How to clean a sofa at home

Each apartment has a cozy soft sofa where the whole family gathers in the evenings. But the joy of owning this comfortable piece of furniture quickly disappears when various stains begin to appear on it, spoiling the appearance. You can, of course, invite a dry-cleaner to your house, but this is not cheap. Therefore, many housewives have a natural question — is it possible to clean the sofa on their own without resorting to the services of professionals? We will answer right away — it is possible, and it is not as difficult as you think. From this article you will learn what are the simple and effective methods for cleaning upholstered furniture from various contaminants.

Household chemicals will help clean the sofa quickly, efficiently and without streaks

If you want to clean the sofa with minimal effort and get excellent results, you need to buy a special product that says “For cleaning upholstered furniture” on the bottle. There are a lot of such drugs on the modern market of household chemicals, they have a different composition and principle of action. There are similar liquids in stores for almost any budget. Considering that you will not need to clean every day, it is worth spending money once and buying such an “assistant” in the house. We list the most popular and popular means with which you can easily clean the sofa:

1. 
   Vanish Gold Oxi Action. Cleans from any stains, does not leave streaks, the absolute leader in the rating of stain removers. There are different release formats — powder, spray, liquid. To clean the sofa, it is better to use a liquid detergent.

2. 
   Bissell carpet and upholstery aerosol. This is the best cleaner for cleaning sofas from dirt and pet hair. The bottle is equipped with a convenient brush. Suitable for the treatment of water-repellent fabrics, it is completely non-toxic and dries very quickly without leaving marks.

3. 
   Bugi Shtihonit. Effectively removes dirt from the upholstery, removes foreign odors, and has a disinfecting effect. Available in a spray bottle.

4. 
   Hoover platinum collection carpet & upholstery detergent. This tool is considered the «gold standard» in the field of professional cleaning in the furniture industry. Users are attracted by the large volume — 1500 ml, but may not be satisfied with the high price and the fact that cleaning can take a lot of time.

5. 
   Nordland. This is a foam that has a very pleasant aroma and helps to eliminate the overwhelming number of contaminants. Since it can be used on any surface, not just sofa upholstery, it can be counted among the universal household helpers.

6. 
   Astonish fabric stain remover. This product is considered the best if you need to remove fresh stains on sofa upholstery as soon as they form. Quickly and effectively eliminates pollution, does not require post-treatment, is not tested on animals and has an affordable price.

7. 
   Ecos stain and odor remover. This is one of the best furniture cleaners that have an ecological composition. It is made from natural enzymes and plant components, which does not prevent it from easily coping with greasy and other household stains, as well as eliminating odors from any type of textile — from upholstery fabrics for upholstered furniture to carpets and car upholstery.

8. 
   Dr beckmann carpet stain remover. The best stain remover for upholstery and carpets, equipped with a brush for easy removal of dirt. Perfectly copes with such stubborn stains as traces of red wine, blood, grease.

9. 
   Astonish stain remover soap. This is an unusual cleaner for almost all types of fabrics, available in the form of soap. This environmentally friendly product is suitable for those who do not want to buy large bottles of household chemicals. The product has no obvious smell, is not tested on animals, it has a great price. As an added benefit, Astonish stain remover soap can be used as a stain remover for clothing and is very handy for areas such as cuffs and shirt collars.

This is only a small part of household cleaners for upholstered furniture, presented in the assortment of stationary and online stores. These tools will help you quickly and easily clean the sofa without the involvement of dry cleaning specialists, and will also save you money that could be spent on the services of professionals.

How to choose the best remedy

Considering that the range of specialized products for cleaning the upholstery of upholstered furniture is quite wide, many users are lost and do not know how to make the right choice. In general, here you can give a recommendation — decide on the price category and choose a universal remedy, starting from such factors:

1. 
   Fabric typewith which your sofa is upholstered, as well as the compatibility of the cleaning agent with just such material. In particular, those liquids that are allowed to be used to clean cotton, linen coatings may not be suitable for leather and suede, velor.

2. 
   The composition of the drug. It is better to give preference to cleaners that are made on the basis of substances of natural origin. For example, let’s take oxygen stain removers, they are mainly made on the basis of components that are safe for nature and human health, which cannot have a negative effect on most fabrics used in sofa upholstery.

3. Data on the care of a piece of furniture indicated in its data sheet. When buying a sofa, it should have come with an instruction manual and other documentation. Look, it may be indicated there, with what means you can clean the upholstery. For example, manufacturers recommend using water-based products for some materials, anhydrous products, powders, foams, wet wipes, etc. for others.

4. Product reviews on independent thematic forums and specialized sites on the Internet. By reading the stories of people who have already used one or another upholstery cleaner, you can make a more confident choice.

Whatever product you choose, before cleaning the entire sofa with it, test it on a small and inconspicuous piece of upholstery, for example, at the back of the furniture, if it is backed against the wall. If within 5-10 minutes there are no negative reactions to the cleaning agent from the side of the fabric, if it does not begin to shed right before our eyes, then the preparation can already be used on a full scale.

