Sofa

Any house or apartment has a soft, cozy sofa that is the central element of the guest area. Its upholstery often gets dirty and requires urgent, effective cleaning.

Naturally, it is impossible to take such large furniture to the dry cleaner every time. That’s why it’s so important to be able to remove a variety of contaminants yourself.

In this article we will talk about folk and industrial means with which you can get rid of all kinds of stains on the upholstery of a sofa in your home, without dry cleaning.

Folk remedies for cleaning a sofa from dirt and stains

Often folk remedies made from the simplest and most accessible ingredients turn out to be quite effective. Their advantage is that they do not contain harsh chemicals that can harm upholstery fabrics.

In addition, cleaning agents made according to folk recipes are much cheaper than special compounds sold in stores.

The top 5 folk cleaning products include:

• soap solution from dishwashing detergent;
• vinegar with laundry soap;
• baking soda;
• lemon juice;
• hydrogen peroxide.

Dishwashing liquid

To obtain an effective yet gentle cleaning agent for fabrics, you need to mix one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent and two glasses of cold water.

This solution should be applied to the stained area with a cotton swab or a clean towel (depending on the size of the stain).

Then the stain can be gently rubbed with a clean sponge or toothbrush. When the stain disappears, blot it several times with a clean, damp towel and then wipe with a dry cloth. The advantage of this option is that it can be used at any time.

For example, if someone in the house gets hurt and blood got on the upholstery, with the help of a soap solution you can clean it very quickly.

Vinegar and laundry soap

This method is ideal in cases where you need to rid the sofa of difficult, non-greasy stains. For example, if a child drew on the upholstery with a pen.

To make a vinegar-soap mixture, you need to take a small piece of laundry soap and soak it in water. It should be a mushy mixture.

It should be filled with a glass of cold water. After this, add 2 teaspoons of table vinegar to the mixture.

The mixture is applied to the contaminated areas for 10 minutes with a soft cloth.. Then use another, stiffer cloth moistened with clean water to wipe off the applied solution from the upholstery. As a result, dirty spots or streaks of ink should be wiped off along with the solution.

Read about how to wash a handle from a leather sofa. this article. About removing ink stains from upholstery made of other materials - here.

How to clean with baking soda?

Baking soda can be used both to clean fabric surfaces and to remove stains from leather upholstery. Leather and leatherette are easily cleaned of all kinds of contaminants that are difficult to remove from fabric. But if ink gets on it or, for example, brilliant green, it should be thoroughly cleaned as soon as possible.

After about 30 minutes, the dried soda along with the dirt must be removed using a cloth and warm soapy water. At the end of the procedure, treat the stain with a sponge soaked in clean water.

Read about how to quickly, effectively and safely clean a sofa with baking soda and vinegar at home. Here.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice or diluted citric acid is a means to remove a fresh stain that has an unpleasant odor.

For example, if vomit got on the sofa, you need to quickly remove it with something dry, and then treat the upholstery with the lemon mixture.

After this, if necessary, the stain is additionally treated with a soap solution.

Hydrogen peroxide

Using peroxide, you can remove various contaminants, including stubborn and old ones. It is quite a strong substance and it must be used in combination with soda and water.

There is no need to wipe, just let it dry naturally. If necessary, repeat the procedure.

Household chemicals - fast, effective and streak-free!

Particularly difficult stains cannot always be removed using folk remedies. Chemical liquids are more reliable, versatile and easy to use.

Vanish

Vanish is one of the most famous chemical agents designed to remove stains. from fabric and different surfaces. It is also suitable for cleaning sofas. The price of the product is from 120 to 300 rubles, depending on the volume.

More information about this tool can be found in this article.

Bugs Stikhonit

This Israeli product copes well with all problems related to the cleanliness and hygiene of upholstered furniture.

It removes any dirt and odors, disinfects upholstery, and even restores its original color. Sold as a spray.

Before applying the product, the surface must be moistened with water. Then spray Bugi and wipe away dirt with a cloth, sponge or brush (depending on the degree of dirt and type of upholstery).

Nordland

Foam for cleaning soft surfaces. Ideally copes with all types of pollution. It can be used for washing any surfaces, so in many homes it becomes a universal housewife's assistant.

Foam is applied to the surface and then washed off with a damp sponge. Treated areas can be dried with a hairdryer.

To treat sofas, you should use products in the form of a liquid composition or foam. It is not recommended to use powders, as they may leave stains and streaks.

