All You Need to Know about Eco-Friendly Upholstery Cleaning
As consumers, businesses, and governments get more eco-conscious, everything from your furniture to the upholstery that wraps it needs to be sustainable. However, you aren’t doing the planet any favors when you’re using harsh chemicals to clean that upholstery. Let’s explore the benefits of eco-friendly upholstery cleaning and how you can adopt it to take a greener step forward.
Benefits of Sustainable Upholstery Cleaning:
1. Good For the Planet
This one’s pretty obvious. When you get professionals to deep clean your couch or other furniture, they use a method called hot-water extraction. In this method, they infuse hot water with harsh cleaning solutions into the fabric and extract them with a powerful vacuum along with the dislodged dirt and stain particles.
However, when those harsh chemicals get produced in a factory or that dirty water gets disposed of, that leads to higher carbon emissions and water pollution. Sustainable upholstery cleaning ideas can help get around this problem and prevent our planet from getting more polluted.
2. Good on Your Wallet
Most people think that eco-friendly options are a financial sacrifice. However, sometimes, sustainable upholstery cleaning methods come out as the more economical choice. For instance, regular baking soda is cheaper than chemical cleaners available in the market. Baking soda is a green cleaner that isn’t nearly as harmful as commercial cleaners.
When it reacts with water, it transforms into carbonic acid which later disassociates into water and carbon dioxide. So, using this household product for cleaning and refreshing your carpet or upholstery certainly counts as a green method.
3. Furniture Lasts Longer
Both wood and metal aren’t very receptive to harsh cleaning methods. They can get corroded very easily and that ruins the look of your expensive furniture and also compromises their structural strength. For vintage pieces, it can bring down their value dramatically. That’s why it’s best to stick to eco-friendly upholstery cleaning techniques that don’t use abrasives or harsh products.
DIY and Pro Upholstery Cleaning
Whether you choose to clean furniture or cushion upholstery yourself or hand it over to professionals, choose the greener method.
- DIY cleaning agents
Choose natural upholstery cleaning agents when you choose the DIY route. Instead of commercial cleaners available in the market, use white vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, and castile soap (made from veggie oil) to clean the fabric and deodorize it with essential oils.
- Professional Cleaners
When you get upholstery professional cleaning, choose businesses that use natural or organic cleaning products and methods. Some green businesses are green all the way through and clean your furniture upholstery in a controlled environment to prevent dust and allergens from spreading into the air.
Quick Stain Removal for Upholstery
The best way to avoid deep cleaning and environmental pollution is to maintain the upholstery in good condition, vacuum it regularly, and take care of stains quickly. Check out these hacks to take care of stains before they become stubborn:
- Get rid of coffee stains with egg yolk and lukewarm water solution.
- Use a gentle shampoo for regular stains.
- Use steam to dislodge stubborn dirt stains
- Get rid of red wine stains with hydrogen peroxide (don’t worry, it degrades into water and oxygen)
By switching to organic upholstery cleaning, you’re not just saving the planet, you’re saving money and extending the life of your furniture. Whether you embrace DIY methods or find a green professional, you’ll save money and your furniture while receiving an agreeable nod from the planet.
As a lifelong DIY enthusiast, Alex Barton is never afraid to go the extra mile to save a few bucks! From seamless interior decor hacks to effective DIY home renovation tips, he shares a myriad of his experiences for you to unleash your creativity.
