Upkeep cleaning for upholstery increases the life of the fabrics, and thus extends the life of your furniture. Here, I outline the straightforward steps for routine cleaning and then follow up with some ecologically friendly approaches to cleaning upholstery which has been stained.

You should be vacuuming your upholstery at least one time a month. To do so, remove loose cushions first, then use the right attachment on your vacuum to comb off dust. After the dust is removed, cleaning upholstery is a simple matter of vacuuming all the surfaces of the furniture (including the wood platform and legs). Be sure to get both sides of all of the cushions. A warning: if you are vacuuming a bit of furniture that is full of down, note whether any feathers are being sucked out by the vacuum and if they are go back to brushing instead.

When you have the time to invest for a deeper clean, you can do so by mixing one part liquid dish detergent to four parts water -- but be certain to check for fading first. If your upholstery does not fade, you can use the cleaning solution over the entire furniture piece by rubbing it onto the fabric surface with a cloth till suds form. Then, scrape off the suds, go over the fabric once more with a fabric cloth material that has only clean warm water, and let the furniture air dry. Bear in mind that you don't want to get the fabric too wet during this process, so apply the solutions and water lightly, brush or scrape thoroughly and think about employing a fan to help the drying process when you are done cleaning upholstery.

While I advocate vinegar as an element of cleaning solutions for many parts of your home, do not use vinegar when cleaning upholstery because it is too acidic and will damage the fiber. A nice non-acidic alternative cleaner for a stain that you may not have considered are baby wipes, which are remarkably mild but can remove a variety of stains. Baby shampoo (or any mild shampoo, truly) blended with water as an alternative to liquid detergent also works exceptionally well.

There are plenty of innovative solutions for upholstery care that can save you a bundle. For more cleaning tips, visit www.cleaningsecretsinfo.com and sign up for Pam's free email course.