Furniture is the foundation of the interior of your home and should be well-taken care of to extend the life of your couches, chairs, and beds. Making adjustments to daily routines that include eating in other areas of the house besides the kitchen or dining area and preventing pets from jumping up on furniture ensures that it will endure less wear and tear that may ruin it. The following tips show you three great ways to make your furniture last longer.

Eat at the Table

Eating at the table is an excellent way to spend more time with the family and keep your furniture clean. Enjoying a meal on the couch or in your bed could lead to unwanted spills and odors that may not easily come out. Staying in the dining area where carpet and other absorbent surfaces are not present ensures that you’ll be doing the other furniture throughout your house a major favor by keeping it squeaky clean. Crumbs can get smashed into the fabric of couches or mattresses even with the sheets on, so it’s best to eat in an area where crumbs or spills can easily be cleaned up. If you do get food or drink on your couch, clean it up immediately for the least long-term damage.

Keep Pets Away From Furniture

Pets are wonderful, but they can track in dirt and other furniture damaging elements in with them. Keeping pets off furniture prohibits them from chewing, scratching or possibly soiling couches and chairs and limits the amount of shedding hair that accumulates on furniture over time. Providing your pets with a safe and cozy place of their own and giving them toys to chew on and regular exercise allows you to enjoy their sweet company without causing damage to sitting and resting places and encourages them not to chew the furniture.

Clean Furniture Regularly

Vacuuming upholstery in all of its nooks and crannies prevents additional wear to areas you may have thought were unimportant to clean, so don’t neglect those areas where crumbs and dirt gather. Use fabric fresheners while cleaning and wipe off tables to reduce the amount of dust upholstered surfaces absorb, and remember that outdoor furniture also needs cleaning. Be especially sure to clean cast aluminum furniture; this style isn’t easily replaced. You can keep metallic furniture clean by using wax jelly to prevent rust and corrosion.

Making your furniture last is simple when you rearrange your cleaning routine. Regularly cleaning furniture, eating at the table and keeping your pets off the furniture saves you time and money in the long run, creating a happy, healthy and clean home.

If you’re looking to sell your home, all of this maintenance you’ve done will make showing your home easier!