Using a vacuum cleaner

If you have a washing vacuum cleaner with nozzles for cleaning furniture, consider that you have reached the level of professional cleaners. Such a device will help get rid of dirt and stains on furniture in a matter of minutes. Just vacuum the piece of furniture from all sides or brush it with a dry brush to remove large particles of dirt and dust. Then treat the stains with any stain remover (specialized or prepared according to the recipe, which will be described later in the article), and then wet clean the sofa. If your appliance does not have a wet cleaning function, you can still use it before applying household stain remover to remove most of the dust and dirt.

Using a steam generator or steam cleaner

A steam cleaner or similar device is just as useful a household appliance as a washing vacuum cleaner. With the help of a steam cleaner or steam generator, you can not only clean the upholstery of the sofa, but also eliminate unpleasant odors, disinfect the fabric, and get rid of various parasites (fleas, ticks, bedbugs, etc.). It is recommended to use the steam generator as follows:

1. First, the preparatory stage — dry cleaning the upholstery of the sofa in any way possible. Remove dust and large particles of dirt with a brush, broom, vacuum cleaner.

2. Treat areas with obvious and very visible stains/dirt with a cleaning agent or stain remover.

3. Pour water into the steam generator tank. It is desirable that it be purified distilled water, in which case scale will not form inside the device, and stains with clearly defined boundaries will not form on the upholstery of the sofa.

4. Start processing from the cleanest areas, move consistently over the entire area of ​​the sofa. Treat the most difficult stains several times if necessary. Wipe the treated areas with a clean microfiber cloth. Try not to get steam on the hard surfaces of the sofa, made of plastic, pressed wood, metal.

5. Upholstery in hard-to-reach areas is carried out using special nozzles, which should be included with the steam generator.

In general, a combination of cleaning products + washing vacuum cleaner or detergents + steam generator is the best way to clean the sofa at home without resorting to the help of specialists. But sometimes it happens that there are no household chemicals at hand, no special washing and cleaning equipment, and you need to clean the furniture urgently, as there are noticeable stains on it, and there are guests or relatives “on the threshold” and you need to put the house in order very fast. In such a situation, folk recipes will come to your aid, suitable for removing various stains and dirt from the surface of upholstered furniture.

Using improvised means

Detergents made according to folk recipes have some advantages:

1. They are made from the simplest and most affordable components, which often do not even need to be bought, since they are already in the kitchen or in the medicine cabinet.

2. They turn out to be quite effective, since professional tools often include the same components.

3. They do not contain aggressive substances that can adversely affect the upholstery material, harm the environment or human health.

4. They cost much less than the most inexpensive household chemicals.

5. They can be used sequentially — if one remedy does not fit, you can apply another.

If you need to clean it urgently, you can use citric acid, vinegar, soda, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, even ordinary laundry soap. We will tell you more about the recipes later in the article.

Folk recipes for cleaning the sofa at home

The easiest way to remove ordinary dirt from the upholstery of upholstered furniture, including a sofa, is to use a detergent made from laundry soap and soda. It is better to take soda ash, as it has more pronounced cleansing properties than regular baking soda. At the same time, calcined is no more dangerous to the environment or health than ordinary, it simply underwent heat treatment (calcination), which contributed to the evaporation of excess moisture. To prepare a cleaning gel, a quarter of a bar of laundry soap is ground on a grater or with a knife, mixed with about the same amount of soda, the proportions do not have to be exact, you can measure it “by eye”. And then this mixture is poured with hot water. You need to take enough liquid to get a gel of a consistency that is comfortable for you, liquid or thick, it will work one way or another. If after cleaning the sofa and possibly other upholstered furniture you still have excess detergent, do not worry, it will not need to be disposed of, it is universal. It can be used for washing, cleaning, washing dishes and for any other “cleaning” purposes.

How to use laundry soap gel to clean a sofa:

1. Dilute the gel with water, beat a strong foam.

2. Clean the furniture of dust and dirt using a brush or broom.

3. Moisten the area to be treated with clean warm water.

4. Apply foam to the upholstery, rub it into the fabric with a soft sponge. If you want to apply not only foam, but also a soapy liquid, rub with a sponge as carefully as possible. Let the cloth soak and let the stain or dirt dissolve.

5. After 15-30 minutes, take a new sponge or a clean white cotton cloth, soak it in water, start blotting and washing the upholstery. Keep doing this until the foam and soap are completely gone.

6. Paper towels, tissues, or toilet paper can be used to quickly dry the treatment area. In extreme cases, you can use a hair dryer, but you should not keep it too close to the upholstery of the sofa.

In addition to a solution of soap and soda, you can use other improvised means to clean the sofa:

1. Dish detergent (one tablespoon to two cups of cool water).

2. Laundry soap and vinegar. The soap is dissolved in a glass of water, then two teaspoons of ordinary vinegar are added to it. The mixture is applied to the contamination for 5-10 minutes.

3. Soda diluted with water to the consistency of gruel. The substance is applied to the upholstery in a thick layer and left to dry completely, after which it is washed off the fabric with a soapy solution and a clean cotton cloth.

4. Lemon juice or citric acid diluted with water will help get rid of stains that smell bad.

5. Peroxide, water and soda. We take 250 ml. liquids, 100 grams of soda and 150 ml. peroxides, mix, wait for dissolution, pour into a spray bottle, apply to a contaminated surface, wipe with a clean cloth or sponge.

As with professional cleaners, any homemade solution should be tested on a small, inconspicuous area of ​​the sofa. Aggressive compounds on materials such as velor, suede, leather should not be used at all.