How to clean a sofa and other upholstered furniture at home

Professional dry cleaning of a sofa, upholstered chairs, armchairs or other upholstered furniture is an expensive service. Sometimes you can not do without it, but in most cases even complex pollution such as blood stains, children's urine, wine, etc., can be removed by own strength for a mere penny.

• In this article we presented 2 step-by-step guides on how to clean the sofa at home using the means that are available in every home.

How to clean a sofa with fabric upholstery

Before proceeding with cleaning the couch, read the following recommendations and cautions.

• All means of cleaning upholstered furniture must be pre-tested on invisible areas (for example, under the sofa or behind it).
• Before you clean the sofa from the flock, make sure that the selected product does not contain alcohol. After cleaning, walk across the upholstery with a brush with a soft bristle to spread the pile.
• To clean the sofa from microfiber at home, use only dry methods. Wet cleaning is possible only in extreme cases.
• To clean a light sofa, use only white rags. Colored fabric can be painted with a light upholstery under the influence of detergents.
• Do not use bleach and undiluted vinegar.

See also: Sofa expert - choose a sofa in the kitchen.

Step 1. The first thing to do is to get rid of dust. This step can be skipped if you are concerned only with local pollution. However, if you tackle the matter thoroughly, first upholstery upholstery must be cleaned of accumulated dust, and at the same time from the wool, loose crumbs, etc. There are two ways to do this:

• Method 1. With a vacuum cleaner: If you have a vacuum cleaner at home, fine, you just need to vacuum the upholstery, paying special attention to all joints and corners. You can use a special attachment for furniture (preferably with a brush) or just a dust-collecting tube.

• Method 2: Without a vacuum cleaner (for fleecy fabrics): If there is no vacuum cleaner in the house or if the upholstery of the sofa is made of velor, velvet or any other fleecy fabric, the dust is simply knocked out. Prepare an old sheet and a carpet punch. Dampen the sheet in the water (you can in a soap solution) and squeeze (you can do it with a washing machine in a rinse and wash cycle). Next, cover the furniture with cloth and proceed to actively blow out the dust, not missing a single corner. So you can clean the sofa of dust, without polluting the air, because it will remain on the fabric.

Step 2. Manually remove solid contaminants, if any. If necessary, the dirt can be scraped off with a knife, a spatula or other object with a blunt edge.

• From fabrics having pile (flock, velor or chenille), scraping the hardened dirt can not be. They need to soak in soapy foam.

Step 3. Finally, get rid of stains.

For starters, you can try a universal stain remover with upholstered furniture that is suitable for all types of fabrics - foam from a soapy solution or any mild detergent, such as Vanishes for carpet cleaning. Just apply the foam directly to the contaminated areas, let it run for 10-15 minutes, then rinse the cloth clean and finally remove excess moisture with a clean rag. If the stain still exists, try removing it:

• A solution of 9% vinegar (2 tbsp / 1 l of water);
• A solution of shampoo with warm water and 10 drops of ammonia.

In most cases, these simple procedures are enough to clear the sofa, for example, from stains of tea, coffee, chocolate, white wine, beer, jam, cola, etc.

If the soap does not work well, but you can determine its origin, then look for your case in the next selection of cleaning recipes:

• Urine. This is one of the most complex organic contaminants, which, perhaps, is not noticeable on the fabric, but exudes a sharp smell. As a rule, in due course inhabitants of the house can get used to it and not feel at all, however guests catch a specific aroma at once. How can I clean a sofa from baby urine or urine from an animal? As soon as this trouble occurs, blot the soiled area with tissue paper so that the urine absorbs. Then dry it with a hairdryer so that there are no stains left. If the upholstery fabric is colored, then treat the stain with a solution of 9% vinegar (in a ratio of 1: 5) or a weak solution of potassium permanganate. How to clean a light sofa from urine at home? In this case, the stain should be treated with a solution of citric acid (in a ratio of 1:10). After 30-60 minutes, rinse the area with a soap / shampoo solution and, finally, wash the upholstery with clean water and dry it.
• Greasy stains. Sprinkle a fresh spot with fine salt and let it absorb all the fat (3-5 minutes). The remaining trail is soaked in Faerie foam or any other dishwashing liquid for 10-15 minutes, then rinse the area clean and dry.

