How to clean a sofa at home

Together with the aesthetic component, the sofa performs a number of important functions: they lie on it, sleep, even eat. This piece of furniture is subject to frequent pollution, which spoil the appearance. To clean your sofa at home, there are some useful tips to help you save money and time.

The sofa is a kind of “king” of the living room. First of all, he is paid attention to when entering any room, the overall impression of the home depends on the beauty and purity of this interior item.

Safety Precautions

• They clean furniture with rubber gloves to protect their skin from aggressive chemicals.
• Before applying the product on the surface, conduct a test test in a small area: the backdrop or other “invisible” zone is ideal.
• If the sofa is made of flock, the use of alcohol products in the composition is unacceptable.
• For the cleaning couch microfiber is not recommended to use liquid products, with the exception of the most advanced cases.
• Do not use colored sponges to clean the white sofa - you risk becoming the owner of upholstery with rainbow stains.
• Refrain from using bleaches and vinegar, these substances are very aggressive and can ruin the surface.

How to clean a fabric sofa from stains and dust

To clean a fabric sofa without streaks, first declare a “war” of dust. If locally located contamination is a concern, skip this step. For general cleaning dust, wool, threads, food crumbs and other garbage are removed from the upholstery. Such cleaning can be done in 2 ways.

• If there is a vacuum cleaner in the house, use a small nozzle with a narrow nose, paying special attention to joints and corners. For cleaning the main areas, a small nozzle with a pile is suitable.
• If there is no vacuum cleaner in the house or the upholstery of the sofa is made of fleecy fabric, the dust is simply knocked out by the “grandmother's” method, as with cleaning the palace. For this procedure, you will need an unnecessary sheet and a clapperboard for knocking out dust. Dampen the sheet in water (possible in soapy water) and squeeze, cover the furniture with a cloth and pat the entire surface of the upholstery with patting movements, paying particular attention to the corners. This simple way will help to avoid taking the sofa out onto the street: the dust will not settle in the house, it will remain inside the sheet.

Convex contaminants are removed manually with a blunt-edged object, a spatula or blunt knife is ideal. The only exception is fleecy fabrics - scraping will damage the fabric. To remove large spots, you will need to pre-soak them in warm water. Then the dirt is removed with a damp soft sponge.

Finally, get rid of stains. A universal stain remover for upholstered furniture marked “for all types of fabrics”, for example: Vanish for carpet cleaning, is suitable. The product must be whipped in a dense foam according to the instructions on the packaging. Foam contaminated areas are treated: let it run for 10-15 minutes, then rinse the fabric clean and remove excess moisture with a clean rag. If the stain remains, try the procedure again. Such simple actions guarantee the absence of stains even on the most delicate types of fabrics.

If the upholstery has faded or does not suit its smell, and simply cleaning the dust did not solve the problem, wash the upholstery using such means.

1. Soap solution (it is better to take liquid soap, it is more likely to leave the layers of tissue).
2. Shampoo solution.
3. Alcohol or vodka will return the original appearance of microfiber.

The best folk remedies

• Vinegar and ammonia are indispensable for cleaning fruit stains. From these products, taken in equal proportions, a mixture is prepared, applied to the stain with a cotton pad and wait for complete drying. After this procedure, stains can be easily removed with water.
• It is recommended to wash the blood stains immediately after the appearance of cold water with a diluted aspirin tablet. If there are no tablets, salt will help out: add 1 tsp to a tablespoon of water. salt.
• Stains of cream, greasy food, wine or plasticine are first removed from the surface as much as possible, and the rest is sprinkled with salt - it will help absorb fat and color.
• Beer and coffee stains need to be wiped dry, and then wiped with a soapy solution, adding a little vinegar to it. At 0.5 liters of solution you need 1 tbsp. l 9% vinegar.
• Chocolate, jam, condensed milk must be thoroughly dried before processing: this is the rare case when the stain needs to harden. After that, the bulge will easily move away from the upholstery, and the residues can be treated with a soapy solution.
• Chewing gumthe upholstery needs to be frozen before cleaning: place ice packs on the stain. After such a simple procedure, the fabric can easily part with a sticky guest, if you apply scraping with a knife.

Household chemicals

Dr. Beckmann is a stain remover that effectively removes traces of coffee and tea, grease, blood, ink and glue. The product is available in several versions for certain spots. It is distinguished by a careful attitude to the most delicate fabric.

"Antipyatin" can be used for all materials except microfiber, which does not tolerate moisture. Available in the form of soap, which can remove traces of blood, grass, fat and oil. Of the significant advantages is the obvious cheapness combined with high efficiency.

"Vanish" removes only "fresh" pollution. Effective for stains from fruits and berries, greasy stains are “afraid” of it.

How to clean a leather or leatherette sofa

A leather sofa is a luxurious piece of furniture that is not so common in apartments due to its high cost. His brothers from different types of artificial leather look no less impressive, but are much cheaper. If you follow simple cleaning methods, they will please the eye for many years.

When cleaning a leather sofa, color plays a special role. To begin, we will analyze the process of processing furniture in dark color.

During cleaning, pay special attention to the means that you use: the rags should be as soft as possible, and the nozzles of the vacuum cleaner without chips and sharp corners - natural and artificial skin is easy to scratch. If there are no visible impurities, it is enough to treat the sofa with a mild moisturizing soap to restore its luster and beauty. Avoid frequent wet cleaning - this delicate material is not very friendly with water.

If there are spots on the couch, vinegar solution will help them, which is also effective for fabric upholstery.

White furniture can be looked after with non-skim milk at room temperature. Dampen a cotton pad in it and gently wipe the sofa - it will not only clean itself of dirt, but also become softer.

Video material

Liquid ammonia works great when removing stains from leather sofas, but it shamelessly dries the material: after the procedure, you will have to treat the area where the alcohol was used with glycerin or castor oil.

The best remedies for odor and pollution

• Owners of cats are familiar with the common problem of bad smell. In the fight against it, a regular cat litter will help. Spread the powder evenly on the sofa and leave it on for 20 minutes, after which the product is collected using a vacuum cleaner.
• To eliminate the unpleasant odor emanating from a snow-white sofa, sprinkle upholstery with soda, leave for 40-60 minutes, then vacuum clean with a small nozzle with a pile, specially designed for cleaning furniture. Soda absorbs bad breath.
• They will give a cozy aroma of coffee beans: densely pour them on the sofa, leave for a while, and then remove. The method is not cheap, but for lovers of the aroma of freshly brewed coffee - just a godsend.
• Alcohol is an ideal stain remover. It is able to remove almost any type of pollution.

Useful Tips

1. If there are children in your house, stains are inevitable. Get removable furniture covers - it’s much easier to clean.
2. It is recommended to clean the furniture from dust at least 2 times a year: otherwise, just sitting on the couch can result in respiratory problems.
3. If no means help in the fight against the stain, you don’t need to take the sofa to the dry cleaning service: there are cleaning services at home for the housewives who go straight to the house.
4. Do not overdo it with the amount of water when cleaning - wet furniture at home dries extremely long. Rags should only be slightly damp.

Cleaning the sofa is a simple task, if you get your own branded recipes for all occasions, and then no pollution will be scary, and the living room will find real comfort.