If you meet with clients in your home, you want your home office space as comfortable as possible. This includes keeping a couch or chair available for your clients to sit on. Over time, however, you need to clean that furniture, as clients will carry dirt and allergens in on their clothing. Those clean couches will soon be grubby and full of germs!
The appearance of your home office matters, because seeing grungy furniture upon entering your space will give your clients the impression that your space is dirty and unkempt. This in turn will likely make them question the professionalism of your business.
So, what should you do? The answer is simple: you need to clean your upholstery! Keep your couches and chairs looking as nice as possible to impress your clients.
Check the material
Before you start cleaning your upholstery, make sure to check the material. Specific types of materials will need to be cleaned in different ways. For example, a faux leather couch can be simply wiped down with a rag. In contrast, a velvet or silk couch will need to be dry-cleaned. If you clean your couch without paying attention to the fabric type, you run the risk of damaging it. Using the wrong type of cleaner could cause stains or matted fabric.
Certain materials are more durable than others, which is something you’ll want to take into consideration when buying your upholstered furniture. If you receive a lot of customers, you might want to choose a faux leather couch. Pleather is resistant to wear and typically easy to clean.
Upholsteries made out of synthetic materials are also really durable because they’re resistant to stains. These include polyester, nylon, and vinyl. Choosing the right material can help keep your office looking clean.
Vacuum several times a week
Regardless of what type of material you choose, you’re going to want to get in the habit of vacuuming your home office furniture at least once a week. While upholstered furniture in your home may only need vacuuming once a week, furniture in your home office should get vacuumed more frequently.
This is because of the number of people that will sit on the furniture. If you meet with several customers each day, they will naturally drag dirt and other things in on their clothing. Vacuuming several times a week will help get rid of any dirt and allergens that are on the surface of your furniture. Not only does this help keep your furniture looking fresh, but it also helps reduce the number of germs that are in your office space.
When it comes to vacuuming, choose a vacuum that comes with an upholstery attachment. This attachment will allow you to easily vacuum your furniture. It can also be used to vacuum your curtains!
Treat spills immediately
If a client accidentally spills something on your furniture, you will want to clean it up as soon as possible. Unfortunately, some people aren’t very conscious when they’re sitting in an office, even if it is a home office space.
Food, coffee, soda, juice…there’s the possibility of it all getting spilled on your couch! Ideally, you’ll see it sooner rather than later and will be able to treat the spill before it sets.
The first step is to absorb as much of the spill as possible. If it is food, try to pick as much food up as possible without rubbing it into the sofa. If it is a liquid, press a dry rag on top of the spill. Do not rub the spill, as it can make it worse.
After you’ve absorbed as much of the liquid as possible, you can then sprinkle baking soda on top of the spill to help lift any odors from the fabric. After it has had time to work, vacuum the baking soda up.
Cleaning set stains
If the stain has already set on your upholstery before you get around to cleaning it, you will have to take additional cleaning measures to get your couch looking fresh again.
You will want to invest in a commercial fabric cleaner to help lift the stains. If you don’t want to use a commercial fabric cleaner, there are DIY recipes available on the internet. If you’re using a commercial cleaner, make sure to follow the instructions on the cleaner.
No matter if you’re using a commercial cleaner or a DIY cleaner, make sure you don’t rub while you’re cleaning! Rubbing can cause the stain to spread further into your upholstery. You’ll also want to make sure the cleaner you use is right for your upholstery. Remember, certain types of fabrics will need a different level of care than others.
Deep clean on occasion
Finally, you should plan to deep clean your upholstery once or twice a year. Deep cleaning your furniture means steam cleaning it. Steam cleaning lifts allergens and dirt that have become embedded into your upholstery. While vacuuming can get rid of dirt on the surface, steam cleaning is the only way to make sure your furniture is truly cleaned.
You have a few different ways to go about this. One, you can rent a steam cleaner and clean your upholstery. Or if you anticipate needing to clean your furniture often, you may want to instead purchase your own steam cleaner.
If you’d rather not worry about cleaning at all, you can always hire a company to do your upholstery cleaning for you. They’ll have all the right equipment and chemicals to ensure that your furniture is cleaned properly. Also, hiring a company will allow you to spend more time focusing on other aspects of your business.
Final thoughts
If you have a home office, don’t overlook the value of creating a cozy and clean office space! Clients will appreciate walking into a pristine space and will formulate a good first impression of your business. Other ways to create a comfortable home office space for your clients include making sure that meetings are conducted in a private space and that there are some small decorative touches throughout the office.
