How to clean and care for office furniture
High-quality office furniture is both a stylish and practical basis for a good atmosphere and well-being in everyday office life. However, regular use leaves its mark: a coffee stain on the sofa during a break is quickly stained and the office chair cover holds dust invisibly in its fibers.
We explain the basic steps for good office furniture care so that you can feel completely comfortable in the office.
Beautiful appearance and value retention
Regular cleaning of office furniture maintains its attractive appearance, high-quality ambience and the value of its functionality and usefulness. Of course, the desk and office chair in almost every office are cleaned at least once a week and any visible dirt is wiped off immediately. After all, nobody wants to find wreaths from the previous day's coffee cup on the desk worktop, chocolate biscuit crumbs from the office chair on the light-colored trousers of the office outfit or soiling the freshly printed presentation with leftovers from the lunch break at the desk.
However, a real deep clean complements these regular cleanings by thoroughly cleaning every corner and should be carried out at least once, preferably twice a year throughout the office to maintain the office furnishings.
Desks, cabinets and shelves
Smooth surfaces are exceptionally easy to clean and maintain when it comes to office furniture. As a rule, all you need is a soft cloth and warm water, to which a little all-purpose cleaner, a mild vinegar-based cleaner or some washing-up liquid has been added as required. Empty the surfaces to be cleaned, go over them with the damp cloth and dry them with an absorbent cotton cloth if necessary. All items can then be put back. Don't forget the undersides of shelves and the inside and outside of doors.
Use this cleaning step to sort and clear out: old files can be moved from the office furniture to the archive, unused office utensils can be moved to storage and old catalogs or brochures can be disposed of if necessary.
Conference chairs, ergonomic office chairs and upholstered furniture
While tables and shelves with smooth surfaces can be cleaned quickly, the seating can be a test of cleaning patience. Ergonomic office chairs require different levers for adjustment, while the cover and upholstery virtually hold onto any dirt that accumulates, despite the comfort of the seat. As a result, desk chairs havemany crevices for dust and covers which, depending on the material, not only suffer in terms of hygiene but also visually. In addition to dust from the ambient air, salts and body oils are usually among the impurities that get into the seat covers through natural perspiration.
The material suffers from this natural soiling as well as from stains, as this promotes material wear and tear and impairs the fire-retardant properties of the office furniture. This effect is also noticeable visually, as the colors fade in a similar way to strong sunlight and the fabric changes its structure. The office chair or lounge furniture in the break room then quickly looks worn and old.
The most common upholstery fabrics include materials made from (e.g. mesh fabrics), high-quality fabric made from wool and cotton blends, or artificial and genuine leather. On an office chair with leather, soiling is only superficial and can be easily removed with a damp cloth. However, genuine leather must not be wiped down with a wet cloth, as this can cause water stains to form.
The right cleaning for upholstery and covers
Only rarely are the covers of office furniture removable and therefore thoroughly washable. A good vacuum cleaner with a furniture nozzle, a root or furniture brush, upholstery foam if necessary and a damp cloth are part of the basic equipment for cleaning all types of business chairs with fabric covers that ensure a high level of seating comfort.
Armchairs and sofas in the break lounge should be cleaned particularly thoroughly so that everyone can feel comfortable here during breaks. It is ideal if a steam cleaner and terry cloth towels are available for cleaning, as upholstery foam can then be dispensed with if no serious stains need to be removed.
Upholstery care step by step
Caution! When cleaning upholstery fabrics and covers, it naturally depends on the type of fabric and the manufacturer's instructions. The following tips apply to the general cleaning of upholstery fabrics. Always test the cleaning process on an inconspicuous area and observe the material for undesirable changes after drying.
- First you should check the surfaces Thoroughly vacuum and then clean all corners and edges with the crevice nozzle for furniture.
- Fabric covers should then be treated with a brush to loosen loose dirt in the upholstery. Vacuuming again also removes this dirt from the fabric, which is then treated with the upholstery foam.
- The foam must then dry thoroughly to absorb all residual dirt and can then also be vacuumed off.
- A second vacuuming process can be carried out after reprocessing with the brush in order to thoroughly remove even deeply penetrated upholstery dust.
- In addition to upholstery foam, special stain removers can also be used for noticeable stains. As a rule, however, warm water with washing-up liquid and a clean cloth are sufficient to remove stains from modern business furniture covers by rubbing inwards (rubbing outwards enlarges and spreads the stain).
- With a Steam cleaner fabric can also be thoroughly cleaned, as the steam not only removes dust with light pressure, but also has an antibacterial effect due to the temperature. If there are stains or large areas of soiling, the steam nozzle offers a concentrated Editing option.
- With clean and highly absorbent terry cloths , the dissolved dirt can be easily removed using steam. Even odors can often be removed completely and without chemicals by deactivating bacteria with the steam.
Care for safety: cleaning chair castors and checking screws
Over time, dirt and hair often become entangled in the castors, which impairs the rolling process. Without regular cleaning, this can become a source of danger because the chair can no longer be rolled across the floor normally. To clean the castors, release them from the star base (e.g. with a tug, or alternatively with a screwdriver as a lever). The chair castors can now be cleaned of dirt with a damp cloth, while you first cut up the hair and then simply pull it out. The cleaned castor is then reattached to the chair cross as normal.
During this cleaning, all nuts and bolts from the executive chair to the trainee's office chair should also be checked for tightness, as these can become loose through daily use. Defective parts can usually be replaced on high-quality office furniture. Cleaning and maintaining the chairs therefore also ensures greater safety in the workplace. By taking good care of high-quality office furniture, you can not only maintain functionality and safety, but also enjoy your office furniture for a long time to come.
