There is no doubt about the fact that if you are working from home all day long, one of the most important things that you need is a great office chair. After all, without the right kind of cushioning and back support, you are going to end up in pain sooner rather than later. Now this is of course the main thing to look out for when buying an office chair.
However, something that many people don’t think of is the fact that office chairs get dirty. Depending on how hot and humid the environment is, and how often you use that chair, chances are that it’s going to get pretty sweaty.
Whether you spilled some coffee or spaghetti on that chair or it’s just really sweaty and stinky from a long summer of work, now is the time when you need to clean it.
That said, of course, cleaning office chair fabric is not as easy as just throwing a pair of socks in the washing machine. Unless you have a very special office chair that allows you to remove the fabric over the seat, then you can’t possibly put that office chair in the washing machine.
Therefore, cleaning office chair fabric may seem very hard. However, the reality is that there are actually a few really easy ways to clean the fabric, both to get rid of stains and unwanted smells.
How to Clean Office Chair Fabric
Office Chair Fabric Cleaning Methods
There are a few different ways to clean that office chair fabric, and which method you use is going to depend on exactly how dirty and stinky it is. Let’s take a look at all of the methods at your disposal right now.
1. Some Good Old Vacuuming
OK, so no matter if your chair is stinky or not, and whether or not it has stains, the first thing that you should do is to vacuum it. Removing dust and loose particles is really easy, so this is what you should do first.
Moreover, a decent vacuum with a good brush attachment should be able to loosen up some stains. Of course, smells and stains aren’t going to really come out with just a vacuum alone, so this is really only a pretreatment method. That said, get a nice upholstery attachment for your vacuum and have at it.
2. Removing Stains with……
Alright, so now the loose particles are gone but the stuck-on stains are left behind. Luckily, there are a few different methods you can use to get rid of stains on your fabric office chair. We’ll start off with the most basic methods for the easiest stains and then ramp it up in difficulty, so to speak.
- If it’s just a really basic stain, the first thing you should try doing is using a cloth and some water. Some foods are just going to be dried on there, but not actually stained. Sometimes a bit of warm water is enough to loosen stuck on debris.
- If the stains persist, you can try to use hydrogen peroxide. Take a good bit of hydrogen peroxide and soak a microfiber cloth with it. Now, with that hydrogen peroxide soaked microfiber cloth, blot the stain. This should remove most basic stains as hydrogen peroxide is a great stain remover. You may want to test this on a little area of the chair first that you can’t see because in some cases it may stain fabric. The good thing about hydrogen peroxide is that it also has the power to kill odors.
- While hydrogen peroxide is a very natural solution, it may not always work. The other method that you have at your disposal here is to use a professional upholstery cleaning product. Exactly how these products are used will depend on the product in question. What’s beneficial about a professional cleaning product is that in terms of odor killing, it’s going to be one of the best things out there. Many professional upholstery cleaning products are also designed to kill odors, not just stains.
3. You Could Try a Steam Cleaner
Using a steam cleaner is another thing you can try doing, as these are very effective at removing both stains and odors on upholstery. However, there is a bit of a risk involved because steam cleaning, depending on the fabric in question, may cause some damage.
Moreover, some materials really shouldn’t get that wet, or at least not stay wet for too long. If the stains haven’t come out with any other method, then this might be one of the only things left to try. So, we do recommend going for it, but be careful. Just try not to soak the chair too much or else it’s going to take forever to dry.
Conclusion
The bottom line here is that just because your office chair is stained and stinky doesn’t mean you have to throw it away. There are many good ways to clean that fabric, and heck, if the smell still persists after everything is said and done, try throwing some Febreze on it.