Last updated: September 18th, 2023
With over 90,000 hours spent working in our lives – our office furniture goes through a lot!
For productivity and mental health, you should regularly deep clean your office chair and furniture and rearrange the space.
We bet you’re listening now. Luckily, cleaning an office chair is just as easy as cleaning any other furniture in your home office.
Let’s walk through a quick and easy guide on how to clean an office chair. Take this as your sign to do it today.
Important!
The average office desk harbours 10 million bacteria. There are a whopping 21,000 germs per square inch on chairs, desks and keyboards.
(Related: What Makes A Chair “Ergonomic”, Anyway?)
What Cleaning Equipment Will I Need?
Most of your household cleaning products will work well for office cleaning. Ensure you have the following:
- Cleaning solution – eco-friendly is best!
- A vacuum cleaner with hose attachments
- Several wet microfibre rags or a damp cloth.
- Large dry cloth.
- Protective products such as leather or fabric conditioners
- Rubbish bin or bags to dispose of clutter
- Aromatherapy sprays or candles to finish the clean are a nice touch. Discover our favourites here.
For deep cleaning, you may need more robust cleaning products. Be sure to:
- Check the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions first to ensure you do not damage the furniture’s upholstery.
- Test a small section of the chair/table with cleaner before applying it to the entire surface.
Expert Tip.
Dish soap works surprisingly well on office chairs. And you can make your cleaning solutions that are less abrasive than chemicals. Check out this helpful guide.
How To Prevent Damaging Your Office Chair.
Before you begin, you should first check if your office chair has a tag under the seat with cleaning instructions – or if there are special cleaning instructions in the user manual.
Expert Tip.
Most chairs with fabric or upholstery will have a cleaning code label, such as W, S, W/S, or X, on the underside of the seat.
The cleaning label indicates what type of cleaner to use:
- W – for Wet.
- S – for Solvent.
- WS – for Wet and Solvent.
- X – for Vacuum only
- D – for Dry Clean only
Expert Tip.
If the label is missing, Google your office chair’s name – you’ll often get lucky and find the info online.
Cleaning Mesh And Fabric Office Chairs.
For mesh and fabric office chairs, begin by vacuuming any crumbs, dust, or debris on the chair’s surface using a soft brush attachment. Pull your chair out and remove the clutter from under your desk.
You can then:
- Grab a damp cloth.
- Wipe the fabric surface to remove any excess debris or surface stains.
- Apply the cleaning solution that is best for your specific upholstery.
- Rinse the cleaning solution and repeat until clean.
- Don’t forget to clean to arms, legs and office chair wheels for dust and debris.
You can also use a fabric disinfectant spray on the surface to prevent excessive germs and bacteria. Some great recommendations are here.
Cleaning Plastic Office Chairs.
Plastic chairs are much easier to clean than mesh office chairs but can be more susceptible to stains.
To clean:
- Vacuum or dust off the surface to remove crumbs and debris.
- Use a damp cloth to wipe down the surface with soapy water.
- Wipe off the dish soap.
- Let the chair air dry, or dry the surface with a towel.
- Don’t forget to clean office chair wheels (use a brush to get into crevices).
(Related: How To Adjust Lumbar Support On Your Office Chair).
Cleaning Faux Leather and Leather Office Chairs.
Leather and faux leather chairs will likely not include a cleaning code label.
As with other types of office chairs, begin by vacuuming the surface of your leather office chair. Then:
- Use mild soap and warm water to wipe down your leather surface.
- Use cleaning products sparingly. Chemical-based products can erode and damage this type of fabric.
- Wipe in one direction using a clean cloth.
- Apply a leather conditioner to protect the leather from cracks once the chair is dry.
You can find additional information on cleaning leather furniture here.
How Can I Remove Stains From Office Chairs?
Stain removal will depend on what material the upholstery on your office chair is.
Stain removal from fabric chairs may require a carpet cleaner or a wet vacuum, as well as a deep-stain cleaning solution. For a video tutorial, watch here.
Expert Tip.
White vinegar is a fantastic all-natural stain remover – as are these options.
