How to Dry a Wet Office Chair

Whether you’re cleaning an office chair and it gets too wet or the chair experiences some form of water damage, you have to know how to dry a wet office chair. If you let it sit too long, mold, mildew, and bacteria can build up. Not only will this have the potential to smell, but it can present some serious health issues.

It’s not difficult to do. But, you want to make sure you dry the wet office chair right. Any amount of moisture left on it for too long can promote undesirable growths and odors.

How Do You Dry a Wet Office Chair?

When you have a wet office chair, you have to act quickly before damage sets in. Of course, this will impinge on the amount of water you’re dealing with as well as the materials that comprise the chair.

Determine Fabrics ; Materials

Inspect the chair to decipher the materials. This will determine how you dry it. If it’s a leather chair, this may be a bit tricky to dry because it will shrink as a result. So, don’t use any amount of heat. While drying attempts won’t stop shrinkage, not using heat will reduce the severity of it.

For run-of-the-mill fabrics and other upholstery, a blow dryer or a fan will come in handy along with some clean, dry towels. For mesh, silk, satin, or other delicate covering, don’t use heat. You can use a fan, but don’t keep it too close. Set it at a distance so air circulates but doesn’t blast directly onto the fabric.

For other components like armrests and legs, these will most likely be metal, plastic or wood. For metal or plastic, dry clean cloth will be fine to wipe away the water. In the event there are wooden components, understand that warping is likely to occur. So, avoid using a fan or heat directly on the surface. However, airflow will be an important factor.

Techniques for Drying 

Once you’ve determined the kind of materials you’re looking at drying, consider the various potential techniques below:

• Towels ; Cloths: Wipe everything down with a clean, dry towel or cloth. If you have to, allow several towels to sop up excess moisture from the seat and backing. Then give a general wipe down of the legs, armrests, casters and other mechanisms drenched in water.
• Dirt ; Debris: Pay attention to the cloth to see if there’s any dirt that comes off the chair in profuse amounts. If so, use some furniture cleaner or other fabric-safe product to remove it.
• Ventilation ; Airflow: Keep a window open or turn on a fan to ensure the chair dries, even if you’re away.
• Wet-Dry Vacuum: As long as the materials can handle the pressure, use a wet-dry vacuum on the surface. This will help suck up any additional water wedged deep into the fabric.
• Dehumidifiers: If your office chair is wet from water damage or if you used far too much water with regular cleaning, turn on a dehumidifier along with a fan.
• Hot Air: When the material isn’t fabric like leather or satin, using something like a blow dryer can help remove excess moisture from your office chair. However, don’t use a space heater with a fan for this. The risk of a fire hazard is far too great.

How Long Can an Office Chair Sit in Water?

In general, an office chair should never sit in profuse amounts of water for too long. But there are no hard and fast rules for this. If the chair comprises plastic entirely, it can sit in water and never get ruined. It will just need a good wipe down, an inspection for mold, and a quick air dry.

But, if a leather chair sits in water for a whole weekend, bacteria and mold buildup may already have set in. There’s really no way to know.

Conclusion

When you have a wet office chair and the fabric is sopping wet, you have to act quickly to remove it. But, before devising a viable approach, you have to make sure that the method you use won’t cause any further damage.