How to Clean your Wheelchair Upholstery

Although the Coronavirus epidemic has started to calm down, we still need to take measures to look after ourselves as well as our friends and family. Under the spread of the epidemic, we need to care extra for wheelchair users whose immunity systems are usually less resistant, such as elderly and some disabled people. Today, we will learn about how to clean the wheelchair’s upholstery, which is the part of the wheelchair that has the most contact with the human body.

You can read our other blog posts about “How to Clean your Power Wheelchair Joystick” and “How to Clean your Armrests and Push Handles” too.

There are many types of upholstery for wheelchairs, you have to figure out first, which one is yours:

Through Tube Upholstery	Beaded Seat Upholstery
Adjustable Velcro Upholstery	Leather Seat Upholstery

Through Tube Upholstery

1. This upholstery is the easiest to remove, as long as the screws on both sides of the front of the upholstery tube are removed.

2. The upholstery and the white plastic tube can be taken out, and wiped clean with clean water.

3. To wash the fabric, use a gentle detergent. The fabric must be hand washed, do not use the washing machine to avoid damaging the material of the seat cushion that maintains ventilation to avoid the generation of odor. You can put the seat cushion into a laundry bag to dry in a well ventilated area, and avoid direct sunlight.

4. Before replacing the upholstery, first clean the dust from the grooves of the upholstery tube with a brush or a vacuum cleaner.

5. It is recommended to use a vacuum cleaner to clean the dust and any small cotton balls every week. The upholstery should be deep cleaned once a month.

Beaded Upholstery

1. Use a large Phillips screwdriver to loosen the screws on top of the upholstery tubes on both sides and remove the seat cushion.

2. Remove the pressure bars and screws on both sides, wipe them with water, and dry them. If the screws are rusty, take the appropriate steps to remove any rust or replace with new screws to avoid severe rusting.

3. Wash the fabric using a gentle detergent, and wash by hand. Do not use the washing machine to avoid damaging the material of the seat cushion. You can put the seat cushion into a laundry bag to dry in a well ventilated area, and avoid direct sunlight.

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Adjustable Velcro Upholstery

1. The adjustable upholstery has a velcro fastener. Before washing, remove as much hair or other debris that has stuck to the velcro as you can.

2. Remove the pressure bars and screws on both sides, wipe them with water, and dry them. If the screws are rusty, replace them with new ones to avoid serious rust, which makes it impossible to install and remove them later.

3. When washing, fasten the velcro back together when washing them under water to avoid getting tangled and affecting the grip. It can be hand washed with a gentle detergent. Do not use the washing machine to avoid damage to the overall material. If you need to dry the seat cushion, put it in a laundry bag and place it in a dry and well ventilated area.

4. Sticky tape can be used to clean the soft velcro side and a steel brush used to clean the rough velcro to remove dirt and dust. If the velcro is deteriorating you can sew a new piece on to replace it.

5. We recommend cleaning the upholstery once a month.

Leather Upholstery

1. Wipe regularly with clean water: prepare two cotton cloths, one of which is wet with clean water to wipe on the seat, and another clean cloth to dry the seat. Because the seat cushion is leather, to prevent getting water stains, wipe the seat dry and wait 30 minutes, confirm that the fabric is dry before sitting.

2. The gap on the sides of the seat cushion sometimes catches dust or small items that are not easy to clean. You can take an old toothbrush along the gap to clean out the dirt.

3. Especially dirty areas: wipe with leather wax or leather detergent. Of course, if you want to spend a little more money, there are special cleaners and maintenance liquids on the market that can be used to clean synthetic leather. A final reminder; after using the cleaner, the leather surface will be slippery, and users with poor balance should pay close attention when moving or riding around.

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