To remove stains:
- Clean the chair as per the above steps, starting with a vacuum.
- Use the carpet cleaner to treat any stubborn spots.
- For any severe stains, consider having the upholstery professionally deep-cleaned instead. Prices range anywhere from $40 to $150, depending on the size of the chair.
Important!
Be careful not to scrub leather chairs, as this can damage the leather. You are better off ‘blotting’ a stain with soapy water and a clean towel.
(Related: Protect Your Office Carpet From Chair Damage).
How Can I Freshen My Office Space?
While cleaning your office chair and furniture, you should set aside also to clean the space and rearrange the furniture.
Our cleaning checklist is as follows:
- Technology: Clean & sanitise phones & workstations where bacteria can reside.
- Surfaces: With spray and wipe, clean surfaces, handles and doorknobs.
- Handles: Wipe light switches and door frames.
- Floors: Vacuum or sweep/mop floors, move furniture to get into hard-to-reach places.
- Waste: Empty recycling bins plus clean and disinfect them (or hose out).
- Dusting: Wipe surfaces, light shades, monitors and keyboards.
- Windows: Spot clean windows, glass and any painted surfaces with glass cleaner.
- Roof: Remove cobwebs and clean architraves with an extended duster.
- Amenities: Cleaning kitchen and bathroom for guests, focusing on surfaces and floors.
- Meeting Rooms: Attend to clutter in communal areas, vacuum and clean surfaces.
Experts confirm that regular cleaning can improve physical health by reducing cortisol and cognition and happiness.
Whether you work in a home office or a large commercial office, organising to go through the above regularly will leave the space feeling fresh and clean. Consider adding decorative touches to improve the aesthetics too.
Final Thoughts On How To Clean An Office Chair.
It’s essential to maintain your newly clean chair and office environment. We recommend that you regularly:
- Wipe down: With spray and wipe, disinfect your office chair at least once per week.
- Vacuum: Vacuum and dust your space twice weekly to prevent a build-up of allergens.
- Use protective sprays: Opt for eco-friendly fabric and leather conditioners to prevent damage.
- Be mindful: When eating or drinking, be wary of your surroundings.
- Clean spills: Attend to mess immediately to avoid creating stains.
Expert Tip.
Consider having your office chair deep-cleaned professionally every few months to prevent smells and hard-to-reach stains from lingering in the upholstery.
Maintaining your space is a sure way to improve your physical health and productivity. You should enjoy coming to your office (or home office) daily to work, be creative and build your business. If not – it’s time to change things up!
Steven
Cody says:
Hi,
Do you know 9am HOME standing desks?
I want to know how about their desk.
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Cody, I’ve never seen them before but I took a quick look for you and I’m 90% certain it’s another Jiecang desk. You can tell by the design of the feet and the lowest height (60cm). Desky, Omnidesk, Stand Desk are all pretty much the same.
Cody says:
Which one do you mean? Pesk or Robin series? I am interested in their Robin series, it looks unique and beautiful. I can’t find anyone like it in Desky.
Steven McConnell says:
I was talking about the Pesk Series. Robin series does look attractive and unusual, but I’m usually not a fan of tubular legs as they tend to be more prone to wobble. I can’t say whether this is the case in this instance, as I haven’t physically tested the desk myself. The 10 year warranty is reassuring, however. I wish they offered a risk-free trial to let you test out the legs!
Cody says:
Thank you very much, Steven; I will take your comments into consideration.
Erin says:
Do you know much about Kangadesks? There are Australian as well.
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Erin, its another Jiecang standing desk. Same as Desky, Omni, Stand Desk etc. The design of the feet and 60-125cm height range gives it away. The desk appears to currently be currently on sale for $299, which is an absolute steal and I’m wondering why they’re selling their stock at 1/3 of RRP. Regardless, even if they’re about to go bust, I’d still buy one at that price.
EDIT: Be careful. Fakespot showed these warnings while browsing their website: “Multiple eCommerce scam experiences detected, Poor customer service”
Suzy says:
Hi – given all the desks are so similar, is it possible to mix a desk from one brand with a drawer accessory from another? I don’t like the UpDown desk metal drawer (hangs very low so likely to impede leg space) but don’t mind the Desky one – can these be mixed and matched?
