There’s nothing better than finding a desk chair that’s perfectly supportive and comfortable. This often underestimated piece of office equipment will affect your posture, productivity, and even impact your outlook towards your job. But even the very best desk chair will need upkeep, adjustments, and repair.
Fortunately, a few simple tools and components are usually all it takes to keep desk chairs and other office equipment in a great state for many, many years. For example, buying annealed spring steel washers or Belleville washers can be a simple but effective fix for all types of adjustable equipment that’s started to rattle or lose stability. That’s because these components act as tiny shock absorbers that maintain tension and still accommodate moving parts. They can be easily acquired in small or large quantities from spring washers manufacturers.
Wobbly Or Unstable Parts
When office chair components do begin to feel loose or off-balance, spring washers can be effective, but there are other ways to address issues with instability. One of the first things to do is check all fasteners. If any are loose, they should not only be tightened, they should be checked to ensure the threading has not been bent or compressed. This can be a common issue with older screws and bolts or those that have not been made from high-quality materials. If this is the case, the fasteners can simply be updated.
Wobbly or unstable office chairs may also have bent or misaligned hardware. If this is the case, it may be possible to replace the damaged element, whether it’s the chair’s swivel plate, casters, or other parts of the base.
Squeaking
Apart from simply being annoying, a chair squeaking or squealing during regular use should be corrected because this usually means that parts are wearing on one another. This can be addressed by ensuring parts are well lubricated or properly buffered with components. Rubber or felt washers, and similar components can serve as cushioning elements that prevent hardware direct contact, this reduces wear over time.
Reduced Flexibility
If the chair or other piece of equipment is no longer swiveling, tilting, or rolling as freely as it once did, it could indicate a build-up of debris in the mechanisms. Even in an immaculately clean workspace, it’s not unusual for thickened grease, lint, and dust to build up in places that are difficult to reach. The application of a degreasing solvent or rust remover may alleviate the issue. These products can sometimes be applied via spray, which will not require any disassembly of the hardware. But for a thorough clean, it may be necessary to disassemble the chair or other piece of equipment, complete a full cleaning, and see if that remedies the inflexibility.
Stilted movement may also indicate that hardware has been bent, dented, or an essential buffering or spacing component, like a washer, may be damaged or missing.
Stained Or Worn Materials
Sometimes office chairs need upkeep for issues that might be cosmetic but can also interfere with the comfort and longevity of the equipment, such as in the case of vinyl or leather upholstery that has begun to crack.
If the chair is simply stained. various cleaning products can be used to improve the appearance. Make sure to account for the specific chair materials and follow all product instructions before attempting to remove any stains or complete an overall clean. Cloth upholstery will have different cleaning requirements than mesh, just as vinyl will have different cleaning requirements than leather, so make sure to correctly identify the type of material and choose the correct cleaning product and method.
If the chair’s material has been torn or cracked, it can sometimes be patched, but repairs will likely need to be performed by a professional. Alternatively, protective and decorative covers can be used to cover existing material issues and guard against new ones.
