Keeping Furniture Clean with Children

Investing in a sofa of good quality is a great way to add elegance, sophistication, and comfort to your living room. However, since this piece of furniture is in a space that family and friends use regularly, it's inevitable that stains and spills will occur sometime soon. It isn't just sofas that bear the brunt of negligence or rough use. Coffee tables, end tables, and other wooden furniture take a beating as well. 

If you have children in the house, it doubles, if not triples, the chances of unsightly stains showing up on your couches. However, it doesn't mean you have to put plastic covers on all your furniture or restrict the amount of time your children spend in these areas. There are many different things you can do to keep furniture clean with children. Some steps you can take to keep your furniture clean at all times include:

1. Buy The Right Fabric

If you have children in your home, their lack of coordination and grubby hands means light-colored fabrics are at high risk of becoming soiled. It's best to invest in materials that have a higher percentage of man-made fiber content, rather than natural fiber. The former offers stain resistance and durability. Synthetic fabrics are more resilient and don't absorb stains and dirt as much as natural ones. Until the time your children are grown up and less likely to soil your furniture, it's best to buy upholstery with synthetic fabric.

2. Alter Your Habits

While it isn't necessary to transform your habits drastically, you can do some things to avoid stains on your furniture. Encourage your children to consume food and drinks either in the kitchen or dining room. When you ban the consumption of foods in the living room, it reduces the chances of spills and stains. You don't have to worry about drink rings and other stains appearing on wooden furniture either.  

These may seem like extreme measures. However, once you and your children make it a habit to keep food away from the living room, it can help you maintain cleanliness without much stress. If snacking on the couch during movie nights is an integral aspect of your family ritual, consider setting up an indoor picnic space or even a kiddie table in one corner of the living room. This step will save your furniture from stains.

3. Clean Up Stains Quickly

If there are any accidental spills, never delay in cleaning them up. When you attend to them as soon as possible, it prevents them from seeping into the fabric. While it is essential to get to the stains quickly, never scrub them vigorously. Gently remove all the food or liquid sitting on the fabric's surfaces. Steps to get stains out of upholstered furniture quickly:

• For all non-oil-based stains use a solution of non-toilet soap and warm water to clean the stained area. Gently rub this solution in and then blot the area dry using a soft, clean towel. Apply some cold water onto the spot and blot-dry it gently. Dry the area with a hairdryer moving from the center of the stains out, to prevent permanent water rings forming. 

• In the case of oil-based stains use the same technique as above. After that, apply a brand solvent-based cleaner and clean the surface in panels rather than spot-cleaning the stained area.

The best way to minimize the need to hire professionals for furniture cleaning is to opt for the right fabric. Also, consider getting all your furniture treated with a pre-stain treatment. Nano-Tex and Teflon have some excellent products that create a stain-resistant coating on furniture. These simple measures will help keep your furniture in a better condition with children around. 

← Previous Post Next Post →