Do-it-yourself dry cleaning of a sofa at home, useful tips

How to quickly and effectively clean upholstered furniture at home

To clean quickly and effectively, you need to follow several rules:

use a cleaning agent that is suitable for the upholstery fabric;
carefully read the instructions for upholstered furniture to learn about the rules for caring for it;
Most removable covers can be washed on the delicate cycle of an automatic washing machine;
You should not experiment with a combination of folk and chemical remedies on the entire surface of the sofa at once.

1. Dry cleaning.

You can quickly clean upholstered furniture using the dry method. This method allows you to get rid of dust on fabric that cannot be moistened. For such cleaning it is good to use a vacuum cleaner. The recommendations here are as follows:

turn on the device at minimum power;
while the vacuum cleaner is operating, the upholstery should not be pulled out by the nozzle;
Clean removable elements separately;
A cleaning steam cleaner can disinfect the fabric covering.

Attention! Fabrics with pile (velvet, velor) can be cleaned with a soft-bristled brush and a special dry cleaning product. You should not use a vacuum cleaner

2. Wet cleaning.

The wet method allows you to quickly and effectively clean most upholstery, so it is used much more often. There are proven folk cleaning recipes and household chemicals. Both of them work well, but the choice of cleaning products must be made in accordance with the upholstery material. General sequence of work:

carry out preliminary dry cleaning with a vacuum cleaner to prevent streaks from appearing later;
Moisten particularly dirty areas and stains with a damp sponge (it should be wrung out to remove excess water);
Treat the stained area with the selected cleaning agent;
if the fabric allows, rub the stain with a brush towards the center, leave for 15–20 minutes to act;
Finally, remove the cleaning composition from the upholstery without over-wetting the fabric;
The furniture should be allowed to dry, ventilating the room well - mold may form on damp fabric.

Simple rules

Despite the simplicity of the recipes, home cleaning has its own subtleties. Rules to help avoid unpleasant surprises:

Before dealing with stains on your sofa, vacuum the upholstery.
It is better to cover the fittings with film.
The floor near the sofa is covered with oilcloth or an old sheet.
You can avoid streaks by applying the composition to the entire surface.
Detergents containing chlorine are prohibited.
Light upholstery should only be cleaned with a white cloth.

To remove cleaning compounds, use thoroughly wrung out rags and sponges and slightly damp brushes. If the sofa gets very wet, there is a high risk of mold forming in the filling.

The main reasons for soiling sofa upholstery

When choosing products and tools, it is imperative to take into account the upholstery material.
Knowing the risk factors for stains and grease, contamination can be prevented, which is much easier than removing it.

Deteriorate the condition of the upholstery:

High indoor humidity. Dust particles that fly in the air are attracted to the upholstery of a damp sofa and settle on it, forming a dirty coating.
Poor quality DIY cleaning. If you do not follow the technology, you can spread dirt all over the upholstery and increase its penetration into the fibers, as well as damage the woven or leather covering.
Insufficient room insulation. Dust and raindrops fall through open windows and cracks and settle on the sofa cover.
Lack of personal hygiene. The carelessness of the owners leads to the rapid occurrence of pollution.

Tips for removing stains from a sofa

For example, if you have small children or you often have friends or relatives over, it is best to buy a sofa with upholstery that is easy to clean.

First of all, when thinking about removing stains from a sofa, the idea of professional dry cleaning comes to mind; indeed, in particularly advanced cases you cannot do without it.

But most stains from the sofa can be removed yourself at home.

In this article we will tell you step by step how to clean a sofa using products that every person has at home.

Removing stains from a fabric sofa

Of course, it is also very important to remove the stain as soon as it appears, not to wait until the scheduled general cleaning, but to react to the stain in the first 10-15 minutes, this will save your time. What to do if your sofa is upholstered in fabric?

What to do if your sofa is upholstered in fabric?