Thank you for the reviews! Super helpful.
Steven McConnell says:
Yes, it’s possible to play switcheroo. But you may want to consider that UpDown design is curved, so it will hurt less if you do jam your thighs into it. Desky’s meanwhile, is quite angular. Pro tip: you can also find a bunch of inexpensive slimline desk drawers on Amazon.
jason says:
I’ve spent far, far too much time agonising over which desk to get haha, definitely more than a week. Very happy that you’ve added the omni-desk to your catalogue. That was the one I was considering the most untill you came you with a review saying that it was more wobbly!
Anyways, do you have an opinion on the new updown desk KLIK Series? Its advertises to be significanlty ligher while having better (on paper) specs
Thanks!
Evelyn says:
Hi Steven, great blog post – thank you! I’m also wondering whether you have any opinion or insights on the new UpDown Desk KLIK series…they come at $100 more expensive (for the same size/table top) but seem to be ‘better’ according to the UpDown website.
Cheers!
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Evelyn, thanks! I will have a full review of the KLIK up around February 2025. It’s not necessarily a better standing desk – but it is lighter, less bulky and promises easier assembly.
Ben Clements says:
Hi. I’m interested to know more about whether I actually could fit the Desky cable management system in the Omnidesk? I’ve had a look at the omnidesks in person at the showroom and it looks like their cable management trays screw on (vs the clip in at the edges of the desk with the Desky tray). The desky system also has the power plugs that snap into place in the tray.
So I’m curious to know if you have you tried it, and if so how did you do it please? Or is your thinking that you’d just buy the power boards and plugs from Desky and rest them in the Omnidesk tray?
I’m stuck, because I prefer the Omnidesks but I really love the idea of a single power lead!
Thanks
Steven McConnell says:
I just had a new Omnidesk delivered to my house. Give me about two weeks to assemble it, test it out and report back.
Sunni says:
Thanks for your very helpful (and funny) review. I used the information to to buy a Desky standing desk in record time – no consumer agonising for weeks, as is my usual practice. It has a pneumatic up/down mechanism, so lets see how that goes.
Steven McConnell says:
Ha! You’re welcome, Sunni. Glad I helped you cut down on the agonising. The pneumatic mechanism is an interest choice – let me know what you think of it?
Amber says:
Hi Steven,
Really great and insightful review. It was refreshing to see something that wasn’t filled with ChatGPT affiliate link garbage!
I’m curious about your opinion on L-shaped standing desks? I know that Desky, UpDown and a few other retailers offer these types of desks and I would assume they are more strong and stable, but I’m not an expert and I can also imagine the opposite being true due to the irregular shape. I’ve been looking at these types of desks because I think their shape suits my space the best. Do you have any knowledge on this or do you only have experience with regular rectangular shaped desks?
Steven McConnell says:
Thanks, Amber. Did you know that I have a L-shaped standing desk review? Search for “arielle best corner standing desks” and you’ll find it.
Melissa says:
Hi Steven great article thank you!
I’ve spent way to much time on this, and I’m now leaning towards the Artiss thanks to your review.
I’m wondering if you have any insight into ergonomic chairs for the home office also?
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Melissa, thanks! The Artiss is a great budget pick. I’ve written numerous ergonomic chair reviews – Google “arielle best ergonomic office chairs” to find them 🙂
tania says:
hey are there any other manual desks apart from the ikea ones you don’t recommend, that you would recommend? I prefer the idea of not needing electricity to move between stand up and sit down but maybe that doesn’t really exist?
Steven McConnell says:
Hey Tania, all of the premium brands (UpDown, Desky, etc) offer a manual crank model. Definitely the way to go if you want to avoid electronics. But TBH I suggest you reconsider. Electronics are very reliable these days – and hand-cranking your standing desk is more annoying than you’d expect.
Adam says:
Hi, do you know much about the UpDown Klik vs Pro system?
Steven McConnell says:
The company has shipped their new Klik standing desk to me yesterday. Stay tuned!