• Red wine. Fresh patch blot with a napkin and cover it with fine salt. Give the salt to absorb the moisture, repeat the procedure if necessary. Shake off the salt with a soft bristle brush and rinse the stain with ethyl alcohol, followed by soapy foam. Then remove the soap residue with water and dry it with a cloth.
• Gum. To remove the chewing gum from the upholstery of the sofa, it must be frozen. To do this, put on it alternately a couple of ice cubes (you can in the package). When the cud is hardened, gently scrape it off. If after removing the chewing gum on the upholstery there is a stain, apply methyl alcohol on it and wipe clean.
• Felt-tip pen, ballpoint pen, traces of lipstick, nail polish. Apply to a spot of ethyl / ammonia alcohol or acetone, then rinse the area clean.
• Candle wax. Let the wax freeze, then break it and scrape it off. Trace off the wax cover with a thin cotton cloth or two or three paper napkins and several times iron. Repeat the procedure if necessary.
• Blood stains. Fresh blood stains should be quickly soaked in cold water until they disappear completely. If the stain is old, then it needs to be kept longer under ice cubes, soak with a weak solution of vinegar (2 tablespoons of 9% vinegar per 1 liter of water) and, finally, wash the area with a soap solution.
• Juice of fruits or vegetables. Apply a solution of ammonia and 9% vinegar on the stain, then rinse the cloth with a clean damp cloth.

Step 4. If the upholstery of your sofa has faded or become unpleasantly smelling, and a simple dust cleaning has not solved the problem, then you can wash the entire upholstery:

• With a soap solution: warm water + mild soap;
• Shampoo solution: warm water + shampoo;
• Weak solution of 9% vinegar with water (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water);
• Alcohol (for example, vodka) can be cleaned upholstered furniture with a microfiber cloth.

For convenience, spray the product from the spray gun

To clean a light sofa from the smell, you can sprinkle all the upholstery with soda, leave it for 20-60 minutes, and then vacuum it with a furniture nozzle with a brush. Soda should absorb an unpleasant odor.

• After cleaning the sofa, the upholstery of which has pile, walk across the entire fabric with a soft or medium-stiff bristle brush. This method allows you to "fluff" the fiber and refresh the color.

And finally, we offer to see the following video story about how to clean the sofa from dust and dirt at home.

See also: How to clean the washing machine from dirt and scale in 5 steps.

How to clean a leather sofa at home

You will need:

• Soft rag (2 pcs);
• Warm water;
• Soft soap, for example, Dove;
• White spirit vinegar or ordinary vinegar 9%;
• Olive or linseed oil.
• Microfibre cloth.
• Toothpaste or hairspray (for removing stains);

Instruction:

Step 1. Make a warm soapy solution of warm water and a mild soap.

Step 2. Dampen your rag in a soapy solution and thoroughly wipe the furniture upholstery.

Step 3. Wipe the sofa with a dry, clean rag to remove moisture.

Step 4. Now, we need to use an air conditioner that will protect the skin and refresh its appearance. To do this, mix one part of the vinegar with two parts of flax or olive oil. Wipe the mixture with all the leather upholstery of the furniture and leave it for 10 minutes.

See also: How to clean the iron inside and out - 10 home methods.

Step 5. After 10 minutes, polish the skin with a dry microfibre cloth.

• Do not use undiluted vinegar or wet wipes containing alcohol, as they will draw moisture from the skin and, thus, provoke the appearance of cracks.

Step 6. How to clean the leather sofa from the stains? In order to remove any contamination, locally apply a soft toothpaste or hairspray (after testing on an invisible area!), Then quickly wipe the product with a clean rag. Repeat the procedure if necessary.

• Hairspray is especially suitable for removing ink from the pen and markers.