How to clean a sofa at home

Preparing for cleaning

Examine the upholstery material

If you have velour, wool, suede or silk upholstery, you can't use too much water, because the material will sag, lose color and may be completely ruined. But a sofa with leather upholstery can be easily wiped with a damp sponge and you don't have to worry about the consequences. If the upholstery is flock, it must be smoothed out after cleaning.

Thus, each type of fabric upholstery has its own nuances that need to be taken into account so as not to spoil the appearance of the furniture. Therefore, the first rule is to determine the material and study the methods of influencing it. Information can be obtained from the accompanying documents for the furniture or in the product specifications in the online store.

There are general recommendations on how to treat upholstery, depending on the material used:

• Leather: genuine or imitation — the easiest to care for, because it can be wiped with a damp cloth or napkin. Dries quickly, liquid does not penetrate deeply. If there is mechanical damage, you can use a special product called “liquid leather”, which restores the material. Stains are easy to remove with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol. To restore the appearance at the final stage, polishing is required.


• Velour, flock, chenille are also convenient to use due to the density of the material and its water-repellent properties, which do not allow dirt to penetrate deeply. At the same time, they can be treated with any chemical and folk remedies, the main thing is to take into account the features of the color. It is easy to remove even greasy stains from sofas with such upholstery, you only need water and a sponge or a brush with soft bristles.


• Suede is another stain-resistant material that can withstand any chemical. An important nuance is that after the sofa has dried completely, you need to brush the upholstery to restore volume.


• Silk is the most capricious material. You need to carefully select professional cleaning products because the material is easily damaged. Even if you use a steam cleaner, you need to be prepared for the fact that stains may remain on the sofa. The safest way is to use a soft sponge, pre-wrapped in a napkin, and moisten it in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide.

Test the product

Before applying the furniture cleaning agent to all the upholstered furniture, check the reaction of the material. To do this, try the mixture on a small area at the back or sides, wait 5-7 minutes and check the condition of the upholstery - if everything is fine, you can treat it entirely.

Use protective equipment

If you plan to apply abrasive substances, do not forget to protect your hands, face, and respiratory organs. To eliminate the risk of burns or other unpleasant surprises, put on household or medical gloves, gauze or a protective face mask.

Preliminary dry cleaning

Before you start dry cleaning your upholstered furniture, remove small debris and crumbs from the folds of the sofa. For this, you can use:

• Beating. Cover the sofa with an old sheet, having previously wetted it. Go over the furniture with a carpet beater. Remove all removable parts and clean separately. If you live in a private house or on the ground floors, you can take the sofa outside, but this option is more troublesome, and the risk of getting dissatisfied neighbors is high. Beating with a damp cloth will protect the apartment from dust. It is better to wipe the legs of the sofa and the handles after the procedure.


• Vacuum cleaner. Go over the entire area using a special nozzle for upholstered furniture. If the sofa has removable cushions, lift them and vacuum them and the space underneath them separately.

Selecting cleaning agents depending on the type of contamination

To keep your sofa clean and streak-free, you need to choose the right product that is suitable for the specific upholstery material. We will tell you about the most popular, effective and reliable options depending on the type of contamination.

Antistatic agent for wool

One of the problems with caring for upholstered furniture is hair and fur that remain on the upholstery. A regular antistatic will help get rid of them.

Procedure:

• put on household gloves and spray the product on them;


• Run over the entire area of ​​the sofa, collecting fur and hair.

Instead of gloves, you can use a viscose napkin.

Salt for removing greasy stains

If there are greasy stains left on the sofa, use regular salt, which will absorb the dirt perfectly. If the stain is fresh, simply sprinkle the desired area with salt and wait 10-15 minutes. If the sofa is very dirty, you can repeat the procedure: shake off the first portion of salt and sprinkle the upholstery again. And if the dirt has already had time to eat in, two cleaning stages are needed:

• first treat with salt;


• then wipe with a solution of cleaning agent and remove soap suds.

You can use any washing gel or paste, for example, for dishes, by dissolving the product in warm water.

Baking soda for alcohol traces

If drops of wine or other alcoholic drinks have fallen on the sofa, you will have to get rid of not only the stains, but also the unpleasant smell. A quick way to solve the problem is soda. It should be sprinkled on the dirty area and left for 30-40 minutes. After that, collect it with a damp cloth, which has been previously soaked in clean water.

It is important not to rub the stain and remove it with pressing movements so as not to increase the area of ​​contamination.

Vinegar, baking soda and detergent for old stains

To get rid of stubborn stains, you can use a quick and affordable solution that takes a couple of minutes to prepare. Add one tablespoon of soda, vinegar and a little bit of any detergent to a liter of warm water: 7-10 drops if it is a gel, half a teaspoon if it is a washing powder. Stir the solution until it is completely dissolved, wet a soft brush, cloth or sponge, squeeze it out well. After that, carefully rinse the stain, moving in one direction and without pressing on the material, so as not to form foam, which will be difficult to remove.

Leave the solution on the upholstery for 20-30 minutes, then wipe the sofa with a damp cloth soaked in clean water. This method is suitable not only for getting rid of old stains, but also for removing any other difficult stains, as well as neutralizing unpleasant odors.

Soap solution for freshening upholstery

The upholstery of the sofa needs to be looked after, not only when stains appear on it. It is advisable to do a general cleaning every 2-3 months, after which the material will look like new again. In addition, due to frequent contact with the skin, shiny spots appear on different parts of the sofa after some time of use.

To restore the sofa to its original appearance, you don’t need to buy expensive products, it’s enough to have warm water and dishwashing liquid at home. Mix the product with a small amount of water and go over the problem areas with a soft sponge soaked in this solution.

If the upholstery is made of leatherette, you can add a little soda to the container to enhance the effect.

A weak iodine solution for removing human or animal urine stains

The most difficult smell to get rid of is urine, because it quickly eats into the material and is difficult to remove. To combat such stains, dilute a few drops of iodine in water and wipe the upholstery with a damp sponge soaked in the solution. If you cannot get rid of the smell right away, repeat the procedure once more after the material has dried.

Vinegar for blood stains

If there are blood stains on the sofa, they need to be removed as quickly as possible. In this case, you should use only cold water, because warm water causes the blood to coagulate and it will be difficult to get rid of the stain. If you immediately see such a stain, just wipe it with a soft sponge soaked in water, and the problem will be solved. If the blood has had time to dry, you will need more time and a vinegar solution. To prepare it, add two tablespoons of vinegar to a liter of water and mix. After that, soak a cotton pad in the solution and treat the stain - from the edge to the center. Do not press on the upholstery, but make rubbing movements. If you cannot clean the sofa, rub the solution into the upholstery and leave for 15-20 minutes, and then wipe with a warm soapy solution.