In the course of a year, your furniture will accumulate an incredible amount of dust and grime. Even if you regularly dust and vacuum, there’s only so much that you can clean with a rag or brush attachment.
You may not even realize how dirty your furniture is until you purchase a pressure washer to help you see it clean again. That’s because most people don’t think about pressure washing their furniture. You might be surprised to know that you can actually pressure wash indoor furniture and do a great job at it!
If the furniture is upholstered, read the care label first to see if you can use water or only dry-clean solvents. If the care label says “dry clean,” don’t use any liquid on the furniture; instead, take it to a professional cleaner. If the care label says “wipe with damp cloth” or “vacuum only,” you’ll need to decide whether to try pressure washing anyway. If you are going to pressure wash, do it outdoors and away from other people so that overspray won’t cause any problems.
Remove all cushions and covers from your furniture and vacuum fabric surfaces thoroughly with a soft brush attachment. Vacuum around buttons, in crevices and along the edges of seams.
Use a portable upholstery cleaning machine or hot water extractor to clean your furniture. Use a pre-cleaning spray designed for upholstery fabrics or make your own cleaner by mixing one cup of dish soap with one gallon of water. Start cleaning at the top of the piece of furniture and work your way down in straight lines following each seam detail. Rinse well with clean water, using an upright steam cleaner to suck up any excess moisture remaining in the fabric.
Precautions When Pressure Washing Indoor Furniture
You can pressure wash indoor furniture. You just need to take a couple of key precautions to avoid damaging the furniture or creating a mess in your home.
Materials
- Pressure washer
- Garden hose
- Small bucket
- Long-handled scrub brush
- Mild detergent or soap
- Cleaner with bleach (if needed)
- Rubber gloves (if using bleach)
Preparation
Vinyl and plastic pieces should not be cleaned with a pressure washer either. These materials may not tolerate the high water pressures and extreme temperatures that are produced by pressure washers. Some plastics become brittle when exposed to hot water, which means there is a risk of breaking them during cleaning.
Pressure washing indoors is not recommended unless you have enough ventilation and drying time. This is because of the high-pressure water that can cause mold growth in your home if you are not careful.
If there is carpeting in the room where you plan on pressure washing your furniture, make sure it is completely dry before standing on it again.
One reason why pressure washing indoor furniture is not recommended is that it could get the wood too wet and cause mold growth. The moisture from the water will also attract insects like termites which feed off of wood and could eat away at your furniture over time if not controlled properly. Learn more about keeping your indoors clean with pressure washers from the Giraffetools collections.
