The first warm September morning arrives, the sun comes in low across the desk, and the chair suddenly looks its age. There is a faint coffee ring on the seat, a grey film on the armrests and one castor that drags because it is wrapped in hair. None of it is serious. Knowing how to clean an office chair properly, material by material, keeps a good chair comfortable for its whole working life.
This spring-clean guide covers fabric, mesh, leather and PU, then the castors, base and gas lift. It finishes with when a new part, or a new chair from our office chairs range, is the better fix.
What you need before you start
- A vacuum with an upholstery brush attachment
- Two or three microfibre cloths and a soft brush for mesh and corners
- Mild dishwashing liquid and warm water
- A pH-neutral leather cleaner and conditioner, for leather chairs only
- Tweezers or small scissors for the castors, and a hex key for loose bolts
Three rules apply to every material. Follow the care label if the chair has one. Test any cleaner on a hidden spot first. Never soak the chair, because foam holds water, dries slowly and can leave a tide mark or a musty smell.
How to clean an office chair, material by material
| Material | Routine care | Spills and marks | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabric | Vacuum with an upholstery brush | Blot, then mild detergent on a damp cloth, worked from the outside in | Soaking the foam, rubbing hard |
| Mesh | Soft brush or vacuum on low suction | Damp microfibre cloth with mild soapy water | Solvents, scrubbing, anything sharp that snags |
| Leather | Dust, then a barely damp cloth | pH-neutral leather cleaner, then conditioner every few months | Alcohol, ammonia, baby wipes, direct sun |
| PU and vinyl | Wipe with a damp cloth | Warm water and a drop of detergent, dried straight away | Solvents and alcohol-heavy cleaners |
| Castors and base | Pull hair and fibre from the wheels | Damp cloth on the base and wheels | Abrasive pads on chrome |
Fabric seats
Vacuum first, especially the seams and the gap where the seat meets the back. Blot a fresh spill with a dry cloth rather than rubbing it, which pushes liquid into the foam. For an older mark, add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to warm water and work it in with a damp cloth, from the outside of the stain inwards. Go over it with a cloth dampened in clean water, blot dry, and let the seat dry fully before anyone sits on it.
The Urban Task Chair with Seat Cover (from $473) pairs a breathable black mesh backrest with a Motion felt seat cover in ten colours. Charcoal Grey or Ash Grey will hide everyday marks better than Bumblebee Yellow. The seat fabric is also listed on its own: the Urban Task Chair Fabric Seat Cover Upgrade ($50) comes in Motion Felt or Sunday fabric, including darker shades such as Charcoal and Rust.
Mesh backs
Mesh does not soak up spills like foam, but dust, skin oils and hair settle into the weave where shoulders rest. Brush across the weave or vacuum on low suction, then wipe with a cloth dampened in mild soapy water. Do not scrub hard or use solvents, because stretched or snagged mesh loses the tension that supports your back. Most chairs in our mesh office chairs range need nothing more.
Leather, PU and vinyl
Dust leather before you wipe it, because grit in the creases acts like fine sandpaper. Use a barely damp cloth or a pH-neutral leather cleaner, then condition it every few months. PU and vinyl only need warm water with a drop of detergent, dried straight away. Keep alcohol, ammonia and solvents off all three, as they dry the surface and speed up cracking.
When PU starts to flake or peel, the coating itself is breaking down and no cleaner will fix it. If you are still deciding on a cover, our guide to choosing between fabric, mesh, vinyl and leather compares how each one wears.
Castors, base and gas lift: the parts most people skip
Lay the chair on its side on a towel. Hair, thread and carpet fibre wind around the castor axles and make a chair drag or skid. Pull it out with tweezers, snip stubborn strands, then wipe each wheel. While the chair is over, run a quick check:
- Base: look for cracks along each arm and at the hub.
- Bolts: tighten any loose bolts under the seat and on the backrest.
- Gas lift: sit down, set a height and check the seat holds it.
- Mechanism: check each lever and that the tilt locks cleanly.
A cracked base is a replacement job, not a cleaning one. The Chrome 5 Star Base With Back Castors ($81) is a 650mm diameter chrome base with castors, sold as a replacement or upgrade with a 3 year warranty. Measure your old base across before you order.
Castors also wear the floor, grinding grit into carpet and marking timber. Chair Mats (from $75) come dimpled for low pile carpet or smooth for hard floors, in 1200 x 915mm or 1350 x 1150mm sizes. Lift the mat when you clean, because grit trapped underneath can scratch a hard floor.
When to replace a part, and when to replace the chair
Cleaning will not fix worn parts. Act on these signs:
- Castors that still drag after cleaning, or have flat spots or cracks.
- A seat cover with stains that will not shift, on an otherwise sound chair.
- A base with any crack. Take the chair out of use until it is replaced.
- The whole chair when the foam has flattened, the mesh is torn or the mechanism no longer locks.
Before buying parts, check the chair's warranty. The Urban Task Chair with Seat Cover, for example, lists 10 years.
Shared chairs and spring cleaning in Australian offices
With hot desking, one chair may have several users a week, and the levers, armrests and top of the backrest get the most hands. Wipe those touchpoints daily with a cleaner suited to the material. If contract cleaners look after the office, check whether chairs are in their scope, and add them if not.
Upholstery matters more on a shared chair. The Buro Mentor - SafeTex (from $621) is finished in Buro SafeTex antibacterial upholstery. Its self weighting tension adjusts automatically, which suits desks where the user changes daily. It runs on 60mm soft PU castors and is certified to 135kg single shift.
Spring suits a deeper clean. Winter heating dries out leather, and dust and pollen settle into fabric and mesh as hay fever season starts. In humid cities such as Brisbane and Darwin, damp foam dries slowly, so never leave a chair damp overnight in a closed office. Afternoon sun through west-facing windows also fades fabric and dries leather.
Treat a chair with a cracked base or failing gas lift like any faulty equipment: label it and take it out of service.
Office chair cleaning — frequently asked questions
How do you get stains out of a fabric office chair?
Blot it, then work in mild dishwashing liquid and warm water with a damp cloth, from the outside in. Finish with a clean damp cloth and blot dry.
Can you use disinfectant wipes on an office chair?
Yes on hard plastic and metal parts such as armrests, levers and the base, but not on leather or PU. Alcohol-heavy wipes dry those surfaces and speed up cracking, so use a cleaner made for the material.
How often should you clean an office chair?
Vacuum and wipe it every week or two, with a deeper clean of the upholstery, castors and base every few months. Shared hot-desk chairs need their touchpoints wiped daily.
Why does my office chair keep sinking?
A chair that slowly lowers itself has a worn gas lift, the cylinder that holds the seat height. Cleaning will not fix it, so check the warranty, then replace the gas lift or the chair.
Shop the range
Replacement bases, mats and seat covers are in our chair accessories range, and complete chairs are in office chairs. If castors are marking the floor, Chair Mats are the simplest fix. Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
