Keep Your Ergonomic Chair Clean and New With These Easy Homemade Cleaners

Keep Your Ergonomic Chair Clean and New With These Easy Homemade Cleaners

Posted by Human Solution on May 22nd 2013

We regularly hear from customers who have held onto their ergonomic chairs for over a decade and expect to keep them for many years to come. With the excellent construction, comfort, and warranties that come with these chairs, it's no wonder! Over years of use, however, you're bound to spill your coffee or lunch at least a time or two as you work away at your desk. One question we hear a lot is, "What is the best way to clean my chair?"

Standard store-bought cleaners are OK, but they can leave a strong, harsh smell, which can be quite unpleasant to breathe in all day. Many people are sensitive to these chemical smells, and many others simply want a more natural way to keep their chairs looking new. After all, total health is many-faceted, and includes not just what we eat or how we work, but our general environment as well. Trying to get your work done while inhaling a headache-inducing chemical odor is quite a challenge. Try these effective natural cleaners instead; they're inexpensive, and you can easily make them at home. Be sure to spot-test an inconspicuous area on your chair and wait 24 hours before proceeding with the actual clean-up.

For fabric upholstery, try this simple cleaner: combine a quarter cup of white vinegar, three-quarters of a cup of lukewarm water, and half a tablespoon of any natural liquid soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s. Add a few drops of lemon juice if you like. Shake all the ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake hard. Lightly spray the dirty area and use a soft, clean cloth to blot in a circular motion. You’ll want to be sure to work the cleaner well into the fabric. Continue this process until the stain comes up, moistening the cloth with lukewarm, clean water when it gets dirty. You have the option of spritzing some club soda here, as the fizz can help lift stains. Once the stain is out, repeat the circular scrubbing with a warm, wet cloth to remove any excess soap. Finally, blot the area with a clean, dry cloth.

If your chair is covered with a synthetic fabric such as plastic, nylon, or faux leather, combine half a cup of white vinegar with one cup of warm water in a spray bottle. For particularly stubborn stains, you can add half a tablespoon of natural liquid soap, but the water and vinegar by themselves should be fine for most stains. Shake the bottle hard, lightly and completely spray the dirty area, and scrub in a circular motion with a soft, lint-free cloth. Lightly wipe with a clean, dry cloth.

You don’t want to use any water on real leather; instead, mix a quarter cup of white vinegar with half a cup of olive or almond oil and shake hard. Instead of pouring it on your salad, lightly spray the surface of the leather and rub with a soft cloth. This is an excellent way to remove fingerprints and skin oils from your chair. Use a clean, dry cloth to buff the chair, ensuring that the oil has been absorbed evenly into the leather.

That's all there is to it! These cleaners won't necessarily remove every stain--very old stains, for example, may not easily come up. And it's true that vinegar does have a strong smell of its own, but it dissipates quickly and is a vast improvement over lingering, artificial smells. It's certainly worth a try before resorting to an eye-watering standard cleaner that will leave you feeling sick.

For more information on staying healthy at work or at your home office, visit TheHumanSolution.com

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