Is your office chair desperate for cleaning and checking?

So when was the last time you cleaned or checked your office chair? For a lot of people the answer is can’t remember or worse – never.

It remains a fact the humble office chair is like any other piece of equipment it needs to be cleaned and checked over periodically, nothing too demanding just some common sense things which will help prolong its life.

Here are the things you need to take care of:

• Regular vacuuming
• Cleaning the casters
• Lubricate the gas lift
• Occasional cleaning of the upholstery

You should aim to give your chair a thorough vacuum clean once a week, the upholstery might not look dirty and yet you may be amazed at the amount of dirt it’s concealing.

Try this simple exercise, take off a shoe and give the seat a few smart blows, I bet there were clouds of dust coming out.

The trouble is all those minute particles of dirt act as an abrasive and can shorten the life of the upholstery significantly, so a weekly vacuum will keep them at bay.

Maybe you are finding your chair isn’t moving as easily as it used to, chances are the casters are chocked up with carpet fluff and other grime. Turn your chair upside down and inspect the wheels, if they are full of dust try either vacuuming it out, you may even need to use an aerosol duster which literally blows the dust away.

Once cleaned try spraying with some silicone to keep the parts moving freely, this only needs to be done once or twice a year.

It’s a good idea to occasionally move the seat up and down to keep the gas cylinder in good order. If it’s dry apply a small amount of lubricating oil.

If you have had your chair for some time you may find vacuuming isn’t cleaning the fabric completely and it’s worth using a fabric cleaner to remove stains and ingrained dirt.

Some cleaners although effective can harm the fabric’s natural oils, particularly wool, try and find what the manufacturer suggests is best.

Leather upholstery can become dry and brittle over time, so it’s a good idea to feed and clean it with something like saddle soap. Care should be taken with delicate leathers like nubuck, suede and aniline, leathermagic.com has an excellent range of products designed for this purpose.