The best means for cleaning the sofa, folk recipes
Any upholstered furniture needs periodic cleaning, but it is far from always necessary to use the services of professionals. You can clean it yourself, the main thing is to choose the right detergent for cleaning the sofa so as not to spoil the product. To remove contaminants, both folk methods and finished chemicals are used.
What to consider when choosing
Before deciding what means to clean the sofa at home, you need to consider some of the nuances:
- Upholstery material. Cleaning products for upholstered furniture are selected in accordance with the characteristics of the material so as not to damage it.
- The age of furniture. The older the furniture, the more carefully you need to carry out the cleaning process.
- Intensity of use. If the sofa is used daily, then dirt is more eaten upholstery.
- Cleansing the individual elements of the sofa. If the furniture has wooden elements, then they are washed first thing, otherwise drops of dirt can get on a clean upholstery.
- Security. When choosing a drug, you need to make sure that it does not cause family members to feel unwell and does not cause allergic reactions.
Before starting the process, a cleaner for upholstered furniture should be tried on a small inconspicuous piece of furniture, for example, behind the back of the product or below.
Cleaning upholstered furniture is recommended with a minimum amount of water. The sofa filler accumulates moisture and takes a long time to dry.
Features of cleaning the sofa depending on the upholstery material
The choice of means for cleaning upholstered furniture mainly depends on the material being the upholstery:
- Leather. Genuine leather upholstery is easy to clean. The material does not absorb moisture, and dirt is removed quite simply. Moisten a sponge or soft cloth with soapy water and rub the contaminated area without pressure. Chemical, chlorine-containing substances, washing powder for skin cleansing are not used.
- Velor and flock. Materials are capricious during cleaning, since during the procedure it is impossible to change the direction of the pile. Before cleaning, dust is removed from the surface with a soft suede brush. You can use a school eraser or an ordinary soft rag. Then the microfiber cloth is moistened in ammonia, soap, vinegar, weak solution or a special tool and moves in the direction of the villi. Harsh chemicals are not recommended.
- Tapestry and jacquard. Coarse material can be cleaned with a stiff brush. Ready-made cleaner for upholstered furniture or solutions of soap, ammonia, vinegar are used. The selected products are not applied with a large amount of water, since it is possible to change the shape and color of the fabric. Do not use preparations containing chlorine, bleaches, acetone.
- Silk. It can only be cleaned with a soft cloth or microfiber so that no clues appear on the material. As a means of cleaning the sofa, Vanish or soap foam is used. Do not clean the product with vinegar, alcohol, acetone.
- Wool. Natural material requires special care. Need dry cleaning of the sofa at home. The use of water-based solutions is not recommended.
- Synthetic fabrics. The first step in cleaning is to remove dust with a vacuum cleaner. Then, a means for cleaning the sofa upholstery from the fabric is used, more often it is aerosols for caring for carpets. Do not use aggressive chemicals and harsh tools.
If you use professional cleaning products for sofas, you must carefully read the instructions.
Special technical devices
Cleaning upholstered furniture at home requires special tools and technical devices, which include:
- A vacuum cleaner. It is used to thoroughly remove dust both from the surfaces of the sofa, and from the seams, cracks. You can also attach soft material to the hose, soak it in a suitable solution and wipe the surface. Depending on the degree of contamination, wet the fabric several times.
- Washing vacuum cleaner. An excellent tool for thorough cleaning of the product. There is one drawback: the vacuum cleaner is not suitable for rooms where there are no conditions for quick drying of furniture. As a result, the sofa, which will dry for a long time, becomes a source of dampness, reproduction of microbes, an unpleasant odor.
- Steam cleaner. A special device that removes dirt from various surfaces by means of a jet of hot steam. When working with a steam cleaner, no chemicals are required, so the device is an environmentally friendly device. However, the steam cleaner will not cope with all types of pollution.
Technical devices will come in handy, rather, as improvised tools. Most of the work needs to be done by hand, especially if the sofa is very dirty.
Universal folk methods
Cleaning the sofa with folk remedies is popular among housewives. There are many proven, effective and safe ways. And often the right ingredients are always at hand.
For cleaning from pollution
As cleaners are inexpensive tools that are in every home:
- Using ordinary vinegar, you can clean your sofa effectively. The substance copes with dirt and freshens the upholstery. To prepare the solution, you need to dissolve 1 teaspoon of 9 percent vinegar in 1 liter of water, you can add 2 teaspoons of table salt. In the prepared solution, a clean sheet is wetted, slightly wrung out, placed on the surfaces of the sofa. Then the sofa carefully slams through the beater - the dirt remains on the sheet. The procedure is repeated until the coating is clean. If the fabric is delicate, then vinegar should be taken in half.