Scott Long says:
You mention in your review of the Up Down Pro that you would get the cable holes and grommets done, but it looks like your (very pretty) Messmate desk doesn’t have them. Is your recommendation a hindsight reflection, or did you choose not to spoil the look of the desk with the grommets? Without the grommets can you can still run the cables behind the desk and into the cable management tray? Cheers!
Steven McConnell says:
Scott, I said in the review that grommets and holes are a great idea, not that I have them. They’re less important if your standing desk faces a wall. But if you have an open-plan style home office like mine, they’ll make your workspace look much cleaner. PS You can still run cables into the tray without the holes and grommets – the cables will simply run behind the desk.
Isaac Jenkinson says:
Hello,
Have you had a chance to try the new UpDown Lyft model? Curious about its stability vs the pro.
Steven McConnell says:
Isaac,
Not yet. On first glance, it looks like a budget alternative to the “big brothers”. It’s probably pretty good (UpDown has a reputation to maintain), but I’m of the opinion that buying cheap means you pay more in the long term. I’d save up another few hundred bucks and get the Pro. You can often get a melamine or bamboo-topped model on sale for around $900.
David says:
This is a great site and will help me decide on which desk to buy. Have you heard any good/bad reviews about the Blacklyte Atlas Lite or Ergo-Rise II from BDO furniture?
Steven McConnell says:
David, thanks for the kind words. Never heard of the Atlas Lite until you mentioned it. Looks like a decent gaming desk that borrows heavily from Secretlab Magnus – but why not just buy a real Magnus instead?
As for the Ergo-Rise – looks like a decent desk, but its height controller is outdated. The best standing desk brands have upgraded to OLED controllers.
Ben says:
Thank you for writing this review Steven; really helpful to break through the BS.
By any chance have you used or hold an opinion on Vertilift desks?
Steven McConnell says:
You’re welcome. God, I haven’t even heard of them – but thanks for the heads-up. There are too many standing desks on the Australian market. Obviously I haven’t used these in person, but I’m almost certain they’re yet another Jiecang variant (i.e., frames are identical to Desky). You can tell by the identical max and min heights, as well as the design of the foot.
Eloise says:
Hey Steven, I was recommended the Alwyn or Octavia (Living Fusion) 140cm sit and stand desks from Temple and Webster which don’t even get a mention in your review. Would you bother with any of their brands ? (I may have dodged a bullet by finding your review!)
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Louise, I haven’t had first-hand experience with the T&W standing desk (must add one to my list!).
However, I had a look through the specs for you.
It doesn’t look too bad, actually – considering the price. If you can’t stretch your budget to ~$950 for an entry-level UpDown or Desky, this could be a good option.
Jordan says:
Hi Steven, Thanks for the review! I am starting out with a home office set up and need a new chair and sit stand desk. I’m a student but I prefer to buy things I know will last, but I don’t have too much experience with sit stand desks. I initially thought to buy the Artiss but have considered buying the Acacia UpDown Pro+ so I know it lasts and I don’t have to buy another desk in a couple of years. Is it worth the price jump for me? Thanks!
Steven McConnell says:
Hi Jordan, the Artiss and the UpDown desks sell at two very different price points. If you have the budget, I suggest you stretch to the UpDown standing desk – you won’t regret it.
jason says:
I know you’ve disqualified the flexispot e7 pro so the e7 max plus would probably also be disqualified, but a quad motor 4 column desk frame at a prices competitive with UpDown desk is incredibly tempting. Plus 15 year warrenty (if the company lasts that long)
Have you had a chance to take a look? Its like half the price of the desky quad!
Steven McConnell says:
Hey Jason, great observation. I haven’t included quad standing desks here because they’ve traditionally attracted a niche consumer – someone who needs to place a tonne of gear on the desktop and doesn’t mind paying 2X the usual price. But Flexispot’s sharp pricing on their quad desk certainly changes things. I haven’t seen one in the wild yet – but the specs look promising.
Steven
Goce says:
Do you have a list of best non standing desks? I never stand so I don’t see a reason to spend extra on electric motors etc.
Steven McConnell says:
Ha! That’s the best question so far. I don’t – do you think people want a guide on this?