Upholstered church chairs are more comfortable for your congregation, but they require a little extra care and maintenance to keep them looking their best. The good news is that cleaning and maintaining your chairs is a straightforward process.
Let’s take a closer look at how to clean upholstered chairs
Cleaning And Disinfecting Upholstered Church Pews And Chairs
In many ways, traditional wooden pews and chairs are easy to keep clean and to disinfect. With upholstered seating, the process becomes a little more complicated. Having the right tools and knowledge will make the process quicker and easier.
You have a few options when disinfecting upholstered chairs. Choose the one that is best suited for your chair’s fabric and your needs.
Here’s how to disinfect fabric chairs
Vacuum Upholstered Chairs Often
Vacuuming regularly can keep your chairs looking their best while helping disinfect the surface in the process. While the vacuuming itself won’t kill bacteria or germs, it may remove dirt or debris that contains germs or mold.
Here are some tips for vacuuming your upholstered chairs:
-    Check the chair’s tag for instructions on vacuuming. Some types of fabrics cannot be vacuumed, so make sure you check the tag before proceeding.
- Â Â Â Aim to vacuum once per week. If your chairs are used more often, you may need to vacuum more often.
- Â Â Â Use the appropriate attachments when cleaning your chairs to avoid damaging your fabric.
Vacuuming regularly will also make it easier to disinfect and sanitize your chairs because they are free of dirt and grime.
Use Fabric Sanitizer
If you want to know how to sanitize fabric, here’s your answer: use fabric sanitizer spray. These sprays are designed specifically for use on fabrics, and they contain ingredients that kill bacteria, mold and germs.
Active ingredients may include:
- Â Â Â Ethanol
- Â Â Â Hydrogen peroxide
- Â Â Â Live enzymes
Some sprays may also help remove tough stains while adding a fresh, clean scent. Bacteria can cause odors, and these sprays help remove them to keep your chairs looking and smelling their best.
Look for fabric sanitizers that can be used with your fabric seats. Most products will work fine for most fabrics, but check the label to make sure. If you have special fabric on your chairs, you may need a special sanitizer product.
You can find fabric sanitizers online as well as at local grocery stores and big-box stores. They are inexpensive and a simple way to keep your chairs free of germs.Â
Here is a full article with cleaning upholstered church chairs instructions.
Disinfect Cushions with Oxygen Bleach
Cushions hold onto bacteria and are often the first areas where church chairs begin to look worn. You want to spend time disinfecting the cushions, and one of the best options is to use oxygen bleach to clean the fabric.
Oxygen bleach is:
- Â Â Â All-natural
- Â Â Â Safe to use
Traditional bleach works exceptionally well to disinfect areas, but it’s a harsh substance and can impact cushion colors. If you want to disinfect your fabrics and offer a cleaning option that is gentle if touched, oxygen bleach is a good option.
Oxygen bleach is made of all-natural substances, including:
- Â Â Â Chalk
- Â Â Â Salt
- Â Â Â Water
When you disinfect using oxygen bleach, you’re also using a natural stain remover, so you can easily get rid of minor stains by using this type of bleach.
Add a splash of water to activate the bleach, and it will release oxygen that will lift stains and make your chairs look like new.
Opt For Professional Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning is one of the best ways to professionally sanitize fabrics, and it’s a practice that is often done in homes. Churches also have the opportunity to have their fabrics steam cleaned, and this will:
- Â Â Â Eliminate 99.9% of bacteria
-    Restore the fabric’s look
- Â Â Â Lift certain stains
Due to the high temperatures of the steam, often up to 220°F, the steamer will kill everything from viruses to mold and allergens. However, the steam’s heat is set to just the right temperature to remove all of these germs without damaging the fabric in the process.
Sterilizing surfaces and fabrics is fast and affordable for most churches.
If there’s enough money in the cleaning budget, it may make sense to have fabrics professionally cleaned, even if it’s just a few times per year.
Does Disinfecting Church Chairs Prevent COVID-19?
Once you know how to disinfect upholstery, another question is: what will it kill? COVID-19 was a major concern for a lot of churches, and for some, it’s still a major issue that keeps members out of chairs.
Disinfecting may or may not kill the virus, depending on the method of disinfectant.
Bleach will kill the virus, and steam cleaning will, too. However, when steam cleaning, it’s important to note that the temperature needs to be high. At 160°F, it will take 3 minutes to kill the virus. Since most steam cleaners are much hotter, they should kill the virus even faster.
