How to clean a sofa upholstery - purchased products VS folk methods

It is impossible to imagine a house or apartment of a modern person without upholstered furniture. Sofas and armchairs, chairs and ottomans are the main component of comfort and coziness. Due to frequent use, fabric upholstery quickly becomes dirty, so a good housewife should know how to clean a sofa at home, since there are many industrial and folk remedies.

Purchased funds

A sofa or chair with stained seats covered with a layer of multi-day dust will spoil the impression of the most sophisticated interior. Upholstered furniture quickly gets dirty and therefore needs regular cleaning. Manufacturers of household chemicals offer a variety of products in the form of a spray, gel, shampoo, which allows you to do your own home to get rid of stains and deeply clean a fabric or leather surface.

Choosing the right tool is not easy. After all, I want to not only get rid of spots and dirt, but also to preserve the color and integrity of the upholstery material.

Before buying a drug, you need to pay attention to the following nuances:

1. Read in the instructions what types of fabric the chosen detergent for sofas is suitable for. For example, silk and viscose are afraid of water, for them it is better to take a powder or spray.
2. The drug should not exude a sharp unpleasant odor. After cleaning with such a tool, the fabric will absorb a chemical “aroma” that will be difficult to get rid of.
3. The chemical should not cause an allergic reaction.
4. The cleansing composition should act gently and carefully, without destroying the fabric surface. To avoid damage to your favorite sofa, you need to try the tool on an inconspicuous piece of upholstery.

Shampoos are less suitable for cleaning fabric surfaces, as they are quickly absorbed into the upholstery and penetrate the filler. Furniture after such a treatment dries for a long time.

Here are a few tools designed for cleaning upholstered furniture, which are marked by customers as the most effective and easy to use.

"Bugs Stihonit"

The best disinfectant from Israeli manufacturers comes in the form of a spray. The drug not only copes with deep surface cleaning, but also allows you to remove stains of various origins: blood, wine, urine, traces of pets. Spray “Stichonite” will return the upholstery to its rich color and give the furniture a pleasant smell.

When working with this drug, you don’t have to cover the leather, wooden or plastic elements, as the product is absolutely neutral to any materials other than fabric.

Vanish

A stain remover developed by a Russian manufacturer can easily clean furniture upholstery from dust and dirt, while maintaining the color and structure of the fabric. "Vanish" can remove stains from a ballpoint pen, blood, coffee, remove oily stains, get rid of bad smell.

Spray is not recommended for the processing of wool, velvet and silk fabrics.

Tuba

Tuba Cleaning Foam is made in Germany. The tool is specially designed for quick cleaning of furniture surfaces made of synthetic and natural materials. Foam contains a minimum amount of moisture, so after doing dry cleaning with your own hands, the furniture does not have to be dried for a long time. By acting gently on the fibers of the fabric, Tuba leaves an invisible protective layer to prevent re-contamination.

Unicum

The concentrated product is intended for complex cleaning of upholstered furniture. An effective and very economical preparation has a pleasant aroma, it foams well and dries quickly, so you do not have to wait long for cleaning results. Like the previous product, Unicum leaves behind the thinnest protective film.

Nordland

Universal cleaner for sofas upholstered in natural materials. Foam penetrates deep into the fibers of the fabric and without a trace removes grease, dirt and dust, neutralizes the smell of tobacco. The drug from Germany copes well even with old spots, the origin of which is unknown.

Each of the above tools is well in its own way and suitable for specific upholstery materials, as indicated in the manufacturer's instructions.

Preparation and processing are carried out according to the following scenario:

1. With a vacuum cleaner with a special nozzle, dust, crumbs, wool are removed, trying to penetrate into every crack and crease of the upholstery. If there is no vacuum cleaner, furniture is covered with a damp sheet and knocked out manually.
2. Dried clods of dirt are scraped off with a blunt knife. For more effective cleaning, the contaminated area can be pre-soaked with soapy water.
3. According to the instructions, furniture upholstery is treated with the selected drug.
4. Refreshing is carried out using a specialized product, after which the sofa is left to dry completely.

At the end of the treatment, the surface of the chair, chair or sofa is again thoroughly cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.

Folk remedies

If there is no special industrial preparation in the house or if you do not want to use chemicals in the cleaning, you can use proven folk remedies.

• Laundry soap and vinegar

You can clean a fabric upholstered chair or a soiled sofa with ordinary household soap and vinegar. A bar of soap is ground on a grater and dissolved in warm water at the rate of 4 tbsp. l chips on 3 l of liquid. Add 150 ml of table vinegar and whip the lush foam. Using a sponge, foam is applied to the furniture surface, and after half an hour, the dried upholstery is vacuum-cleaned.

• Vinegar and salt

In a small bath or basin, pour 2 liters of water, 2 tsp. 70% vinegar essence and add 4 tsp. salt. The cotton sheet is moistened in the resulting solution, squeezed well and covered with the surface of the chair or chair. Now you need to knock out the dust until the sheet no longer absorbs the dirt.

• Vinegar, Soda and Powder

This method is especially effective for cleaning furniture with light upholstery. Homemade spray is prepared as follows: in a flask of a sprayer add 1 tbsp. l washing powder and 1 tbsp. l soda, add 100 ml of table vinegar and the same amount of water. The mixture is shaken until foam and sprayed onto the fabric surface.

