How to clean upholstered furniture at home

Most people change upholstered furniture extremely rarely, this applies to both well-off and middle-aged population. Furniture often gets dirty, no matter if it is made of leather or velor. The question of cleaning sofas, poufs, armchairs remains relevant at all times. It is for this reason that the hostesses resort to some tricks that help clean interior items without damaging the fiber structure. We have collected for you a collection of effective methods for any wallet.

How to do wet cleaning furniture

If dust has accumulated on the furniture or minor stains have appeared, we recommend using a uniform wet cleaning technology. It is suitable for all types of fabric, does not take much time and gives an effective result.

Necessary materials:

• kitchen sponge (foam rubber);
• a vacuum cleaner;
• carpet cleaner;
• brush for carpets with bristles of the same length;
• container with warm water.

Technology

1. Dampen a sponge in warm water, squeeze it a little so that no water flows from it. Treat contaminated sites.
2. Prepare a cleaning solution: pour 1 cap of carpet cleaner liquid into 3.5 liters of water, stir the foam to rise.
3. Moisten the sponge in the prepared solution, squeeze and wipe upholstered furniture.
4. Take a carpet brush, rub the contaminated area. If you have furniture made of artificial leather, do not press the brush too hard.
5. Dip the sponge in clean water and remove any foam residue. To avoid stains after local processing, evenly distribute the soap solution over the entire surface of the furniture. Rub it with a brush, without any special effort.
6. Again, lower the sponge in a bowl of clean water, remove the foam. Repeat the procedure several times until you are sure that the cleaning composition is completely removed.
7. In cases where the surface of upholstered furniture is made of textiles, it must be vacuumed to prevent the formation of mold. Turn on the device to the average power, change the nozzle to a soft brush, go over the entire coating.If the room is dry, you can skip this step.

General recommendations for cleaning upholstered furniture

1. Using a vacuum cleaner as the only cleaning tool is ineffective. To get a good result, use the compress. Dilute 35 gr. chopped salt in 1.2 liters of water, wait for the crystals to dissolve. Fold the gauze in several layers, soak it in this solution and wrap the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner. This technology not only fights stains and stubborn dust, but also refreshes furniture, maintaining color.
2. It is allowed, but it is absolutely not recommended to vacuum furniture with velvet or velor coating. Hard brush can ruin the pile, due to which the piece of furniture will seem old, rubbed.
3. It is possible to clean the furniture from dust not only by standard wet cleaning, which involves the use of a vacuum cleaner. Use the "grandmother's" method: mix 45 gr. food salt with 25 ml. acetic solution (9%), pour the mixture into 1.2 liters of warm water, wait until the granules dissolve and the solution cools. Take the old sheet, lower it into the prepared tool, squeeze well and cover the upholstered furniture. Knock the chair / sofa until the fabric is dirty.After that, rinse it with running water, put it back into the solution and repeat the manipulations. After the time has elapsed, the sheet will no longer get dirty, and this will be a signal that the furniture has been cleaned.
4. In furniture stores you can find special tools designed for a specific type of fabric. One bottle is enough for half a year, and the products are distinguished by a favorable pricing policy. The composition is available in the form of tablets that must be diluted with water. There is also a powder, gel, spray, aerosol. Choose what you prefer, evenly distribute over the surface, wait for complete drying and clean up the excess with a vacuum cleaner. Important! Before using purchased products, conduct a preliminary test on an inconspicuous area of ​​upholstered furniture. After 30-50 minutes, evaluate the result. If you prefer two or three products of different brands, apply them to furniture at intervals of 3-4 hours, do not allow mixing.
5. If the furniture is already old, and there are greasy places on it, prepare a neutral solution. Pour in 20 ml. Dishwashing liquid in 1 liter of water, moisten cotton cloth and wipe the interior item in one direction.After cleaning, collect the foam and clean the furniture with a sponge dipped in clean water.
6. 10% medical alcohol will help to clean up the dirt on the upholstery made of leather or leatherette. Moisten the gauze in a small amount of the drug, attach to the places of pollution and leave for 10 minutes. Wipe the surface well, wash off the remnants of a clean damp cloth.
7. Upholstery nubuck, flock, velor, chenille or suede cleaned in the same way as in the case of leatherette products. However, it is necessary to immediately rub the surface with a special rubber brush (a shoe will do), then wash off the alcohol with clean water.

