Prolong the Life of Your Office Chair Using These Tips

01 June 2021

You have just bought a new office chair. Since it is brand new, they often have a distinct stench that comes from the manufacturing environment where they are created.

Once you have had one for a long time and used it regularly, it will begin to pick up other odors as well. Spillages, pollutants, toxic substances, cigarette smoke stains, and other bodily fluids can contribute to the chair's smell.

The truth is that chairs, whether new or old, need to be deodorized from time to time. Deodorizing a chair is a good idea to keep it clean and properly maintained. The only problem is figuring out how to do it.

We have included a few suggestions for cleaning, deodorizing, and otherwise de-scenting a chair, whether it is brand new or has been in use for a while.

Check the Tag Before You Begin

The care instructions are usually incorporated into or plastered into the majority of chairs. If the tag on your chair has not been removed, you should examine it to make sure you are not going to damage it when cleaning it. Instruction manuals or brochures are also included with some chairs.

Typically, a tag will have a letter code to tell you how to care for your chair.

Place the Chair in Direct Sunlight

The sun's light can also be used to clean a chair. Organic substances and natural and manmade particles are broken down by solar radiation, particularly UV light. You no longer need to leave it in the sun for a long time. A few hours or days will suffice. As long as your chair is exposed to the entire spectrum of the sun, it should be able to break down a lot of the unpleasantness that produces odors. Just make sure you do not leave the chair out in the sun for an extended period. Excessive sun exposure may break down the plastic, making it brittle and more likely to shatter.

Clean the Chair with a Vacuum

The first step in cleaning any chair is to vacuum away any dirt or larger particles that may have become trapped inside the chair and believe us when we say there will be particles stuck inside the chair. These are dust and other particles that collect in the air, on surfaces, and everywhere else. Depending on the intensity of your vacuum and the length of time since you last cleaned your chair, you may need to go over it more than once. This will not completely deodorize a chair, but it will get you started on any subsequent cleaning.

Use a Multi-Purpose Cleaner

If home remedies and easy treatments fail, you will need to call in the big guns, which is usually a commercial chemical. Store-bought cleaning products are usually carefully formulated solvents combined with water to permeate surfaces. There are different items on the market. You can choose the cleaner that works best for you. You can try them out on different chairs.

Cleaning with Just Soap and Water

Get out the bucket and a scrub brush if everything else fails and you are either sure water will not damage your chair or ready to take the chance. Make a solution of soap and water and go to town on your chair. To release dirt and grime, as well as odor-causing particles, soak the chair cushion fully, scrub at the surface, and press down to get the foam well soaked. Then press on the chair with an absorbent material like a towel, sponge, or rag to release the water and take it out. Rep this step till the water coming out of the chair is relatively clean and clear.

Clean with a Steam Cleaner

You also have the option of using a small handheld steam cleaner. Steam cleaners employ heated water to infuse a surface with hot moisture, which is subsequently suctioned away, removing dirt, grime, and odor-causing substances. This mixture is effective for cleaning upholstery and materials, but you must ensure that water will not damage your chair.

Use Rubbing Alcohol or Other Deodorizers

Cleaning with rubbing alcohol is a little more potent than cleaning with vinegar, and it has a stronger and longer-lasting odor. It will still help denature any organic components and some chemicals that generate scents. It will evaporate and leave no odor remaining.

Simply soak a cotton ball or tiny cloth in rubbing alcohol and brush it across the surface of the chair, pushing it into the cushion. Allow it to dry for a bit until there is no longer any odor. You can use any deodorizing product from any brand. Some individuals swear by it, while others believe it accomplishes little more than mask odors with harsher ones. You are welcome to give it a shot.

Seek the Help of a Professional Cleaners

If you are having trouble cleaning your chair, you might seek the help of a professional. They are guaranteed to know a lot more techniques to thoroughly clean your chair and get rid of foul odors. This is an investment that can save you a lot more time and effort.

Purchase a New Chair

Why not just get a new chair if everything else fails? If your chair is old enough to have collected so many odors that cleaning it is impossible, it likely has other issues, such as broken plastic, squeaks, dirty casters, and so on. It is often preferable to simply get rid of the chair and replace it with a new one.

FlexiSpot's Soutien Ergonomic Office Chair is a terrific alternative you should look into. If you decide to replace your old chair, you should conduct some research on the structure and materials used to guarantee that your new chair is cleaner and lasts longer. Check out FlexiSpot's website for additional alternatives.