The key to cleaning a headrest on a recliner lies in the type of material that the headrest is made from.
A general rule of thumb is to first vacuum your headrest, regardless of what type of material it is made from. Stubborn clumps of dirt or debris can then be brushed away, and a cleaning solution is used depending on the type of material.
Let’s take a deeper look into how you should clean a headrest on a recliner in 4 easy steps depending on the type of material it is made from.
1. Vacuum First
Regardless of the type of material that your recliner headrest is made from, you’ll want to vacuum beforehand to remove any loose dust or dirt.
This should be done weekly anyway, but right before you deep clean the headrest make sure to vacuum as any dust or dirt can settle within a matter of minutes. Take extra care around intricate patterns or stitching as these areas are where the most dust will be held.
2. Identify The Areas You Want To Clean
Once you’ve vacuumed it will be easy to identify the areas that need cleaning properly, such as any stains or discolorations.
Taking the time to identify these areas will allow you to judge how much cleaning solution you need to get the job done and lift the stains or spots, which means you’ll save money by not using an excess of cleaning products.
After the areas that need cleaning are identified it’s time to make the solution.
3. Create A Cleaning Solution
The type of cleaning solution that you use depends entirely on the material that your headrest is made from, so we’ve listed the most common types of material as well as the cleaning solution for that material below.
Leather
A leather headrest can be cleaned with a mild soap that has a balanced pH. The solution can then be made using a few drops of the soap in some warm water, which will create quite a weak solution perfect for spot testing an area of the headrest first.
Once you’ve spot tested a small area of the headrest then use a cloth and dip it into the solution.
Wring out the cloth until damp and go to work cleaning any stains or other stops that need attention, rinsing out the cloth at regular intervals to keep it clean.
You can also try out some leather cleaning products if that is more your style.
Fabric
Fabric recliners will contain a tag that will state if there are any cleaning products that are unsuitable to use, so check that first before you do anything else.
Once you’ve read that, the best option for the headrest is a generic fabric sofa cleaning solution product that can be found in most big home stores.
Usually, a cloth can be used to apply the solution in the same way as before to tackle any stains, but consult with the instructions of the product beforehand to double-check.
Cloth
Cloth recliner headrests are particularly easy to clean as they are hardy and don’t have specific requirements for what solution to use.
A generic fabric cleaner will do the job in this case, or even the cleaning solution made using soap for leather headrests as before. You can also add vinegar to the soap solution if you are worried about the odor.
4. Allow The Headrest To Dry
After you’ve cleaned the headrest use another dry cloth to remove any excess moisture that is still present. Simply place the dry cloth on the headrest and allow it to sit for a few minutes and absorb any excess moisture.
Once most of the moisture has been absorbed allow the headrest to air dry for a couple of hours, or until you can visibly see all of the moisture has evaporated.
What About Grease?
If there is a large amount of grease on your recliner headrest then you’ll need to follow one extra step to remove it before vacuuming.
Using a generous amount of cornstarch, cover the entire area where the grease is present and allow this to sit overnight. In the morning, remove the cornstarch gently using a cloth and you should find that all of the greases have been absorbed.
This is a great trick to know because headrests are highly susceptible to gathering grease and oil from people’s hair, so do keep it in mind when you decide to clean it.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for taking the time to read this article.
By following the steps above you will be armed with the knowledge to tackle just about any recliner headrest out there. Don’t forget to check the tag of your headrest to see if there are any cleaning agents that you shouldn’t use beforehand though!
