Clean & maintain office furniture properly
For a good atmosphere and well-being in everyday office life, high-quality office furniture is a stylish and practical basis at the same time. But regular use leaves traces: the coffee stain on the break sofa is quickly done and the office chair cover invisibly holds dust in its fibres.
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 the beautiful appearance, the high-quality ambience and the value of functionality and utility. Of course, the desk and the office chair in almost every office are cleaned at least weekly and additionally wiped down directly in case of visible dirt. After all, no one wants to find the wreaths from the previous day's coffee cup on the desk worktop, chocolate biscuit crumbs from the office chair on the light-coloured trousers of the office outfit or the freshly printed presentation at the desk stained by leftovers from the lunch break.
But a real basic cleaning complements these regular cleanings by thoroughly cleaning right into the corners and should be done at least once, better even twice a year in the whole office to take care of the office furnishings.
Desks, cupboards and shelves
When it comes to cleaning and caring for office furniture,smooth surfaces are extremely uncomplicated. As a rule, all you need is a soft cloth and warm water, to which a little all-purpose cleaner, a mild vinegar cleaner or some dishwashing liquid has been added as required. Clean the surfaces to be cleaned, go over them with the damp cloth and dry them with an absorbent cotton cloth if necessary. Afterwards, all objects can be put back. Do not forget the undersides of shelves and the insides and outsides of doors.
Why not use this cleaning step to sort and clean out at the same time: old files can be moved from the office furnishings to the archive, unused office utensils can be put into storage and old catalogues or brochures can be disposed of if necessary.
Conference chairs, ergonomic office chairs and upholstered furniture
While tables and shelves with smooth surfaces are cleaned quickly, the seating can lead to a test of cleaning patience. Ergonomics require different levers to adjust the office chairs , while the cover and upholstery, with all their seating comfort, virtually hold on to emerging dirt. Thus, the desk chair reveals manifoldcrevices for dust and covers, which, depending on the material, suffer not only hygienically but also visually. In addition to dust from the ambient air, salts and body fats 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 the fire-retardant properties of the office furniture suffer. Visually, this effect is also clear, as the colours fade comparably to strong sunlight and the fabric changes its structure. Then the office chair or the lounge furniture in the break room quickly looks worn and old.
The most common cover fabrics include materials made of (e.g. mesh fabrics), high-quality fabric made of wool and cotton blends, or artificial and genuine leather. In the case of an office chair with leather, soiling is only superficial and can be easily removed with a damp cloth. Real leather, however, must not be wiped with a wet cloth, otherwise water stains may form.
The right cleaning for upholstery and covers
Only rarely are the covers of office furniture removable and thus thoroughly washable. A good hoover 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 business chairs of any kind that provide a high level of seating comfort due to a fabric cover.
The cleaning of chairs and sofas in the break lounge should be particularly thorough so that everyone can feel comfortable here for the rest breaks. It is ideal if a steam cleaner and terry cloths are available for cleaning, because then upholstery foam can be dispensed with, provided no serious stains need to be removed.
Upholstery care step by step
Attention! 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 on an inconspicuous area and observe the material after drying for any unwanted changes.
- First you should check the surfaces basic vacuuming and then clean all corners and edges with the crevice nozzle for furniture.
- Fabric covers should then be treated with the 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 reworking with the brush to thoroughly pick up even deeply penetrated upholstery dust.
- For noticeable stains, special stain removers can be used in addition to upholstery foam. As a rule, however, warm water with washing-up liquid and a clean cloth are sufficient to get stains out of modern business furniture covers with rubbing movements inwards (rubbing outwards enlarges and spreads the stain).
- With a Steam cleaner fabric can also be cleaned thoroughly, as the steam not only removes dust with light pressure, but also has an antibacterial effect due to the temperature. If stains or large areas of soiling are present, the steam nozzle offers a concentrated Editing option.
- With clean and highly absorbent terry cloths , the loosened soiling can be easily removed by the steam. Even odours 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 get tangled in the castors, impairing the rolling action. Without regular cleaning, this can become a source of danger because the chair can no longer roll normally over the floor. To clean the castors, remove them from the base (e.g. with a jerk, or alternatively with a screwdriver as a lever). Now you can clean the dirt off the chair castors with a damp cloth, while you first cut the hair and then simply pull it out. The cleaned castor is then reattached to the chair cross as normal.
During this cleaning, all screws and nuts from the executive chair to the trainee's office chair should also be checked for tightness, as they can become loose through daily use. Defective parts can usually be replaced in high-quality office furniture. Cleaning and caring for the chairs thus also ensures more safety at the workplace. Thus, by taking good care of high-quality office furniture, you can not only maintain its functionality and safety, but also enjoy your office furniture for a long time.