A few recommendations:

Test the products on an area of fabric that is not visible (under or behind the sofa).
If the sofa is upholstered in flock, never use products containing alcohol.
If the sofa upholstery is made of microfiber, do not use wet cleaning, only dry cleaning.
If the sofa upholstery is light-colored, use only white rags for cleaning! If the rag is colored, it is possible that when interacting with chemicals it can stain the light-colored upholstery.
DO NOT use bleach or undiluted vinegar for cleaning.

Algorithm of actions:

Clean the sofa from dust using: A) a vacuum cleaner (special nozzle or dust collection pipe) Do not vacuum velvet, velor, or fleecy fabric.
B) carpet beaters (wet the sheets and cover the sofa, and then beat the dust out of it well)

Clean the sofa from solid dirt with any object with a blunt edge.

Remove stains from the sofa

A) using foam from a soap solution or any detergent. Apply foam to stains, leave for 10-15 minutes, then rinse the fabric well and remove moisture with a clean, dry cloth.

B) If you can’t remove the stain from the sofa, then try removing it with a solution of 9% vinegar (2 tablespoons / 1 liter of water) or a solution of shampoo with warm water and 10 drops of ammonia.

But if you can’t remove stains and you know how the stain appeared and why, then read the following tips and choose what is suitable specifically for your case.

How to remove a urine stain

As soon as this trouble occurs, take napkins and blot the stained area, you want the urine to be absorbed into the napkins as much as possible. Use a hair dryer to dry the sofa upholstery.

If the sofa is colored, you can treat the stain with a solution of 9% vinegar (in a ratio of 1:5) or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

But what if you have a white sofa, how to remove a stain from a light-colored sofa?

A solution of citric acid (in a ratio of 1:10) will help you.

After half an hour or an hour, wash the area with soapy water, wash with clean water and dry.

How to clean a sofa from grease stains

Sprinkle the stain with fine salt; it will absorb all the grease within 5 minutes. The stain that remains is removed using foam or any detergent, then rinse the area and dry.

How to remove a red wine stain from a sofa

Blot the newly appeared stain with a napkin and cover with fine salt. As soon as the salt has absorbed moisture, shake off the salt with a brush and wash the stain first with ethyl alcohol and then with soap suds.

And then rinse the upholstery well and blot the area with napkins until the area is dry.

Buy ethyl/ammonia alcohol/acetone, use any means to wash the area.

“Prevention” measures against stagnant spots:

Once a month, clean the sofa from dust or minor, seemingly unnoticeable stains, otherwise stains will appear in the future,
When you decide to remove all the stains from the sofa, you will spend a huge amount of both physical and mental effort, since stagnant stains are very difficult to remove.

Now you know how to remove stains from a sofa.

Special devices

All equipment required for cleaning furniture is divided into two types: household and professional. The first one can be found in every home and is quite suitable for cleaning a sofa at home.

Household tools:

brush;
rags;
bucket;
vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum cleaner

Brush
This category may also include different types of washing vacuum cleaners and steam generators, if they were produced for domestic use.

Professional devices are quite expensive; few people would decide to buy one for the sake of one sofa. Such tools are intended for constant work. With intensive use, it quickly pays for itself, but in everyday life it will simply gather dust in the closet.

Professional washing vacuum cleaners. They differ from household ones mainly in size, power and complete disregard for design.
Furniture dryers. Essentially, these are just specialized hair dryers.
Minirotors. Electric brushes make it easier to clean hard-to-reach places.
Foam extractors. Modernized washing vacuum cleaners that use thick foam instead of water.

All machines are very powerful, you won’t be able to get gentle cleaning from them. But the one-time effect will be amazing; stubborn stains will disappear completely. True, along with the dirt, the upholstery of the sofa will become thinner, and the soft filling will become a little harder.

Minirotor

Foam extractor

Professional washing vacuum cleaner

Traditional methods

Our grandmothers used simple products for cleaning upholstered furniture. These methods still work today. Basic folk methods:

Soda and vinegar
Soap solution
Dishwashing liquid
Knockout
Salt
Hydrogen peroxide

Removing stains from a sofa using folk remedies is very effective.

