CLEANING ALCANTARA
Cleaning alcantara is certainly not witchcraft and can even be done with simple home remedies. What is important is that some basic things are observed. To do this, it is important to first clarify what material you are dealing with. Alcantara is not real leather or suede, but a suede artificial leather. Usually, cleaning faux leather is similar to cleaning real leather, but there are a few differences. Each material has its individual properties and at the same time advantages and disadvantages. A major disadvantage of Alcantara is the so-called "pilling", whereby friction can cause small knots on the fabric, although these can also be removed relatively easily. Similar to leather goods, Alcantara is also very robust and durable. In addition, this fabric has a decisive advantage over leather, because it can be washed at 40 degrees. Of course, this only works for products that fit in a washing machine.
If you want to clean Alcantara, you should first prepare your fabric article. This means that you first remove the dust, which can easily accumulate due to the roughened microfiber surface. You can use a conventional hand-held vacuum cleaner for this purpose, but you should make sure that you do not set the suction power too high. Too much suction can damage the material. Alternatively, you can simply remove the dust with a damp microfiber cloth. A small clothes bust can also be used, with which you go in straight lines over the surface. This is how you should regularly clean your Alcantara. Of course, you don't have to do a deep cleaning so often. It is enough to clean your Alcantara once every one or two years, depending on how quickly the fabric gets dirty. Of course, this also depends on how you use the fabric. The Alcantara fabric is used in many different areas from clothing to car seats.
BEFORE CLEANING ALCANTARA
The fabric Alcantara was invented by the Japanese Dr. Miyoshi Okamoto in 1970. He called the material "Ecsaine". His goal was to develop a high-quality alternative to leather. Since then, the fabric has been produced almost exclusively in Italy. In Italy, the fabric has also received the well-known name Alcantara. Its success story began when well-known fashion designers discovered the fabric for themselves and sold it as a more environmentally friendly alternative to leather. In particular, bags, coats and shoes were made of Alcantara. This is due to the fact that the fabric has a great resemblance to suede leather. A little later, interior designers also acquired a taste for Alcantara. Among other things, this is due to the ease of processing the material. Unlike leather, the material is also available by the meter, which is of course a great advantage. The material is used not only for upholstered furniture, but also for car interiors. Not only is cleaning Alcantara very simple, but the fabric also brings several other advantages.
Alcantara is often used for furniture or interior decoration, because it feels very soft and at the same time very comfortable. Despite its comparatively light weight, it is very strong and stable. In addition, it is a very breathable fabric. Especially for allergy sufferers Alcantara is very beneficial, as it is allergy neutral. Two other properties why it is a very popular fabric used for furniture are that it is a water repellent and relatively fire resistant fabric. The last major advantage is that the fabric is easy and straightforward to work with. Due to these many advantages, it is comparatively easy to have Alcantara cleaned. Especially at the car manufacturer Lancia used this fabric for seat covers, trim, pillars, headliners, dashboards, parcel shelves or other car parts. In the years from 1980 to 2010, the car manufacturer has offered at least one variant with Alcantara for every fashion.
HOW TO CLEAN ALCANTARA
In order to be able to use your Alcantara products for many years without losing their shine, you need to clean the fabric every now and then. The first step to be able to clean the Alcantara is to remove dust deposits. Dust can easily settle in the roughened surface of Alcantara. Before you start a deep cleaning, you should make sure that the dust is removed as well as possible. You can easily do this with a handheld vacuum cleaner on a low setting or a damp microfiber cloth. You can also clean the artificial Alcantara leather with a clothes brush. Even if you do not want to perform a subsequent deep cleaning, it is important that you regularly remove the dust on your Alcantara goods.
The next step in cleaning Alcantara is deep cleaning. If you want to clean clothes made of Alcantara, then you can simply throw them in the washing machine. With a gentle wash cycle and a temperature of no more than 30 degrees, the fabric will be nice and clean. However, when washing Alcantara, you must make sure that you turn off the spin cycle so that the fabric is not damaged. If you want to clean your Alcantara steering wheel, clean your Alcantara seats or clean your Alcantara sofa, then of course you can not just throw the fabric in the washing machine. For cleaning you should use special Alcantara cleaning agents. These cleaners are ideally suited for cleaning Alcantara and do not damage the material. With the help of a microfiber cloth or a soft sponge, you can apply the cleaning agent to the fabric. You should rub in the cleaner in a circular motion.
At the end, you can simply remove the residue of the cleaner with a damp cloth. It is also important that you do not use a steam cleaner. The same applies to scouring agents and bleach, as these products can cause great damage when cleaning Alcantara.
THESE TOOLS ARE OPTIMAL ALCANTARA CLEANERS
You do not need many tools to clean Alcantara. The most important thing is that you only use tools that are suitable for cleaning Alcantara products. For the first step of dust removal, a hand vacuum cleaner, a microfiber cloth or a clothes brush is sufficient. You should just make sure that the vacuum cleaner is set only on a low level. For cleaning Alcantara, you usually do not need any additional tools for the first step.
For the second step, you need a special cleaning agent, which is specially manufactured for cleaning Alcantara. In addition, you can either use the microfiber cloth again or a soft sponge. Of course, you have to wash the microfiber cloth before you can use it again. Under no circumstances should you clean the deep cleaning with bleach, scouring powder or other aggressive chemicals. The same applies to the steam cleaner. These tools do not clean the fabric, but can destroy it. Alternatively, you can do the cleaning with the help of a washing machine. For the last step of cleaning, you only need a damp cloth to wipe off the remains of the cleaning agent. Thus, few tools are needed to clean the Alcantara. Alternatively, you can also clean the Alcantara with ordinary home remedies.
ALCANTARA CLEANING HOME REMEDIES
Do you want to clean the Alcantara, but only want to use home remedies? Then you can read here how to proceed. First of all, you need to remove the dust, as in conventional cleaning. The next step is to decide what kind of dirt you want to clean. For example, if it is a coarse water-soluble dirt, then you only need a spoon and a soft sponge or a damp cloth. You can use the spoon to scrape off jam stains, for example, and then you only have to wipe off the remaining dirt with the sponge or cloth. Of course, the spoon does not help with stains caused by liquids, which is why you should simply use kitchen roll or a similarly absorbent household remedy in this case.
Stubborn stains caused by tomato sauce, cola, tea, coffee or similar products are not so easy to remove. But don't worry, there are simple home remedies that you can use to clean the Alcantara. With the help of lemon juice you can easily remove these stubborn stains. Simply apply a few drops to the stained areas and then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. Stains caused by blood, feces or urine will not be helped by lemon juice. In such a case you should try to clean the stains with cold water, otherwise these spots can flocculate. Cleaning Alcantara also works with many other home remedies.
THE RIGHT ALCANTARA CARE
Cleaning Alcantara is a very important process that you should do regularly at one or two year intervals. In addition, it is also very important that you care for the fabric regularly. For this purpose, there are special care products that you should use at regular intervals, but also the removal of dust is part of it. The dust can be easily removed with a hand vacuum cleaner, a microfiber cloth or a clothes brush. You want your car, which has an interior made of Alcantara, to stay with you for a long time? Then you should clean your Alcantara car interior and also maintain the fabric at regular intervals. Alcantara cleaning and care is very important, because the high-quality material will actually last for many years. With proper care and cleaning, the Alcantara will then still look as beautiful as the first day.
You have ordered a coat of Alcantara and do not know how to clean it? To clean Alcantara maintain it is not difficult. You don't need any expertise or expensive tools for cleaning Alcantara. It is only important that you clean and maintain the Alcantara at regular intervals.