Yacht Upholstery Cleaning Guide

If you have guests visiting your yacht then you’ll want it to be looking its best when they arrive –  and cleaning the upholstery can make a huge difference. For any guest, walking into the cabin and seeing it sparkle will leave a lasting impression. At Inter-Nett Monaco, we’re made up of a team of industry experts that specialise in yacht cleaning and, in particular, upholstery cleaning. Our mission is to leave vessels looking like new after we’ve executed our cleaning mastery.

In this post, we’ll run through a few basics regarding the cleaning of your interior and exterior yacht upholstery. We’ll provide some tips and advice, along with a few reasons why you might want to consider utilising the skills and experience of a professional yacht cleaning team.  

How often should you clean your upholstery?

If you’re being honest, when was the last time you gave the upholstery on your yacht a thorough clean? We’re not talking about a superficial ‘clean’, but a proper deep clean?

Quite often yacht owners will leave cleaning upholstery until it’s absolutely necessary. This is usually after a spillage that causes obvious marks and stains to appear which look ugly and need to be removed. Upholstered furniture absorbs oils, dust, spillages, fur, allergens, and a host of other things on a daily basis. You may not realise this but in the average home, sofas and chairs can be the dirtiest pieces of furniture. When you think about how often they are used, it makes a lot of sense.

Vacuuming your furniture and cushions will remove some of the surface dirt that can be seen, but it won’t help with stains or some of the dirt that has moved down into the upholstery. A deep clean carried out by professionals will ensure your upholstery is as clean as possible. For a regularly used piece of furniture, this should ideally be done every six months. If you don’t use your chair or sofa that often then every 12 months will probably suffice unless you notice a musty smell or the upholstery gets frequent abuse by children and pets.

One thing’s for certain if you’ve been putting this off for a while: after a thorough deep clean you’ll notice a remarkable difference and wish you’d made the call to a professional cleaning team sooner.

Upholstery cleaning equipment

At Inter-Nett Monaco, we’ve become aware that many people are daunted by the prospect of cleaning expensive upholstery. While the aim is to make furniture and cushions look brand new, there’s always a fear of causing irreversible damage. There are a variety of products on the market that can help you to clean your yacht upholstery and thousands of online guides that can help ensure you don’t cause any long-term damage. 

Here are a few pieces of equipment that you can use to clean your yacht upholstery:

1. Vacuum – A simple vacuum of your furniture and carpets will get rid of obvious crumbs and dust particles. A standard household vacuum should have attachments with it that you can use but ultimately you will never get the same results as industrial equipment.
2. Cleaning solutions – There are many different off-the-shelf cleaning solutions on the market that you can use to help to keep your yacht upholstery clean. There are even articles that can instruct you on how to make your own using household products such as water, dish soap, and vinegar.
3. Upholstery steam cleaner – These were made with the idea of conveniently cleaning smaller areas using high-pressurised water vapour. There are many options out there when it comes to upholstery steam cleaners but they can be expensive and in this industry, you do get what you pay for.

One question you need to ask yourself before buying expensive cleaning equipment is how often will you use it and is that frequency worth the money? If you’re using a piece of equipment once every six months then are you getting value for money, especially when you consider the need to store it?

In order to get the best results for our clients, we use the highest level of industrial equipment to ensure all yacht upholstery can be thoroughly deep-cleaned. We use a range of techniques including spot cleaning to remove stains and breathe life back into your vessel’s carpets and upholstery.

Check your material and washing instructions

Always check the labels on your yacht furniture before you start cleaning. Not every material can be treated the same way, so it’s important to check the specific instructions on your upholstery before beginning any kind of stain treatment or washing.

Things like cushion covers can sometimes be put in a washing machine but certainly not always, so be sure to look into this specifically. Covers that can’t be used in the washing machine will be damaged if they are incorrectly put in a cycle; items like this may simply require professional cleaning. Before throwing upholstery into the washing machine, be sure to vacuum the fabric first. This removes fine dust and debris and makes the laundering task significantly easier.

Outdoor yacht upholstery

Working on yachts involves a lot of outdoor work and at Inter-Nett Monaco we specialise in cleaning exterior yacht upholstery. While having upholstered outdoor furniture is fantastic for comfort, it takes lots of abuse from dirt, water, and weather elements. This means they need to be cleaned more regularly to remove dirt and stains.

Unlike the upholstery found in a yacht’s interior, the outdoor upholstery is often a lot more durable as it’s designed to be out in the elements. While most outdoor fabrics are treated to prevent sun damage and repel stains, the protective finish can deteriorate over time. Thankfully regular cleaning can prolong their lifespan.

With some outdoor yacht furniture, you’ll be able to simply clean down with a brush and some water because, as we’ve mentioned, they are often more durable than their indoor counterparts. That being said, if you want a full clean then the best option is to hire a professional cleaning team.  

If your yacht upholstery is in need of a deep clean then it might be time to call in a professional cleaning team. If you would like any information about the cleaning services we offer at Inter-Nett Monaco then contact us today and speak to a member of our experienced team.