Soda and vinegar

Every housewife knows these remedies. These products are universal and cope with a variety of contaminants. They eliminate grease, grease stains, and drinks. Using vinegar, you can successfully restore upholstery to its brightness. This versatility is due to two factors:

Baking soda and vinegar are both alkali and acidic. These two antagonistic substances cause different chemical reactions when interacting with contaminants. Some things are affected by acid, and others by alkali.
When mixing soda and vinegar, carbon dioxide is released, which aggressively attacks dirt, literally knocking it out of the fabric fibers. Carbon dioxide also effectively removes odors embedded in the material.

Mixing 2 ingredients allows you to both clean the sofa and neutralize foreign odors.

Cleaning procedure: in a container with a spray bottle, mix 300-400 ml of water, 100 ml of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. Then add 1 teaspoon of soda there and quickly close. After this, immediately spray the product onto the stains or onto the entire upholstery. Wait 5-10 minutes and walk over the fabric with a stiff brush. After this, wipe the upholstery with a damp cloth and then dry it.

You can sprinkle the powder on the stains or lubricate the stains with gruel. After 1–2 hours, remove the mixture from the upholstery.

In order to return the fabric to its former brightness and color, it is also necessary to add 10 ml of ammonia to the solution. This product also perfectly eliminates bacteria, fights mold and mildew.

For leather upholstery, diluted ammonia is suitable.

Soapy water

Soapy water can remove light dirt and simple stains. The solution will also cope with fresh greasy stains. But it will not be able to remove old dirt, drink stains and greasy stains.

Moisten a rag with soapy water and wipe off the stains.

To clean the sofa, grate soap and dissolve it in water. The product is poured into a container with a spray bottle and sprayed on the sofa. Then remove dirt with a brush. You can also apply the liquid to a sponge and wipe the upholstery with it.

After 5 minutes, wipe the furniture with a clean damp cloth.

Dishwashing liquid

With this product you can quickly wet clean upholstered furniture and remove small stains. To do this, dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid in 1 liter of water and foam the water. Then use a sponge to scoop up foam and wipe the upholstery with it. After this, you need to wipe the upholstery with a damp towel and dry the sofa.

The product does not discolor furniture upholstery.

Knockout

This method is an excellent alternative to a vacuum cleaner. This method is especially suitable for fabrics with pile, which are not so easy to vacuum. The advantages of embossing are its simplicity and the fact that it does not damage the paint of the fabric.

Cover the entire sofa with a wet cloth and knock out the dust through the cloth with a beater or something else.

There is knocking out, there is dry and wet. With the dry method, dust is removed from the sofa with a special plastic spatula or any handy stick. With the wet method, the sofa is first covered with a wet sheet and then knocked out. This method prevents dust from flying around the apartment.

Dust will settle on the wet fabric and we will see it immediately.

Salt

Using salt, you can effectively remove grease stains, drinks and greasy stains. It is enough to sprinkle fresh stains with salt, which will absorb the substances. Old stains must be removed using salt paste. Dilute salt with water to a paste and apply it to the stain. After 5 minutes, remove the product and wipe with a wet towel.

After the salt has absorbed moisture, shake off the salt and wash with ethyl alcohol and then with soapy water.

Cleansing foam

Foam cleaning works well for velor upholstery. Such foam can be prepared from various means:

Egg white
Shaving foams
Detergent

Beat the foam, add salt and apply it to the upholstery. Leave for 5 minutes and then remove. After this, you need to wipe the fabric with a damp towel.

If the contamination is old, use soap foam.

Hydrogen peroxide cleansing

Using this substance, you can effectively remove dark stains from light or white surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide is mixed with water in a 1:1 ratio and applied to the furniture using a spray bottle. Leave to act for 2 hours, then wipe the upholstery with a damp towel.

