. If you don’t want to do it yourself, many carpet cleaning professionals also clean upholstered living room furniture.
Touch Up Scratches. Furniture touch up pens and markers are available at more home improvement stores and can be useful for unsightly scratches. Find one close to the finish of your furniture, follow directions, and fill in.
Clean out Your Drawers. A lot of us change our clothes out in the warmer months and put away those sweaters. Take it a step further and empty those drawers and vacuum out any dust/dirt. Fold up clothes and be careful not to over stuff your drawers; this is the #1 way drawers and dressers are broken. Don’t want to part with anything, maybe it’s time to purchase a new chest of drawers for extra storage.
Condition Your Leather. Most of the time we can wipe down leather with a damp cloth to remove dirt, dust but from time to time you want to give your leather furniture a good treatment with a leather conditioner to keep it moist and prevent cracking. Note: ‘Leather like’ performance fabrics do not require leather conditioner – a damp clean cloth can take care of most cleaning needs. See ‘spot treat’ above for more guidance.
Sweet Dreams. Clean/vacuum your bed mattress and pillows and be sure to vacuum underneath the bed. Investing in a mattress protector pad, pillow covers are a good idea to protect your pillow and mattress from dust and dirt and prevent
stains. We have mattress protectors available in our showroom at great prices.
Out with the Old, In with the New. While you are cleaning, take inventory of what can be cleaned up and fixed up and what needs to be replaced. If your item is still usable consider donating it or have a yard sale – you could earn some extra cash for some furniture deals! Be sure sure to take advantage of our Delaware Furniture Store Spring Sale going on now!

Good furniture should and could last a long, long time with the proper care. Follow the manufacturer recommendations for care. Need a little help? Try to get the family involved, even the littlest helpers can help ease the workload and think how good it will feel when the house is clean and tidy, then you can go out and enjoy these warm spring days!