Removing stains from upholstery

It is important to understand that soapy water or carpet cleaner does not always effectively remove complex dirt. For this reason, professional upholsterers have developed folk remedies for removing stains. They are absolutely safe, so they are approved by most users.

1. Stains from berries and fruits. Mix in equal proportions of ammonia and table vinegar (take 50 ml. Of each product). Moisten the foam rubber sponge in clean water and apply on stains (if fresh contamination can be skipped this step).Then dip the gauze or bandage in a solution of ammonia and vinegar, treat the places of pollution, wait 10 minutes. Now re-wet the fabric in clean water, remove excess solution. Walk over the surface with a vacuum cleaner, putting gauze soaked in water on its nozzle.
2. Coffee stains. Mix 50 ml in one composition. filtered water, 40 ml. Table vinegar (9%) and 45 ml. gel for washing dishes. Stir, cover the container with a mixture of film or package, wait about half an hour. At the end of the term again, stir, scoop a little money on the foam kitchen sponge, evenly distribute the places of pollution. Gently rub with a toothbrush or hard side of the sponge, leave for 5 minutes. Remove the foam, rinse the composition with filtered water and dry the upholstery of the furniture in a convenient way. Optionally, you can use a vacuum cleaner. Similarly, stains from spilled wine are displayed.
3. Stains from beer and kvass. Pour 1.3 liters of clean water into the container, bring the composition to a boil. Rub a small square of baby soap without fragrances (about 2 * 2 cm in size) on a small grater, dip the chips into the water and let it dissolve.Stir until a thick foam forms, fold the bandage or gauze into 4 layers, lower the cloth into the solution. Squeeze a little, rub the polluted areas well. Wait at least 15 minutes, then rinse off the foam and remove the residue with clean water. Grab a non-stained area to avoid stains from detergent. After that, prepare the solution to eliminate odor: pour 75 ml. 9% solution of vinegar in 1 liter of filtered water, mix and gently wipe the treated places. Remove with a soft cloth dampened in clean water.
4. Gum stains. Pour 400 ml into the enameled pan. filtered water, bring to a boil and add 40 grams. chamomile flowers. Stew on medium heat for 10 minutes, then turn off the stove and allow the composition to cool. Strain through a sieve or 6 layers of gauze fabric so that no small particles of the plant remain in the solution. Pour the prepared mixture into the ice molds, freeze. Attach a few cubes to chewing gum, wait for it to harden. Remove the ice, try to scrape the gum upholstery without damaging the structure. Do not use sharp objects.When the gum is removed, wipe the surface with an acidified solution: dilute 25 ml. vinegar in 450 ml. clean water.

How to clean the covers of upholstered furniture

First of all, it is necessary to remove all small particles from the surface of the covers, be it crumbs from bread or beads. To do this, use a vacuum cleaner with nozzles of different shapes to penetrate the recesses of the seams and bends. You can handle the covers, removing them from upholstered furniture, if it will be more convenient.

After vacuuming, turn the covers inside out and place them in a washing machine. Choose a temperature mode based on the type of fabric. If the upholstery consists of natural fibers, set 40-45 degrees. If the surface is made of leather, synthetic, leatherette, velor, velvet, batiste, give preference to a low temperature regime (30-40 degrees). At the same time pay attention to the degree of spinning, it should not exceed 500 revolutions.

At the end of washing, remove the covers, smooth them out and dry them in a convenient way. You can hang them on the clothes dryer or the wooden back of the chair.After the final drying, put the covers on the furniture and smooth out with your hands.

Heel from lipstick, fat, felt-tip pen and other strongly erosive products are removed with 10% medical alcohol or regular vodka. The tool is suitable for surfaces from any material, it is important to know the measure in everything. If the contamination is not strong, clean the upholstered furniture with soapy water by adding a carpet wash gel.

Video: how to clean the sofa at home