Home Q&A: What's the best way to deep-clean a fabric headboard?

Royal Garden and La Voliere velvets by Mind the Gap, €219 per metre.

Question

How do I deep clean my fabric headboard?

Answer

This project is worth doing at least every couple of months to combat the degree of dust  — including dead skin — that starts to gather around a headboard. To prepare, do this on a day you’re laundering all the linens and pull the mattress down slightly from the headboard to allow you to reach right behind it with the vacuum pipe. 

If you’re able, rumble the divan forward to get to the wall and skirting too. First of all, loosen and remove loose debris and dust on the headboard, and behind the mattress head with the upholstery attachment of your vacuum (soft brush or small head under at a low setting). Work into the seams of the mattress and any buttons/seams or other textures and depressions in the headboard. Then, with a microfibre cloth rinsed and wrung out to just dampened with warm water (you can add a little biodegradable soap, but just a dash), roll the cloth over every surface of the board. 

The top edge can be especially grubby, so we’ll catch various rubbish from just inside the weave or upstanding fibres. If you have a fabric lampshade, this is a good time to tackle that with just the same technique. Use your fingertips to mould the shape of any hills and valleys. 

If there is staining, a solution that includes baking soda will often lift it right off — just don’t over-wet the foam and fillings beneath the fabric cover. 

Top tip: To refresh your headboard, look into the wild and wonderful drop covers available on Etsy for a completely new look. Even then, clean and dry the headboard perfectly before you put any new cover in place.

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