Cleaning with a steam cleaner or steam generator

Steam cleaning removes all dirt from the upholstery, including stubborn stains and dust.

Regardless of which type of steam generating apparatus is used, the process steps will be the same. Before starting the steam cleaning procedure, brush off any small debris. from the sofa, which can accumulate in folds and corners.

After this, you need to fill the steam generator with water. It is advisable to let the water stand in advance, in this case it will definitely not leave stains on the upholstery fabric. You can add a little liquid detergent to the water.

The sofa is cleaned sequentially in segments. It’s best to start with the cleanest areas. After steaming a separate area, you should immediately wipe it with a clean soft cloth. To do this you need to have microfiber.

The most difficult stains will have to be treated several times. It is important not to wet the fabric. A properly selected nozzle and a well-regulated steam supply will help avoid this.

If during the cleaning process hot steam gets on parts made of plastic, metal or wood, they must be quickly wiped dry. Particular care must be taken to protect parts made of pressed wood and plastic..

To treat hard-to-reach areas, use special attachments.

Which vacuum cleaner is better: regular or detergent?

The sofa can be cleaned with a washing vacuum cleaner. This is a wet cleaning method that is much more effective than conventional hand cleaning.

The first step in the process is dry cleaning sofa After this, you need to treat the upholstery using a wet method.

But if there are difficult stains, it is better to pre-soap them with detergent or a special product for cleaning upholstered furniture.

Consider the type of upholstery

There are different ways to clean a sofa.You need to choose a cleaning method taking into account the material with which the sofa is covered.

Flock

This is a very practical type of upholstery. It can be cleaned in any way. But old stains can be difficult to remove.

Therefore, the main rule for caring for a flock sofa is regular dry and sometimes wet cleaning.

Large stains can be washed with upholstery shampoo or for car interiors.

Faux suede

Artificial materials are not as difficult to care for as natural ones. Suede material can be processed using all known methods.

Natural suede

To keep your suede sofa looking presentable for as long as possible, you need to treat it with a special protective agent. This will avoid frequent aggressive cleaning.

You can wash such a sofa with folk or chemical means, using brushes and rags designed for caring for suede. You can buy them at a shoe store.

Velor

In order not to spoil the velor when cleaning the sofa, you need to remember the safety rules.

This fabric cannot be vacuumed. It is not recommended to use fluffy rags and napkins.

You can clean the sofa only in the direction of the pile. The ideal option in this case is wet cleaning using a mild soap solution and microfiber.

Genuine Leather

The skin easily tolerates various types of exposure, and it’s easy to clean. Difficulties can only be caused by stains from ink or, for example, brilliant green.

You can find out exactly how to clean a genuine leather sofa from this article.

Eco leather, leatherette

Faux leather is very practical.Almost no dirt remains on it and it can be cleaned by any means. You can't just use:

• rough brushes,
• sponges,
• scrapers.

Plain fabric

To choose the right way to clean a fabric sofa, you need to consider:

1. compound,
2. color,
3. texture of the material.

The thinner and lighter the fabric, the more careful it should be treated.. You can read more about this in this article.

How can you eliminate unpleasant odors at home?

To eliminate the unpleasant odor that has become ingrained in the upholstery of the sofa, both folk and industrial remedies are used.

• soda,
• salt,
• vinegar,
• lemon juice,
• hydrogen peroxide.

Read more about removing odors from a sofa in this article.

Lifehacks on the topic

Small household tricks shared by experienced housewives will help you deal with pollution of any complexity:

1. Stains from spilled coffee or tea are best wiped off with a regular soap solution.
2. If there is chewing gum stuck to the upholstery, you need to put an ice cube on it. When it melts, the chewing gum can be easily removed without damaging the fabric.
3. It is easier to clean jam or marmalade with soapy water and a drop of vinegar.
4. To remove stains from fresh berries, you need a mixture of vinegar and ammonia, mixed one to one.
5. If wine is spilled on the sofa, the stain should be covered with salt for a few minutes.
6. Grease stains are covered with soda, starch or salt for 10 minutes.
7. To remove blood stains, housewives are advised to use cold water with an aspirin tablet dissolved in it.

This article Let's talk about how to clean greasy sofa upholstery.

Conclusion

All of the above methods for cleaning sofas are quite simple and effective. For each individual case, it is necessary to select the most suitable option and test it in practice..

If it turns out to be effective, it should be adopted and used not only when necessary, but also as a preventive cleaning.