Three Tips for Maintaining Office Chairs

In today's world purchasing an ergonomic and supportive office chairs is quite important. Being productive at work is essential and spending some extra money on quality office chairs is a great investment. With all the talk about what chairs to purchase and what chairs offer the most ergonomic benefits, how do you maintain your investment?

Often we are asked by customers for some simple tips to practice, that will ensure a long life for there office chairs. After all, why spend all that money on a chair and not take proper care of it. That being said, I have formulated a list of three simple tips that will help to extend the life of any office chair.

Tip 1.) Fabric Maintenance

Approximately once a month it is important to perform basic fabric maintenance for your chair. Leather office chairs are easy to maintain and common car leather products will work great. Using simple leather cleaners on your chair will ensure that the leather doesn't crack or fade will age. Practicing this tip will keep your chair looking fabulous for much longer. For fabric chairs, using a mild carpet cleaner with no ammonia will be acceptable. There are office chair cleaners on the market that work well. However, using a soft brush or sponge and household carpet cleaner will work wonders. Pen marks, stains, and most other imperfections will be erased quickly with a quick scrub. Overall, the longer you leave a stain, the harder they are to remove so keeping a bottle of cleaner in a desk drawer is ideal.

Tip 2.) Caster Maintenance

When purchasing office chairs, most individuals never consider the type of casters that are on the chair. It is important to consider what type of surface you will be using your chair on predominantly. For carpet, go with carpet caster. For wood or tile floors, go with hardwood casters. If you have already purchased your chair, do not fear! Simple maintenance can extend the life and quality of your casters. Once a year, it is beneficial to remove the casters from the base to clean and oil them. Rotate the wheels a few times to clean any debris (paperclips, tacks, and food are the most common). Leaving these items in your chair wheel can cause rust and damage. While your casters are removed, oil the wheel stem and replace. This will help to ensure your chair base and caster rotate and glide easily.

Tip 3.) Pneumatic Cylinder Maintenance

This tip may sound daunting, however it is quite simple. The first step is to remove the seat from the lift cylinder. To do this, simply place one foot on the chair base and pull up from the seat or arms. Once removed, place a few drops of oil or wd40 on your cylinder. Once oiled, place your chair base back on the cylinder, press down, and then sit in your chair to ensure the base has seated properly with the cylinder. Finally, adjust your chair height a few times to spread the oil properly through the cylinder.

Hopefully, these simple tips will come in useful. If you have not serviced your chair in years, don't worry. It's never too late to start. Most chairs are built to last. However, they are not built to operate properly forever without basic preventative maintenance. Best of luck to you all!