The Complete Guide to Cleaning Office Chairs

Research has shown a clean office can greatly increase productivity. When working in an office, it is important to maintain cleanliness. Most people take steps to ensure their desk areas are clean. However, the question of how to clean office chairs might confuse even your tidiest colleagues.  

Within a busy office, office chairs are one of the most heavily used items of furniture, going through lots of wear and tear day-to-day. Over time, you will visibly start to see this regular usage on the chair itself.  

Knowing how to care for and maintain your office chair is important to ensure maximum working performance for longer.

Here we will provide a complete guide to cleaning office chairs.

Why should I clean my office chair?

Many of us spend our working day sitting on the same office chair, eight hours a day, five days a week. But have you ever considered the cleanliness of where you are sitting?  

Recent studies have shown that the office chair is in the top ten office bacteria hotspots! Your office chair comes in contact with all types of germs in its day-to-day which, if not correctly cleaned, can grow and multiply.  

Secondly, when spending 8+ hours a day in the same chair, comfort is key! General usage of your office chair will eventually take its toll on your chair. Regular maintenance will help prevent any damage to your chair and keep it working to its full potential for a longer time period.

Recommended cleaning supplies  

If you think it might be time to clean your office chair, here are a few supplies we recommend getting:

• Microfibre cloths
• Absorbent sponges
• Leather cloths
• Washing up liquid  
• Stain remover
• Rubbing alcohol  
• A toothbrush for accessing nooks and crannies

How to clean an office chair

Cleaning office chairs may seem straightforward, however different materials require different cleaning methods.  

Here are a few tips for the most common office chair materials:

Mesh Chairs

Mesh office chairs require a gentler approach when it comes to cleaning. The material is slightly more fragile so may rip when subjected to excessive cleaning.

How to:

1. First, grab a hoover and, using a ‘low suction’ setting and the hose attachment, hoover along any crevices or hard to reach areas to remove any crumbs or excess debris from the chair.

2. Next, get a damp cloth and proceed to dab any dirt or stains that are lingering. Ensure you do not drag the cloth over the mesh as this could fray the material

            Pro tip: Dish soap will help remove those stubborn stains!

3. If there are still a few nooks and crannies that can’t be reached using a hoover or a cloth, run a cotton bud or toothbrush under warm water and use these to tackle these areas.

4. Lastly, using a clean dry cloth roughly dry off your chair. Then leave it to dry out naturally.

Fabric chairs    

Fabric office chairs are the most common type of office chair,  

How to:

1. Use a hoover on a low suction setting to remove any debris.

2. Next, get some hot soapy water and a microfiber cloth and proceed to gently clean the fabric using circular motions.

3. When working round the fabric, if you come across a stubborn stain, use some rubbing alcohol, or stain remover and work it into the stain to begin to lift it.

4. If you are struggling to remove any bad smells or dirt, follow the steps above and then apply a layer of bicarbonate of soda to the surface of the chair. Leave it overnight to absorb any unwanted odours and dirt, then hoover the remaining powder the next day.

5. Finally, using a damp cloth, clean any metal or plastic parts of the chair, scrub the chair to ensure all dirt and stains are removed.  

6. Leave to dry naturally.

Plastic Chairs  

A plastic office chair is probably the easiest chair to clean.

How to:

1. To clean a plastic office chair, there is really only one step. That is to get hot soapy water and a clean cloth and scrub the chair from top to bottom.  

2. For those tough marks or stains, dampen a cloth with white distilled vinegar and simply wipe away. If there is a sticky spot that just won’t budge, use baking soda on a wet sponge to create a mild abrasive without damaging your plastic.

3. Simply leave to air dry… and good to go!

Leather chairs

Leather office chairs can take a bit more work to maintain their new leather feeling. If you want to know how to correctly maintain and clean your leather chair, you can read in detail how to do so here.

How to maintain a clean office chair  

It is all well and good knowing how to clean your office chairs, but not keeping up with regular maintenance will be your worst enemy in the long run. Not keeping your chair clean will result in a bigger clean up job when it comes to cleaning your chair.  

Here are a few easy things you can do to maintain your office chair.

Clean up spills!

Spillages happen, but one of the worst things you can do is to leave the clean up until later. The longer you leave an uncleaned spillage, the more chance you have of a more complex clean up as well as the risk of stains.  

If you happen to spill that morning cuppa, it is important to have a few important supplies to hand to ensure you clean any spills immediately.  

• Paper towels  
• A cloth
• A spray bottle filled with water and washing up liquid
• Bicarbonate of soda (for the big jobs)

If a spill occurs, use the paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible, and depending on the material of your chair, use the other products if necessary.  

Avoid food at the desk  

With workload and deadlines, it is a common practice for people to eat their lunch and snacks at their desk. However, this is a disaster waiting to happen when it comes to mess, stains and bacteria.

It is important to take your meals elsewhere and eliminate the possibility of those spillages!

Protection spray

Using something as simple as a protection spray or cream on your office chair will create a barrier between your office chair and your coffee. This will help cut down your cleaning and maximise your chair's lifespan.

No more sun   

Keeping your chair out of direct sunlight will help keep your chair in a good condition for longer. This is because the harsh sunlight can ruin an office chair overtime, by fading the colour and stretching the material, which will overall make your chair a lot harder to sit in for the whole day!

Think it's time for a professional?

There you have it, a step-by-step guide on how to ensure your office chairs are spic and span! However, sometimes it is time to call for professional help.  

Here at Apex, we have a trained team of professionals and plenty of commercial cleaning services available. Get in contact today.

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