Over the years we invest a lot of money in our home furniture. From sofas and armchairs to dining chairs, corner tables and bookshelves --- the need for furniture seems endless. What it ultimately means is that we have a lot more stuff in our homes that we have to try and keep clean.

Furniture cleaning can be especially tricky because across the spectrum of furniture in our homes, the range of materials and surfaces in need of cleaning is so huge. Hopefully the following tips will help you with some of the most common furniture items.

1. Use Professionals

If you have the budget for it, then why not get around the whole issue and revive your furniture with professional upholstery cleaning service? The pros have all the tools on hand to clean all manner of different furniture and the many hard and soft materials that make them up. When you bring them in to get the job done, you save a lot of time and energy, and can ensure everything is cleaned up to an exacting standard.

When thinking about using professionals, the question of frequency is important. If you can handle most basic day-to-day cleaning yourself, then you may only need the pros to come to your home once a month. That makes hiring professionals more affordable.

2. Vacuum Furniture Regularly

If you’re going to go the full DIY route, then the best place to start is with vacuuming. Most furniture types will benefit from some attention from the vacuum cleaner, including your bed, sofa, and armchairs, but even your desk, tables and dining chair. Regular vacuuming takes away dust and dirt, all of which can get embedded and start to become a health risk in some homes.

Keeping a large heavy-duty vacuum for your floors and a smaller more accessible vacuum for your furniture is a good household cleaning policy and will go a long way to help keeping all furniture in great shape.

3. Create Household Rules Around Eating on Certain Furniture

If you have a household where people like to take food from the kitchen and eat all over the house, then creating “no-go zones” around certain furniture can be a way to protect it from food stains. Particular examples might include expensive sofas (especially those in light colours) and beds.

The best thing to do is simply foster good habits and traditions in your home that will prevent food stains from affecting your furniture like all meals being eaten at the kitchen or dining room table that can be easily wiped down in the event of spills.

4. Wipe Down Hard Tables After Every Use

Tables and other hard-surfaced furniture gets harder to clean the longer you leave it between cleans. If you maintain a good habit of wiping down these surfaces every time they’re used, then a basic light wipe with warm water or a basic cleaning solution will keep it spotless with the minimum of effort.

Even with non-hard fabric-covered furniture, the principle holds true when it comes to stain removal. The longer you leave something unattended, the harder it will be to clean later on.

5. Use Removable Covers

Finally, removable covers on any furniture that can accept it are your best friend when you want to keep them clean. Sofa covers, cushion covers, tablecloths and more. If you have any furniture you are afraid is particularly vulnerable to staining, then covering up is an ideal solution. If and when accidents happen, you can remove the cover, machine wash it and replace it immediately.