How To Clean Chair Cushions

You are celebrating your child’s birthday party in the house.

While your child is busy playing and munching on snacks with the other kids, later you saw that one of the kids accidentally dropped a chocolate cupcake on the seat of the dining chair.

“Oh no! What am I going to do now? I can’t even throw this into the washing machine!”

You must be panicking like this, but there’s no need to panic! What we’ll be sharing with you today will no doubt help you get those pesky stains out of the chair fabric.

Keep going through this guide on how to clean chair cushions, and you’ll find your solution in no time!

How To Clean Chair Cushions

How To Clean Chair Cushions
How To Clean Chair Cushions

Chair play a huge role in the overall appearance of your dining room. In order to keep the room looking warm and inviting, it is important to keep the cushions immaculate. Here’s what you can do:


1. Removing Dust, Pet Dander, And Debris

Chair cushions can attract dust, debris, and pet dander easily. Unless you clean them regularly, you will have to put more effort later on.

If you want to do quick-cleaning, you will need a vacuum cleaner with upholstery attachments. These attachments let you remove debris from crevices, and brush off dust, hair, and pet dander from fabrics. If you don’t want to invest in such a vacuum cleaner, you can go for a mini size.

Removing Stains

Having stubborn stains on the chair cushion is a nightmare. But, when you know some of the popular cleaning hacks, it won’t be an issue anymore! Here’s how you can get rid of different kinds of stains:

Food Stains: 

Use cool water and soap to remove food stains. If that doesn’t work, you can try using a liquid detergent. Soak the stained area with liquid detergent for half an hour and then blot it with a soft sponge.

Ink Stains:

Dab a small amount of 90% rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth. Start by blotting at the edges and then moving inward. Make sure not to rub the stain because it can spread out from its original area.

Greasy Stains:

Sprinkle baking soda over the stain and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Remove the powder with a vacuum cleaner and gently scrub the remaining stain with liquid soap and a toothbrush. Once you are done, clean it off by blotting it with a damp paper towel.

Wine Stains:

Damp a clean cloth with water and blot the stain. If that doesn’t work, you can take a bowl and add a tablespoon of vinegar, a teaspoon of detergent, and four cups of cool water. Mix the ingredients, dip a clean cloth, and then apply it to the wine stain. To finish off, blot it with clean water.

Coffee Stains:

Mix a teaspoon of detergent with warm water and dip a paper towel into the solution. Blot the paper towel over the coffee stain, and it will come off.

Chewing Gum:

Wrap an ice cube in a paper towel. Press the wrapped ice cube against the sticky gum for about 30 seconds. When the gum becomes frozen, carefully lift it from the chair cushion using a spoon.

Pet Urine Stains:

Use a paper towel to soak up the urine. For eliminating the unpleasant smell, sprinkle a good amount of baking soda over the stain and let it sit for five minutes. Take a spray bottle, fill it with equal amounts of vinegar and water and shake it well. Spray the solution over the stain, let it sit for five more minutes, and then blot it with a paper towel.


2. Removing Odor

You’re done removing the stains, but not sure how to get rid of odor? Here are a couple of methods you can follow:

Method 1:

If you are worried about the chair fabric having an unpleasant smell after it got a stain, you can try using a steam cleaner.

Steam cleaners are great for eliminating odor and sanitizing the fabric. You can either purchase one for convenient use or hire from a hardware store.

First of all, you will need to vacuum the chair fabric. Make sure you attach the right upholstery brush for cleaning the fabric, otherwise, the fabric may get ruined.

Secondly, you will need to prepare the steam cleaner. Pour warm water into the container until it reaches the marked line. Then add a little amount of mild detergent to the steam container. Make sure you don’t use an excess of soap or detergent as it can damage the fabric.

Thirdly, turn on the steam cleaner. After it heats up, start cleaning on top of the chair fabric while checking on the solution level. If you are running out of solution, you can always refill the container with those ingredients.

Lastly, you will need to dry up the sparkling clean chair cushion. You can either place it under sunlight or let it air dry.

Method 2:

If you are in a hurry and need to find a quicker way to get rid of the unwanted smell, you can do so with baking soda. All you need to do is sprinkle some baking soda over the chair cushion, let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes, and then remove the powder using a vacuum cleaner.


How To Wash Cushion Covers That Are Machine Washable

Not all cushion covers are machine washable, so before you plan on putting the fabric into the washing machine, you need to read its label carefully. If it’s a machine-washable fabric, you can do the following steps:

Step 1:

Ensure the chair fabric is pre-shrunk. If it is not pre-shrunk, then putting it into the washing machine will cause the fabric to shrink. As a result, you will have a hard time putting the cover back onto the cushion. If the label says it is a pre-shrunk fabric, then you will not have to worry.

Step 2:

Check whether the color bleeds from the fabric. You can test it by rubbing a damp cloth on the surface of the fabric. If the color bleeds onto the cloth, it is not suitable for use in the washing machine.

Step 3:

Instead of warm or hot water, use cold water for cleaning the fabric as it prevents the color from fading and helps it last longer. Since you are washing the chair fabric for the first time in the washing machine, you will need to use the gentlest cycle to see how it holds up. 

Step 4:

When you are done cleaning, let the fabric dry naturally. Make sure not to put it into the dryer as it will cause the fabric to shrink or fade its color.

Step 5:

When the fabric has dried completely, insert the cushion back into it. Don’t insert it while the fabric is still wet as mold and mildew can accumulate on the surface.

Tips For Cleaning Chair Cushions

Clean your chair cushion immediately as you see dust. If you keep it like that, then the dust will accumulate over time, and you will need to put more effort into cleaning. You can use a paper towel or a clean cloth for wiping off the dust.

Note: Don’t apply a lot of pressure while wiping the affected area as it will cause the dust to stick to the fabric instead of coming off.

Whenever food or liquid falls on the chair cushion, you will need to act fast for easy removal. If something like that happens, dampen a microfiber cloth and press it against the affected area to soak up the liquid. Doing so will prevent the stain from setting on the fabric.

Wrapping Up

Although a messy chair cushion looks frustrating, it can be cleaned easily when you act fast and use the right cleaning method. There’s no need to purchase new fabric for the chair cushion, which you might not prefer if the ones that got stained are your favorites.

Now that you have learned how to clean chair cushions, we hope you can handle the aftermath of unexpected spills and splats. Always keep in mind that you may not need to follow all the above cleaning methods. Just go for the one you think will work best for removing a particular stain. We wish you luck!

Related posts:

  1. How To Sit On A Chair
  2. What Makes A Chair Ergonomic
  3. How To Recover Chair Cushions
  4. What Is PETG Filament And How To Dry PETG Filament

Leave a Reply