• Ammonia and vinegar

Refresh greasy upholstery, remove stains, stains and general pollution will allow the drug, prepared from vinegar and ammonia. A 1/2 liter jar is filled with warm water and 1 tbsp is added. l alcohol and 1 tbsp. l vinegar. Using a sponge soaked in a solution, they process the entire surface of the furniture, paying particular attention to the most dirty areas.

Cleaning the sofa from stains

It is not always possible to do just general preventive cleaning of the sofa, sometimes you also have to remove old spots that have been eaten into the fabric. Work will go much faster if the origin of the spot is precisely known.

Here are a few proven tricks to remove stains from the sofa upholstery:

Coffee

Traces of tea and coffee appearing on a sofa in the living room or in the kitchen are commonplace. To remove such impurities, it is enough to soak the soap in water, beat the foam and apply it on the stain. After 20-30 seconds, the foam is collected with a damp cloth, and the upholstery in this place is dried with a paper towel.

Sweat

Often a sofa is used as a sleeping place. In this case, it is possible that the upholstery will be impregnated with sweat, and the furniture will acquire a characteristic unpleasant odor.There are several inexpensive tools to deal with this problem:

1. citric acid diluted with water in a proportion of 1:10 is sprayed onto the area of ​​contamination with a spray gun;
2. salt or ground coffee is scattered on the surface of the sofa, and after a few hours cleaned with a vacuum cleaner;
3. a weak solution of manganese or iodine can be used for furniture with dark upholstery.

Red wine

A fresh trace of red wine should be sprinkled with salt until it absorbs all the moisture along with the dye. An old stain is best treated with ethanol and then washed with soapy water.

Tobacco

You can remove the smell of nicotine using 70% acetic acid, which in the amount of 2 tbsp. l diluted in 1 liter of water. A soft sponge moistened with a solution is used to treat the area of ​​contamination, and, if necessary, the entire sofa. Acetic acid can be replaced with citric acid.

Blood

Fresh blood stains should be quickly wiped off with wet cloths soaked in cold water. For extensive dried contaminants, the best way is hydrogen peroxide. The liquid is poured onto the stain and collected with a paper towel, moving from edge to center.

Ball pen

Alcohol will help clean ink stains and get rid of “autographs” left with a ballpoint pen on the sofa seat. The cotton pad is moistened with medical alcohol and the ink scribbles are carefully removed.

Oil stains

Fat and oil stains are the most frequent guests on furniture upholstery, so the question of which means is better to remove such impurities is relevant for every housewife.

Here is a simple but effective way to deal with stains of fat:

1. the area of ​​pollution is sprinkled with salt, chalk or talc (which is found on the farm);
2. wait 5-10 minutes until the bulk substance is saturated with fat;
3. brush off the powder.

Now it remains to wash the affected area with the Fairy and dry it.

Juice

To remove traces of spilled juice, you can use a solution consisting of 1 tbsp. l table vinegar and 1 tbsp. l ammonia. The mixture is rubbed in a dirty place into the material and left to dry completely.

Beer

Beer upholstery is easy to reanimate with a standard soap solution. For its preparation, washing powder, liquid soap, and dishwashing gel are also suitable.

If after the cleaning a thick beer smell remains, it is necessary to sprinkle the furniture with diluted vinegar (3 tablespoons per 1 liter of water).

A soiled, removable cover is the easiest to wash with air conditioning.

Urine

Pet owners are well aware of how difficult it is to remove stains and the smell of urine from the sofa upholstery. However, in this difficult situation, proven folk remedies will help.

Cleaning algorithm:

1. quickly blot a fresh puddle with a paper towel;
2. treat the stain with vinegar and water, combining them in a ratio of 1: 3;
3. wait 3 hours until the product works;
4. sprinkle soda on a dirty area to remove excess moisture, and immediately brush off;
5. treat the stain with hydrogen peroxide and again fill it with soda;
6. when the fabric dries, remove the remaining powder with a brush or vacuum cleaner.

It is almost impossible to eliminate old stains of urine without leaving a trace at home, so you will probably have to resort to the services of professionals.

The nuances of various types of fabrics

In the modern furniture industry, a variety of materials are used as upholstery for chairs, chairs and sofas, and each of them requires an individual approach.

• Leather. A luxurious leather sofa needs careful care. Dust and sand become clogged in the pores and folds of the natural material. Crumbs and specks with sharp edges scratch the delicate leather surface. To maintain a respectable appearance of the sofa, its surface should be regularly cleaned with a damp rag and lubricated with cosmetic vaseline.
• Velours. To clean products upholstered with this delicate velvety material, you must be extremely careful, moving in the direction of the pile. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, so as not to get "bald" areas.A solution with salt and vinegar is safe for velor.
• Tapestry. This type of upholstery is afraid of getting wet. The liquid that gets into the filler of the sofa can permanently ruin the product and cause the appearance of an unpleasant moldy odor.
• Viscose. The best cleaners for viscose upholstery are acetic and citric acids, which will prevent discoloration in the cleaning area.
• Silk. It is easy to clean the silk surface with a solution prepared from water and a mild detergent. However, before the procedure, it is necessary to test the composition on an inconspicuous corner of the fabric, as some types of dyed silk can shed.

If you regularly and correctly care for your favorite sofa, it will last for more than a dozen years and will retain its original appearance throughout its entire service life. There are many simple methods and tools used to carry out preventive cleaning and removal of complex contaminants from the upholstery fabric. Well, if not one of them is suitable, you will have to contact dry cleaning.