Some households neglect their furniture and allow wear and tear to send them to the furniture store every few years for a replacement. This is a costly cycle that can be avoided by trying out the following tips on furniture maintenance.Tip One: Don't let stains set in.If your kids spill juice on your couch, don't wait to extract the stain. The longer the stain sits, the deeper it gets into the fabric and stuffing of your couch. Blot excess moisture from the stain and apply a cleaner to help extract the stain. It is important to blot the stain during the cleaning process, as pressing down on it could force dirt further into the upholstery.Tip Two: Clean upholstered furniture regularly.Use a vacuum to clean off upholstered furniture at least once per month. Take care to use the appropriate vacuum attachments, as some brushes could snare a stray thread on your furniture and ruin the upholstery. In the case of very delicate furniture, a brush can be used instead of a vacuum.Tip Three: Keep fumes away.Overwhelming smells seep into upholstered furniture and stay embedded in the fabric. Make an effort to keep offensive odors away from your furniture. If smells do start to affect the fabric, regularly use an odor eliminating spray to neutralize odors.Tip Four: Avoid direct sunlight.Both upholstered and wood furniture can be damaged by direct exposure to sunlight. Fading and weakening of the wood or fabric are two common ways that sunlight can damage furniture. This doesn't mean that you can never open the blinds in your house, just that you need to position furniture to limit sunlight exposure.Tip Five: Clean and polish wood furniture.Ideally, you should clean and polish your wood furniture with a polish made specifically for use on wood weekly. At the very least, clean and polish once a month to keep wood furniture in good condition.Instead of buying new furniture when your existing furniture gets worn, keep up with furniture maintenance to extend the life of the furniture you have.