The substance is mixed with water at a ratio of 1:1. The solution should act on contaminated areas for 2 hours.

How to remove bad odor

Typically, upholstery has a multi-layer structure, so any liquid penetrates deeply into it. This may result in an odor that needs to be removed. To remove this problem, different methods are used (both professional and folk).

Ready-made products

Professional products are sold in hardware stores. Before doing this, be sure to ventilate the room after the procedure. During use, carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions.

You can achieve the desired result after two treatments:

the product is applied to the surface of the sofa;
wait a while and knock out the sofa using a standard knocker;
pass over the surface with a vacuum cleaner.

Experts recommend using Vanish or other chlorine-containing products. If the smell is very strong, then you can use products from the CHRISTAL company. Multi or Allergy Free is a good choice for treating upholstered furniture.

Traditional methods

If traditional methods are used, then the following means of combating unpleasant odors are usually chosen:

Salt. It is usually used for new sofas.
Laundry soap. The product copes well with various stains and odors.
Soda, which eliminates most unpleasant odors. The advantage of this product is that everyone has salt in their home, so there should be no difficulties in quickly getting rid of unwanted odors.
Black tea or freshly ground coffee are ideal in combating beer and fishy odors.
Ammonia.
Lemon juice.
Hydrogen peroxide.

Types of material

Of course, the best option is a sofa upholstered in genuine leather. This is wear-resistant furniture, it looks beautiful and retains its attractive appearance for a long time. To clean leather, it is not recommended to use products that cause the material to dry out. These are gasoline, acetone and other organic solvents. As a last resort, these substances can be used to remove local contaminants. After this, you need to apply castor oil to the cleaned surface, let it absorb and polish. This treatment will help soften the skin.

However, a sofa made of genuine leather is expensive; not everyone can afford to make such a purchase. An alternative option is furniture upholstered with artificial leather substitute. Do not confuse modern leatherette samples with cheap leatherette.

To make furniture, manufacturers use:

Eco leather. This is a durable material that is difficult to distinguish from genuine leather in appearance.

It can be cleaned with the same products as its natural counterpart, but organic solvents should be used with extreme caution.

Aniline and semi-aniline leather. Has a soft shine and a pleasant elastic texture

The second option is more durable, but looks less natural. These types of artificial leather should absolutely not be cleaned with acetone and other organic solvents; its surface layer will be destroyed by such exposure.

Vinyl leather. PVC coated material. It does not tolerate the effects of gasoline and acetone; it can be cleaned with alcohol-containing liquids, but with caution.

All types of leather do not tolerate high temperatures well, that is, they cannot be dried using heat (for example, hot air from a hairdryer). It is not recommended to use hot water for washing; you should use slightly warm water.

With artificial leather substitutes you need to be as careful as possible so as not to mechanically damage the polymer layer. That is, you should not use powders with abrasive particles, steel wool, or hard brushes. It should be remembered that artificial leather, unlike natural leather, cannot be restored, so mechanical damage will irreversibly damage the upholstery of the sofa.

Getting rid of stains on the sofa

Sofa owners often encounter stains on the upholstery. In such a situation, you do not need to wash the entire furniture - you only need to treat the contaminated area. It’s good that manufacturers of household chemicals delight us with a wide variety of effective products.

Products for removing stains from skin

Leather is a demanding material. A greasy sandwich may fall on it, wine may spill, etc. Let’s look at how you can deal with stains of one origin or another:

For ink and markers, it is preferable to use “Vanish” or a product for cleaning leather car seats.
The Dursol-Fabric conditioner will remove grease and oily dirt.
Synergetic is effective against chemical dyes.
Organic stains will be removed by Leather Stein Remover.

From fabrics

Flock and velor cannot be cleaned with alcohol- or oil-containing products. Washing powders and solvents are also not suitable for washing such fabrics. It is best to use wet wipes that do not contain alcohol.

For plush and velvet, only detergent foam is allowed.

Microfiber and tapestry fabric can withstand a wide range of soap and alcohol solutions.

