Cleaning Your Linen Upholstery

From the living room sofa that withstands family movie nights, to an elegant armchair for cosying up with a book, linen upholstery is the ideal choice. As well as being used in a wide range of home textiles, like linen bath towels, linen bed sheets and linen clothing,  linen looks timelessly stylish on different types of furniture.

But no couch or cushion is completely safe from spills, stains or everyday dirt. From after-party wine stains to sticky fingers and muddy pets, your linen upholstery needs the right care.

Whether you love its natural texture or are charmed by its softness and strength, you need to properly clean your linen upholstery to ensure it stays looking great. Regular and careful cleaning not only keeps it fresh, it also helps prolong the life of the fabric or linen furniture.

Here’s the lowdown on how to clean your linen upholstery or linen furniture fabric, from spot cleaning to when to call in a professional. So you can have many more years of enjoyment and use, whatever life throws at your furniture.

How to clean your linen upholstery

• Before cleaning, check the attached care instructions to see whether your linen upholstery need dry cleaning, or whether the covers can be machine washed. This is essential so you don't damage the fabric.
• If there’s no label or you’re in any doubt about how to clean the fabric, hire a professional linen upholstery cleaner. They will have specialist knowledge and may steam clean or hand wash your furniture or its cover.
• If you regularly vacuum your linen furniture or upholstery you will prevent the build up of dust and dirt, which can become ingrained over time. This is particularly important on items of furniture where pets sleep or that are used heavily.

• Spot clean

  • If there are just few stains and you want to clean your linen fabric yourself, you can remove small marks from your upholstery by washing the stain with lukewarm water. Just dab gently with a wet cloth. Don’t rub or scrub as you might work the stain further into the fabric, or even damage the material.
  • If the stains are from tea or coffee, gently blot them with glycerin. Allow the glycerin to soak on the fabric for a few minutes, then wash off with lukewarm water using a clean cloth.

• Grease marks are another common problem with linen upholstery fabrics. You can remove them with the help of a small amount of petrol or trichloroethylene. Dab the stains, then spread talc on the area and brush it off or vacuum thoroughly. Rinse the treated area thoroughly with water and a clean cloth, then leave to dry. Obviously, you need to take care when using flammable liquids in the home.

Washing upholstery

• If your linen upholstery needs a more thorough washing, wash it by hand or use your washing machine, if the care instructions permit.
• For prewashed upholstery (which will not shrink) you can use hot water to wash lighter colored fabrics, including white. Use cold water for darker colors. You can use a mild detergent diluted in warm water.
• It’s important to rinse well after the wash to completely remove all soap residue.

With the right care your beautiful linen upholstery will stay looking great and feeling comfortable for endless days lounging or socialising at home.

For more linen care tips visits Houserituals website.