How to Clean and Care for a Bedroom Ottoman

Start With the Fabric Code

Before cleaning a bedroom ottoman, find the fabric cleaning code, usually on a label under the base or inside the storage compartment. W means water based cleaners are safe. S means solvent only. WS allows either. X means vacuum only, with no liquid at all. Using water on an S or X coded fabric is the single most common way people permanently mark an ottoman, and it happens on the first attempt.

Once you know the code, routine care is simple: vacuum weekly, deal with spills immediately, and give the whole piece a proper clean two or three times a year. Storage ottomans need a little extra attention inside, where damp and dust accumulate unseen.

Weekly Care That Prevents Most Problems

Vacuuming is the most valuable thing you can do, and the most neglected. Dust and grit work into the weave, and every time someone sits down those particles cut fibres against each other. That is what causes the dull, worn look on the seat area long before anything is visibly dirty.

Use the upholstery attachment and work in one direction across the surface. Pay attention to the seams and the join between the lid and the body, where debris collects. A soft brush attachment suits velvet and delicate weaves better than a stiff nozzle.

If the ottoman sits at the end of a bed, it catches a great deal of fabric lint from bedding. A rubber pet hair brush or a slightly damp microfibre cloth drawn across the surface lifts lint that a vacuum leaves behind.

Rotate the position occasionally if the ottoman is longer than it is used. The area where people sit compresses over time, and shifting it around evens out the wear.

Dealing With Spills

Speed matters far more than technique. Blot immediately with a clean dry cloth, pressing straight down rather than rubbing. Rubbing spreads the liquid outward and pushes it deeper into the padding, which turns a small mark into a wide ring.

Work from the outside of the spill towards the centre. That keeps the edge defined and stops it spreading.

For a W or WS coded fabric, follow with a cloth barely dampened with cool water, blot again, then dry with a hairdryer on a cool setting or a fan. Drying matters: a patch left to dry slowly often leaves a visible tide mark where dissolved dirt migrates to the edge.

For S coded fabrics, use a proper upholstery solvent cleaner applied to a cloth rather than directly to the fabric, and always test on a hidden area first, such as the underside of the lid.

Cleaning by Fabric Type

Velvet needs the gentlest handling. Never scrub it, because the pile crushes and the crushed area reflects light differently, which shows as a permanent shadow. Brush the pile back into alignment with a soft clothes brush while it is slightly damp, always in the same direction.

Linen and cotton weaves tolerate more moisture but can shrink slightly if over wetted, which puckers the surface over a padded frame. Keep any dampness light and dry quickly.

Faux leather and bonded finishes wipe clean with a damp cloth and a drop of mild soap. Avoid anything containing alcohol or solvents, which strip the surface coating and cause it to flake within months. Conditioning products made for real leather are unnecessary here and can leave a sticky residue.

Real leather benefits from a dedicated cleaner and conditioner twice a year. Keep it away from direct radiator heat, which dries the surface and leads to cracking along fold lines.

Woven and boucle textures trap more dust but hide marks well. Vacuum these more often and resist the urge to pick at pulled loops: snip them level with scissors instead, since pulling unravels the weave.

Looking After the Storage Compartment

Storage ottomans have an interior that rarely sees air, and that is where problems start. Bedding and clothing stored inside release moisture slowly, and a sealed compartment holds it.

Open the lid for an hour or two every few weeks, particularly in winter. That simple habit prevents the musty smell that otherwise develops in stored linen.

Wipe the interior lining with a dry cloth every few months and vacuum the base, where dust and fibre gather. If the interior has a fabric lining that is stained, most respond to a light clean with the same method as the exterior, though ventilation is more important because the enclosed space dries slowly.

Avoid storing anything damp. A towel put away slightly wet will affect everything in the compartment within days. Silica gel sachets or a small moisture absorber help in rooms prone to condensation, which many UK bedrooms are.

Do not overfill. Pressure from inside strains the lid hinges and can prevent the lid seating properly, which then lets dust in around the edge.

