Easy Cleaning Hacks
How to Clean Velvet Upholstery
Plush and luxurious velvet has been appreciated and admired for centuries. With similar piled fabrics found in the Egyptian Pyramids, the handwoven production methods remained the same until the Industrial Revolution, when mass manufacturing changed things completely.
Now valued as a contemporary couch fabric, known for its durability and good looks, it makes the ideal statement piece in a living room, and the perfect choice for a gorgeous family sofa. However, when used daily, it’s inevitable that the fabric, even if it’s the most hard wearing, will get a little grubby around the edges.
So, what’s the best way to clean velvet?
The important thing to remember when you have a beautiful velvet couch or chair, is that although it’s a robust fabric, it does require a little care to keep it looking its best. The plush pile that makes velvet so soft and touchable, can easily get flattened by heavy objects, such as books, left for a long period of time.
In order to plump up the pile again, once a week, with your vacuum on the lightest setting and an upholstery brush attachment, clean your couch, running against the direction of the pile. Alternatively, you can brush by hand, again going against the pile. Every few days, give the cushions a shake to prevent any creases becoming ‘settled’, leaving marks on the couch.
When it comes to velvet cleaning there are several effective methods.
Wet cleaning
You’ll need:
- A good vacuum cleaner
- Soft brushes
- Hot water
- Upholstery cleaner/shampoo
- Clean, absorbent cloths
- Firstly, thoroughly vacuum your sofa, or chair. Ensure you get into all the fabric folds, along the piping and zippers. Take the cushions off and vacuum them, too, and get into all the places you’d never usually venture – check for dropped change first!
- Mix a little of the upholstery cleaner into the hot water – the ratio is usually stated on the instructions, and on a small corner, or at the bottom edge on the rear of the sofa, test out a little of the mixture.
- Dipping the brush into the liquid, squeeze it out so that you’re not making the fabric too wet, and then scrub lightly, in a circular motion over a small patch. Once done, leave for a minute or two, and then dab up as much dampness as you can with a clean cloth.
- If the fabric hasn’t been adversely affected, then you can repeat the process across the whole of the sofa, and cushions.
- Once completed and the majority of the moisture has been soaked up by the cloths take a small, soft brush and brush the pile of the velvet so that it’s in a perpendicular position, and allow it to air dry naturally.
Within an hour or two, your gorgeous velvet sofa should look, and smell, as good as new!
Dry cleaning for a quick spot clean
In order to remove small stains and spots, use the juice from a freshly squeezed lemon, and an old toothbrush, and very gently brush the mark, lifting as much as you can. Then using a tiny amount of washing detergent diluted in warm water, brush away the lemon juice. Dab the patch completely dry with a paper towel.
Another good velvet cleaning method is shown here:
