The Best Way to Clean a Mesh Office Chair: 5 Easy Steps

Office chairs with mesh upholstery are mostly used in workplaces. They are famous for their durability and modern look; it could serve as a good modern décor. The other advantage of these office chairs is the comfort it gives its users.

Mesh office desk chairs are best at acting as a filter. This encourages the flow of fresh air better than any other office chair material. With this, they provide cool and blissful comfort for their users.

As other chairs, the mesh chair has its own shortcomings. The main one is the difficulty of cleaning it after it gets dirty and many people have no idea how to clean an office chair. It doesn’t take that much to get dirty. This is one of the ways in which it happens: as the chair filters, fresh air dust begins to build up in the mesh office chair. Sometimes they are even caused by the users themselves. Food particles, liquids stains, and other residue end up on the chair.

No one would like any of this to happen to their work chair. The step to take will be to maintain the chair and if it ends up being dirty then the step to take will be to clean it. In this post, there will be discussions on how to maintain and clean an office chair with mesh upholstery. Before getting there, it is better to know more about the mesh office chairs.

1. Why Mesh Office Chair is The Best Choice?

It is a fact that chairs are required in both homes and offices. They are important pieces of furniture in everyone’s daily life. With the purpose of comforting its user. But not all the chairs can please its user completely. Some do and some don’t. It all depends on the user’s needs.

For instance, in the office, workers need good office chairs that can provide good comfort. To make long hours of work without discomfort a possibility. For the chair to be that comfortable it must have so crucial features. The one that is key to this post is the material used on the chair’s seat pads, armrest, and backrest. And the best material is mesh. Making mesh office chairs the best choice.

1.1. Durability

The fabric is usually woven tightly, enough to be able to withstand harsh conditions and unexpected accidents. In a chair with mesh upholstery, there is no flattening or tearing of the material unlike like others. Mesh materials remain even more secure and durable if fixed with a strong frame.

1.2. Ventilation

This is another reason why mesh chairs are better. Workers get eased off by the ventilation in which the office mesh chairs provide. It does this by filtering fresh air through its porous material. It also traps the user’s body heat and reduces his/her sweat. The ventilation through the back of the mesh chair will keep the user very relaxed, dry and fresh.

1.3. Support

The mesh material ensures the user has enough support he/she needs. For instance, the mesh backrest mimics the user’s natural spine curve to ensure good posture. Also to that, the quality mesh material provides enough comfort for the back it prevents back sores and pains. The mesh material increases the comfort in ergonomic office chairs like ErgoChair Pro (ErgoChair 2).

1.4. Minimal maintenance

Out of all the materials available on the market, this is the least or one of the least to need that much cleaning. The mesh upholstery does not soak up body fluids such as body oil and sweat. It may be the least, but it depends on the way the material is being cleaned and maintained

2. 5 common issues with mesh office chairs

Since the introduction of an effective ergonomic mesh office chair called the “Aeron chair” they became very popular. Their original styling coupled with the feel of the chair, it gives the mesh ergonomic office chair a unique design.

Its popularity caused the chairs to flood the market. Office chair manufacturers began to build office chairs of their own design. As manufacturers were ambitious and needed to make quick money in the cheapest way possible, they sought to make weak and pseudo mesh chairs.

These pseudo mesh office chairs are not complete like the first model “the Aeron chair”. There are three types of mesh chairs and the first two are pseudo or incomplete mesh office chairs.

• The first is the mesh chair with a seat and backrest but no pads. The design is quite lazy. All that was done on the chair is the mesh being stretched across the frame of the seat and the backrest. 
• The second type is a chair with only the seat being padded while the backrest is not. The design of the chair includes a normally padded seat and a backrest with the mesh stretched across the frame.
• The third type is the complete mesh office chair. Both the seats and the backrests are padded. It is the ideal mesh office chair, sure to improve the user’s comfort.  

As there are go parts about the mesh office chairs, there are also bad parts. The office chairs with mesh upholstery may be of high quality, but there are still problems one can face with the chair.

2.1. Abrasive to the skin

The mesh material is coarse in nature, much more than fabric. This means there is a possibility for the material to be abrasive one's skin. Although it depends on the person’s skin and the quality of the mesh. Some mesh material is of high quality which means they will be smoother and softer in touch, unlike the lower quality mesh.

The mesh material is manmade and there are some of these materials that cause skin irritation and damage to clothing. Examples of such materials include nylon, PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene, or PTFE.  

2.2. Stiff or saggy pad fewer mesh seats

This is a problem faced by manufacturers. It is quite hard to design a mesh office chair. Especially the seat. In most cases, it can't be both comfortable and supportive at the same time. It will either always be too hard or too soft.

The softer mesh is will feel smoother and softer to the user. After constant use, the seat will expand further. To create the perfect seating cushion for its user. As time pas by and continuous use occur, the mesh will begin to sag. The user will have no choice but to replace it or repair it but it would not return to its former structure.

As the chair stiffens or sag, one’s weight will not be distributed evenly, thereby making him/her uncomfortable. The user may start to feel pain and numbness.

If the mesh is hard it would last more in performance but the level of comfort will not be enough as the soft mesh. The hard mesh will be able to evenly distribute the user’s weight for a longer period of time compared to the soft mesh. The downfall of the hard mesh is its likeness to sitting on a hard piece of wood

2.3. Uncomfortable frame

With the mesh material being stretched across the frame, the user will for sure come in contact with the frame of the chair. It could be due to a padless seat or a padless backrest. This will even lead to poor circulation of the user’s blood flow. In the end, the user will be left uncomfortable, unsatisfied and unhealthy.

2.4. It can get too cold

One of the chair’s major selling points is its breathability. This is quite a great feature especially in places where it is hot. The fresh air flow is in serious demand and the mesh office chairs provide them. But in the case of cold places like Iceland, using a mesh office chair is not advice-able. It would be like pouring fuel into the fire.

In the case of the genders, it is known that women tend to get too cold compared to men feeling warmth when using the mesh office chair. This problem proves mesh office chairs are not best for everyone. Despite its perfect ergonomic design

2.5. Mesh is not versatile

This is the problem of a designer. The mesh material is not one that can be customized to the taste of a person. That’s why most mesh chairs in the market have similar designs.

The material can’t even be used in other areas like a manufacturing plant and a warehouse. This is because the material has a structure like that of a net. It would only tram debris and residue which damage the material itself.

3. How to clean a mesh office chair

Cleaning a mesh office chair, especially with mesh upholstery is quite difficult. The reason is because of how easy it is to build up more dust even after cleaning. And again the material might even end up being damaged beyond repair and the user will have no choice but to replace it.

The last problem is the focus of this post. Cleaning a mesh office chair isn’t that hard; it all depends on how it's done.

The mesh chair is quite good at building up dust, collecting food particles and other residues/substance stains. Any of these can be cleaned up straight away.

There is no need to buy a special cleaning formula. All that is needed is some ingredients which could be found at home or in the office. 

Here are some steps to follow:

3.1. First step: Using vacuum for office chair cleaning

Make use of a vacuum cleaner to remove solid residue from the chair. The hose attachment of the vacuum cleaner will allow cleaning along the cracks and crevices where dirt and residue pile up.

3.2. Second step: Cleaning with rag

This next step will involve the use of a liquid soap, it could be a dish soap. It should be poured on a piece of material like a cleaning rag. Then put the rag in warm water. After, twist the excess water out of the cleaning rag.

3.3. Third step: Cleaning each part of mesh chair

Use the damp part of the cleaning rag to rub against the dirty or stained part of the mesh office chair. As the armrest backrest, seat pads and so on are being cleaned, the wheels must be cleaned up too. It gathers more dirt than the rest of the mesh office chair since it is directly touching the ground.

3.4. Fourth step: Cleaning office chair crackers

In this step, a cotton swab or something close to it is needed. It should be dipped in warm water and then used to clean up smaller crackers that are not easy to reach.

3.5. Final step: Keep office chair dry after cleaning

Dry the mesh office chair with a dry cleaning rag or put it out where dry air can reach it.

4. TOP Mesh chairs recommended for you

4.1. ErgoChair Pro

This chair has the best of the features you would find in an ergonomic office mesh chair. One of these is adjustability of several parts such as the armrest, headrest, and lumbar support. The chair is perfectly ergonomic due to its ability to be adjusted in almost every seat able angle. The users of this chair are guaranteed long hours of comfort and health.

On the mesh material, it is of top quality. The mesh is a breathable Korean design and it is located at the backrest and seat. On the seat, the mesh will evenly distribute the weight of the users to ensure a perfect sitting position. Moreover, this office chair is very easy to assemble for cleaning.

4.2. TOPSKY Mesh computer chair - $170

TOPSKY’S mesh chair is a beauty with features that ensure comfort and health. Let’s start with the skeletal back frame which is covered with a high density strengthening mesh which ensures full air flow. One’s body heat is sure to reduce.  

The chair possesses a headrest which can be adjusted in three ways and also an adjustable lumbar cushion to ensure most comfort. In both the head region and the lower back. 

For the arms, there are adjustable and soft padded armrests.  With just a push of a button, the user will be able to set the armrests to his/her preference.

The chair is able to carry a max weight of 330lbs with its high-density strength mesh and thick sponge. Behind the chair, there is a hanger where bags or clothing can be hanged.

4.3. Modway articulate ergonomic mesh office chair - $142

The chair comes with a breathable mesh backrest, fixed lumbar support and a well-padded 6” contoured thick mesh cushion on the seat.

The chair is designed with the aim to increase the worker’s productivity. It is best for everyday use at the office or at home. With its supportive and firm design, this chair can hold a max of 331lbs which is the best capacity for a chair of its type.

When it comes to adjustability the chair is on point. The height of the armrest is adjustable, so it the chair height. There other parts like the swivel which can rotate 360 degrees and a tilt & lock system.   These adjustable parts are enough to enable the user to meet his/her.

Like in every other office chairs there is wheel caster which makes the user or worker mobile. This will help him/her sync with the work environment. 

Conclusion

Cleaning a mesh office chair is not a hard thing to do. All that is required is a careful hand and a patient mind. With the easy steps and other information about them one should be able to achieve the objective. There are recommended mesh chairs to choose from, they are all of high quality. To get more updates and blog posts please leave an email in the box below.

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