Hinges, Gas Struts and Feet

The mechanical parts are easy to forget until they fail. Check the lid hinges twice a year and tighten any loose screws. A loose hinge lets the lid drop at an angle, which stresses the opposite side and eventually pulls the fixing through the board.

Gas struts, fitted to many lift up designs, weaken gradually. If the lid no longer stays open on its own, the strut is the culprit and can usually be replaced without specialist tools. A lid that falls unexpectedly is a hazard, so deal with it rather than working around it.

Feet loosen through normal use, especially on carpet where the ottoman is pushed and pulled. Tighten them periodically, and fit felt pads if the ottoman sits on a hard floor. Metal or plastic feet dragged across laminate leave marks that are difficult to remove.

Protecting Against Sunlight and Heat

Direct sunlight fades upholstery unevenly, and the side facing the window will lighten noticeably over a couple of years while the other side stays true. If the ottoman sits in a sunny position, turn it end to end every few months so the exposure evens out.

Radiator proximity is the other risk. Sustained dry heat stiffens natural fibres and dries leather. A gap of at least 20cm between an ottoman and a radiator is sensible.

Choosing Fabrics That Are Easier to Maintain

If you are still deciding what to buy, some fabrics simply demand less. Mid tone patterned weaves hide marks best. Tightly woven synthetics clean more easily than loose natural weaves. Removable covers, where offered, make the whole question much simpler.

Pale velvet at the foot of a bed looks beautiful and requires the most commitment. It is not a poor choice, but it suits a household without pets, small children or a habit of eating in bed.

Our range of modern ottomans UK sale covers a variety of fabrics and finishes, and the same care principles apply across all of them. If you are furnishing the wider room at the same time, our blanket box UK options offer similar storage in a firmer form, and bedroom chairs UK sale pieces share most of the same fabric care requirements.

Everything we ship at Furniture in Fashion comes with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.

A Simple Seasonal Routine

Set a routine and the ottoman looks after itself. In spring, empty the storage compartment completely, vacuum inside and out, air it for a day and check the hinges. In autumn, do the same before winter bedding goes in, and add a moisture absorber if the room suffers from condensation.

Twice a year is also the right interval for a full surface clean and, on leather, for conditioning. Putting both jobs on the same day as a bigger seasonal tidy makes them far more likely to happen.

Between those points, the weekly vacuum and prompt attention to spills do almost all the work. Upholstery rarely fails suddenly. It declines slowly through neglected grit, slow drying moisture and loose fixings, all of which are easy to prevent and difficult to reverse.

When Repair Beats Replacement

A worn ottoman is often worth saving. Flattened padding can be topped with an additional foam layer under the existing cover on many lift up designs. Loose fabric on a lid can be restretched and restapled if the cover is sound. Replacement gas struts and hinges are inexpensive and widely available.

Replacement makes more sense when the carcass board has swollen from damp or when fixing points have pulled through, since neither repairs reliably.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a steam cleaner on a fabric ottoman?

Only on fabrics coded W or WS, and even then with caution. Steam can shrink natural fibres and crush velvet pile. Test on a hidden area and keep the nozzle moving.

How do I remove a musty smell from a storage ottoman?

Empty it, leave the lid open for a full day in a ventilated room, vacuum the interior and wipe it dry. Bicarbonate of soda left in an open container inside overnight absorbs remaining odour.

How often should a bedroom ottoman be cleaned?

Vacuum weekly, spot clean spills immediately, and carry out a fuller clean two or three times a year. Storage interiors benefit from airing every few weeks.

What should I do about a pulled thread in the fabric?

Snip it level with the surface using small scissors. Never pull it, as that draws neighbouring loops out and creates a visible line across the weave.

Can I sit on a storage ottoman every day?

Most are built for it, but check the stated load rating. Repeated sitting on the same spot compresses padding, so rotating the ottoman occasionally keeps the surface even.