Have you ever sat down in a restaurant chair and felt it was sticky, or encrusted with dirt? No one likes that and it certainly will put customers off their food. It is important to keep your restaurant chairs spotlessly clean, not only for the comfort of your customers, but also to maximize the longevity of your restaurant furniture. If the chairs get ingrained with dirt, they will be too hard to clean, and eventually, you’ll have to replace them. This is a pointless expense when all you have to do is regular maintenance to keep your restaurant chairs clean.
Keeping Wooden Restaurant Chairs Clean
- Dust the chairs daily with a dry cloth, wiping against the grain.
- If there is visible dirt or food on the chair, rub it lightly with a damp cloth (warm water and dishwashing soap), and then wipe with a dry cloth until completely dry.
- Every 3-4 months treat them with paste wax for extra protection.
Tips:
- Avoid using citrus-based cleaning products on wooden furniture as it can strip the finish off the wood.
- Use a small amount of diluted ammonia to remove stubborn spots or burns. Before using ammonia on your restaurant chairs, do a small spot test in an area that isn’t noticeable, to check that it doesn’t harm the finish.
- If your wooden chairs have water marks, you may be able to remove them using paste wax and steel wool. But do a small spot test first.
- On wood veneer restaurant furniture use only non-acidic cleaning products.
- Periodically treat teak chairs with teak oil to maintain their beautiful color.
Keeping Metal (aluminum, chrome, stainless steel) Restaurant Chairs Clean
- Dust daily with a dry cloth.
- Clean thoroughly once or several times a week with a damp cloth (mild dishwashing soap and warm water).
- For stubborn marks, you can use a non-abrasive general household cleaner but do a small spot test first. When you use a household cleaner the cleaning product mustn’t dry on the metal or it will leave marks and damage the finish. It can even lead to chips or scratches on the metal. Always wipe the product off the metal, and dry completely.
- If your metal restaurant chairs have been left to build up a layer of dirt you could try using a soft brush but don’t use an abrasive brush that could scratch or damage the metal surface.
Tips:
- If your chrome chairs get rust marks try removing them by rubbing with a ball of damp aluminum foil.
- An occasional wipe with baby oil or furniture polish on chrome furniture will keep it shiny.
- Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down metal chairs (especially with stainless steel) so you don’t get scratches, or marks from the cloth.
- Always dry metal furniture completely after cleaning, otherwise you’ll be left with water stains.
- Use dishwashing soap and water to remove grease spots.
- On varnished, painted, or powder-coated metal chairs avoid using polish and sealers and only use non-acidic, non-bleach cleaning products.
Keeping Vinyl Restaurant Seating Clean
- As with metal and wooden furniture, a simple solution of dishwashing soap and warm water can be used to wipe down vinyl restaurant chairs. Vinyl seating should be cleaned at least once a day. You don’t need to be as gentle with your wiping as you do with metal or wooden furniture. With vinyl, you can wipe firmly until stains and dirt are removed.
Tips:
- Even though the seating is vinyl and not wood or metal, you should still make sure it is wiped dry completely when you have finished cleaning it. Leaving wet vinyl to dry by itself will result in water marks on the vinyl.
Keeping Upholstered Restaurant Chairs Clean
- For daily dusting use a dry cloth and/or vacuum cleaner.
- For cleaning specific marks or spills, first, soak up any liquid spills with a towel. Then dab gently with a wet cloth and dishwashing soap. Finally, vacuum any remaining dirt. Be careful not to rub the stain or spill as this could just ingrain the stain into the fabric and make it harder to remove.
Tips:
- The best way to keep fabric seating in good condition is to treat it with a stain guard before it even enters the restaurant.
- Always read the cleaning instructions label before attempting to clean fabric seating.
Keeping Plastic Restaurant Furniture Clean
Plastic is probably the easiest material to keep clean in a restaurant. It is durable and can survive spills and heavy traffic. To clean your plastic restaurant chairs use a soap and water solution, or a non-abrasive household cleaner. As with the above-mentioned cleaning methods, always wipe the furniture dry.
Tip: And finally, a tip that might come in useful for any of the restaurant furniture, white vinegar diluted 1:4 with water, can be a miracle cleaner!