- Baking soda is not only an effective tool for cleaning upholstered furniture at home, but also a good disinfectant that kills pathogenic microbes and bacteria. Dry cleaning of sofas from pollution consists in placing soda on the stain with a layer of approximately 1.5 cm. After 40-50 minutes, the soda is removed with a vacuum cleaner. You can use soda to dry the sofa after cleaning it with liquid solutions. Wet surfaces are covered with soda, as the substance absorbs moisture well.
- The combined solution of baking soda and table vinegar is well suited for getting rid of fat, blood, urine. To remove stains, you need a spray bottle, into which a solution of 1/3 cup vinegar and 1 tbsp. Diluted in 0.5 liters of water is poured. tablespoons of soda. The product is sprayed evenly throughout the product. The duration of the action is 10-15 minutes. Then the foam should be removed with a brush and wiped with a slightly damp cloth.
- Soap solution. A solution made from water and laundry soap can handle many types of pollution. The rag is wetted in the liquid and stains are rubbed with it. After some time, the area is wiped with a damp cloth.
To remove the most persistent contaminants, any ready-made (chemical) product, for example, for washing dishes, can be added to the cleaning composition.
To remove stains
If a stain appears on the sofa, then it is better to get rid of it while it is fresh, it is much more difficult to remove the old ones. To get rid of various types of pollution, their own means are used.
Spot type | Delete method |
Blood | It should be removed immediately and only with cold water. After a lapse of time, it will not be possible to remove the stain, since the protein that is part of the blood coagulates and finally penetrates the upholstery material. |
Wine | Fresh wine is sprinkled with a thin layer of salt so that it does not soak into the fabric. Dry upholstery should be wiped with a liquid containing alcohol. |
Herbs, Natural Juice | A solution should be prepared from 1 tablespoon of ammonia and vinegar. This tool covers the stain. |
Chocolate | Just washed with soapy water |
Coffee | The area is rubbed with moistened laundry soap, which should be absorbed. Next, the foam is removed with a damp cloth. |
Beer | Stains are easily removed with a solution of soap and water, it is much more difficult to cope with the smell. |
Lipstick or pen | A 10 percent alcohol solution is used. After some time, washed with water. |
To protect upholstered furniture from dirt, it is best to cover it with removable covers. These accessories can be removed and washed in the washing machine, as well as replaced with others, depending on the changes in the interior of the room.
To eliminate odor
Sometimes stains are much easier to cope with than the unpleasant odor from liquids soaking into upholstered furniture. But you can fix the problem if you use the appropriate tools for this:
- Beer. Spilled beer must be removed immediately, otherwise after 3-4 hours, the drink will penetrate deep into the tissue, and ferment in a day or two. Then the unpleasant smell will become a serious problem, because it is almost impossible to get rid of it. As soon as the beer gets on the furniture, it should immediately be wet with a paper towel. Next, you need to prepare a solution: water is mixed with vinegar in a ratio of 6: 1. Leave the moistened stain for 6-8 hours. Remaining odor will eliminate baking soda applied for 2 hours.
- Urine animals. If the pet urinated on the sofa, urine should be removed faster. You can use a 10 percent solution of ammonia by rubbing it with a stain and leaving it for 30 minutes. Baking soda is used to get rid of the smell, which is applied to the puddle for about 10 minutes. Then water and vinegar mixed in equal parts are sprayed onto the plot. A mixture of dishwashing detergent and baking soda with the addition of hydrogen peroxide is also an effective method to combat odor. The site is sprinkled with soda, after 5 minutes it is covered with a towel dampened in solution (detergent - 1 tsp, half a glass of 3% hydrogen peroxide).
- Dampness. At the first stage, you need to vacuum the sofa well, removing dust and mold spores. Then the denatured alcohol is mixed with water in a one to one proportion, the product is wiped with a cloth soaked in the solution.
Drying furniture is best in direct sunlight.
Ready-made chemicals
If folk methods for cleaning furniture did not help, then a ready-made tool for washing the upholstery of sofas is used. Modern industry produces many varieties of drugs: sprays, powders, gels, shampoos, foams. Consider the best sofa cleaners:
- Biocline. With its excellent cleansing and dispersing effect, the foam preparation is used to clean sofas with natural and synthetic upholstery. The product is safe, easily soluble in water, is biodegradable.
- Vanish. The best stain remover for a sofa is made in the form of liquid concentrates, gels, foams, sprays, powders. Due to the presence of zeolites, enzymes, bleach with active oxygen, the drug perfectly removes not only fresh, but also old spots.
- Emsal Tuba. The stain remover for upholstered furniture, due to a special formula, fights well with any dirt, ensures the freshness of fabric fibers, and prevents the appearance of new contaminants. The drug easily copes with all kinds of spots.
If the sofa is securely hidden under a removable cover, then you will not need to clean it often. But many people prefer that upholstered furniture stand in a room without a cover, as it was purchased to match the interior design. In this case, the sofa will require regular care. You can clean upholstered furniture yourself without much difficulty. The main thing is that a suitable tool is chosen.
Emsal tubaVanishBioClean