Bringing a couch in from storage?

September 21, 2010 12:49 PM

We've had a couch in a storage unit for a few years now. We'd like to bring it back into our apartment. What precautions should we take before we bring it? (i.e. concerns about dust, pests, molds.) The couch is fabric (not microfiber to my recollection) and has not been wrapped.
posted by entropicamericana to Home & Garden (1 answer total)

I would vacuum it with the strongest vacuum you can find (every surface including the underbelly, under/behind any removable cushions, and inside anything unzippable) and then steam it all over, let it dry, and vacuum again. Use a garment steamer if the upholstery is delicate or pale, and a carpet steamer if it is a little more robust. If it's a sleeper sofa, it will be somewhat more work.

Is it in heated storage? If it isn't, and you live somewhere with seasons, let it freeze before you go get it.

If I had done this, I would not have brought the scourge of carpet beetles into my home.
posted by Sallyfur at 1:12 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]