Folk remedies

You can also clean the sofa from stains using traditional methods:

Urine - such a stain will be destroyed by an aqueous solution of vinegar 9% (ratio with water 1 to 5), a solution of potassium permanganate (for dark upholstery) or an aqueous solution of citric acid (ratio 1 to 10).
Grease and wine stains - Sprinkle salt on the stained area as quickly as possible, and then gently wipe the area with a detergent appropriate to the situation.
Dyes are easily removed with acetone, ammonia or ethyl alcohol.
Chewing gum - you need to put a piece of ice on it and, after it freezes, carefully peel it off.
Bloody stain - ordinary cold water can deal with fresh stains; old stains can be dealt with with a 9% (weak) vinegar solution.
Juices and stains from vegetables and fruits - use ammonia or 9% vinegar.
Beer – soap solution will save you from stains.

Do you want your sofa to look beautiful and well-groomed? Try to keep it clean, or better yet, buy or order a removable cover for it.

Features of care depending on the type of upholstery

It is worth remembering that cleaning a sofa directly depends on the type of upholstery. Therefore, you need to know what products can be used for a certain type of furniture upholstery fabric:

flock, chenille, velor - various greasy stains can be removed with a soap solution using a microfiber cloth; stains from cosmetics and ink can be removed with an alcohol solution. Stains from coffee, tea, wine are removed with powder;
silk upholstery - in these cases you can use a brush with soft bristles; it must be additionally wrapped in a cotton napkin. Stains are cleaned using a weak solution of peroxide or ammonia;
Suede upholstery - can be dry cleaned. A soap solution also helps a lot;
leather - dry cleaning of a leather sofa can be done using a soap solution, medical alcohol or vodka.

Genuine Leather

Flock

Suede

Traditional methods

Our grandmothers used simple products for cleaning upholstered furniture. These methods still work today. Basic folk methods:

Soda and vinegar
Soap solution
Dishwashing liquid
Knockout
Salt
Hydrogen peroxide

Removing stains from a sofa using folk remedies is very effective.

Soda and vinegar

Baking soda and vinegar are both alkali and acidic. These two antagonistic substances cause different chemical reactions when interacting with contaminants. Some things are affected by acid, and others by alkali.
When mixing soda and vinegar, carbon dioxide is released, which aggressively attacks dirt, literally knocking it out of the fabric fibers. Carbon dioxide also effectively removes odors embedded in the material.

Mixing 2 ingredients allows you to both clean the sofa and neutralize foreign odors.

You can sprinkle the powder on the stains or lubricate the stains with gruel. After 1–2 hours, remove the mixture from the upholstery.

For leather upholstery, diluted ammonia is suitable.

Soapy water

Soapy water can remove light dirt and simple stains. The solution will also cope with fresh greasy stains. But it will not be able to remove old dirt, drink stains and greasy stains.

Moisten a rag with soapy water and wipe off the stains.

After 5 minutes, wipe the furniture with a clean damp cloth.

Dishwashing liquid

The product does not discolor furniture upholstery.

Knockout

Cover the entire sofa with a wet cloth and knock out the dust through the cloth with a beater or something else.

Dust will settle on the wet fabric and we will see it immediately.

Salt

After the salt has absorbed moisture, shake off the salt and wash with ethyl alcohol and then with soapy water.

Cleansing foam

Foam cleaning works well for velor upholstery. Such foam can be prepared from various means:

Egg white
Shaving foams
Detergent

Beat the foam, add salt and apply it to the upholstery. Leave for 5 minutes and then remove. After this, you need to wipe the fabric with a damp towel.

If the contamination is old, use soap foam.

Soapy water

Simple fresh stains can be removed with a regular soap solution. You can simply thoroughly soap a rag and rub it over the dirt, or you can dilute the soap in water and treat the sofa with a spray bottle.

Residues of soap are removed with a damp sponge or rag.

The method is unlikely to work with complex and old stains.