Secrets of experienced housewives: how to clean a sofa from various types of stains at home
A sofa is not only a means of relaxation, it is also a place where guests sit during noisy celebrations, where pets like to chew treats or small children frolic.
Consequences: stains of red wine, coffee, Coca-Cola, urine, and sometimes blood. It is quite difficult to remove any of these stains, but it is possible. The main thing is not to waste time and act immediately.
About, how to clean a sofa from stains of grease, water, ink, etc. at home, read below.
Content
Vanish is a universal remedy
Vanish is a universal stain remover, which has many varieties and removes even such problematic drinks from the sofa upholstery as wine and coffee.
List of products Vanish for stain removal:
Powders. Directions for use: dilute in water, soak a cloth in it and wipe the dirty area of the sofa.- Gels. Like powders, gels work well on stains on sofa fabric, but act faster. Even old and stubborn stains are gently destroyed.
Directions for use: Apply a small amount of gel to fabric upholstery and wipe thoroughly, first with a dry cloth, then with a damp cloth.
- Spray. It will help reduce the strength of the molecules of a product or liquid that gets onto the sofa. Vanish spray is practically useless on old stains, so it is immediately applied to the dirty area of upholstery within a few minutes.
If a stain appears, apply a spray to it, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wash off with a wet household rag.
Folk recipes
If you don’t have an effective Vanish gel or powder on hand, and a fresh stain has already spread across the surface of the sofa, then you can use folk remedies that everyone has at hand at home:
You need to mix a tablespoon of vinegar in 1 liter of water and apply it to a rag and wipe the upholstery. Vinegar not only works well on tough stains, it also kills bad odors. Instead of vinegar, you can use potassium permanganate, but in smaller quantities.- A fresh stain should be thoroughly soaped with soap, preferably household soap, let the solution absorb the dirt for a couple of minutes, and then rinse it off with a soft rag or household sponge.
- A good combination in the fight against fat and wine: soda, salt, starch. It is enough to mix one spoon of each ingredient and sprinkle the resulting mixture onto the stain. Let it sit, then rinse with a wet cloth.
If the upholstery is light, then citric acid will be the best helper., which must be diluted in water (a third of a teaspoon per 250 ml of water will be enough) and treated problem areas on the sofa.
How to remove a greasy stain from fabric without streaks?
After another greasy “decoration” on the sofa, you should act immediately. First, remove excess fat by blotting it with a clean napkin. Secondly, sprinkle table salt on the dirty area.
Leave the salt to absorb the fat for several hours. After which you can brush off the salt or go over the entire surface of the sofa with a vacuum cleaner. The brush on the vacuum cleaner must be stiff for better cleaning.
The ideal product for combating greasy stains is “Fairy” for washing dishes. Instead of dishes, you can use it in the fight for clean upholstery of the sofa.
“Fairy” needs to be applied very little, in a thin layer and left for only 15 minutes, and then wash off with a damp cloth. The product can be replaced with any other anti-grease dishwashing solution.
How can I remove felt-tip pen and ink?
Marker and ink stains fall under the “highly hazardous” category. And if the ink can be removed using simple acetone or nail polish remover, then other means will be required to deal with the felt-tip pen.
On the sofas with fabric cover can be used:
- hydrogen peroxide,
- vegetable oil,
- laundry soap.
The procedure is the same as for a leather surface: apply, wait, rinse.
Read more about removing pen stains from a leather sofa. Here, with fabric upholstery, leatherette and eco-leather - here.
How to remove ink from sofa upholstery, video tip:
How to remove iron marks?
The mark from a hot iron on the sofa is not a standard stain - it is a serious problem that cannot always be removed.
The sequence for removing iron stains from upholstery is as follows:
Apply a little hydrogen peroxide to a rag or household napkin and wipe the stain thoroughly. If peroxide doesn't help, try ammonia.You shouldn't be too zealous - a couple of drops is enough.- Didn't peroxide and acetone help? An old folk method is whey. It should be applied in a thick layer, and then allowed to absorb for at least 2-3 hours. Rinse off with plain water.
- If the above methods do not bring results, then you can try rubbing the stain with a freshly cut onion, and then wipe the affected area with a rag.
- And the last remedy is lemon and table salt. The application principle is standard: rub with lemon, sprinkle with salt, let it brew, rinse with water or a wet rag.
If all else fails, then there are two options.: sew a patch on the faded area or take the sofa to a special furniture dry cleaner. The first method will be much cheaper.
From red wine
Wine is a very stable product, and if the wine is cheap, it will still contain a certain amount of dye, which will only complicate the task.
For example, HG Extra Strong Stain Spray. The product has proven itself to be the best. Its formula is dominated by active oxygen, which penetrates the pores of stains and quickly breaks them down into smaller components.
Iodine
If iodine gets on your sofa upholstery, many home experts advise...doing nothing.
Yes, yes, exactly do nothing, because Iodine is a volatile compound and should completely evaporate from the upholstery over time sofa
To speed up the process, you can try a freshly cut green apple or a simple soap solution. Just use laundry soap.
Varnish
The situation is standard: a girl paints her nails, sitting comfortably on the sofa.One awkward move - nail polish ends up on the upholstery of the sofa. And immediately they start rushing around the entire apartment in search of a handy stain remover.
Don’t worry or rush things, even if the varnish dries. In this case, you cannot use improvised means - they are definitely ineffective against varnish!
Water stains
Water spilled on the upholstery of a sofa leaves its consequences - unsightly, constantly visible stains, the cause of which is improper wiping.
The most practical way to get rid of such divorces is Consistently and methodically, thoroughly wipe all upholstery sofa with a wet rag. It is necessary to rinse a rag or household sponge as often as possible.
If there are still stains, you can add a pinch of citric acid to the water. Just don’t use starch or borax - there will be much more stains.
Oil
Spilled oil is serious. It dries quickly, is absorbed deeply, and it will take a lot of time and effort to completely get rid of an oil stain.
It is better to remove dried oil using several means in succession. For example, first soften it with a stain remover gel, then try a freshly cut lemon, and then walk over the surface of the upholstery several times with laundry soap.
Chocolate
Melted chocolate should not be immediately wiped off the upholstery. – you need to wait until it dries, then carefully scrape it off with a knife.
The stain will remain, but to combat it you should use simple shaving foam. Apply foam to the stain, rub in and rinse with water. The process must be repeated several times until the upholstery is clean.
For removing fresh chocolate stains You can treat it with a stain remover spray, if you have one at hand. But the spray will not completely remove the chocolate; for a better effect, the stain should then be covered with powder or household gel.
Coca Cola
Many people know about the dangers of Coca-Cola, but everyone still continues to drink it. And they often spill it on the sofa, for example, while watching their favorite movie.
First, apply borax to the stain, then treat the affected area on the sofa with citric acid diluted in water. Last step: wash off any remaining borax and citric acid with a wet cloth.
Summing up
Even problematic traces of Coca-Cola, chocolate, red wine, blood or urine can be wiped off using folk remedies:
salt,- soda,
- ammonia,
- hydrogen peroxide,
- drills,
- citric acid.
If the desired result is not achieved, you should try household chemicals, such as Vanish, HG or Frosch.
When removing stains from a sofa all means are good, both folk and household. If all else fails, you can always sew a beautiful patch on the upholstery or take the sofa to specialists for dry cleaning.
It will cost more, but much cheaper than buying a new sofa.
