If you have a sofa, chair, loveseat, or some other type of upholstered furniture that is in good condition but just dirty, these upholstery cleaning tips will save you money and time shopping for new furniture. It is known that no matter how much you care and look after your fabric sofa, unfortunately accidents happen.
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A stain or spillage doesn’t have to ruin the look of your fabric sofa if you take necessary steps.
Of course, there are plenty of ready made furniture cleaners that you can find in the stores.
The problem that many have with these cleaners is that they can be very harsh, and shorten the life of the fabric.
However, there are plenty of natural ways to remove stains from your sofa.
1 – First of all clean up quickly any spills, because they can penetrate and stain the fabric. Most fabric sofa stains can be cleaned with foaming upholstery cleaner since it won’t soak the fabric with water and cause spotting.
2 – You should vacuum regularly, the entire sofa thoroughly with a brush attachment, to minimize dirt buildup and to keep your fabric sofa looking its best.
3 – Baking Soda spotter:
- You can put three tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl. Add about one tablespoon of club soda. Mix this together and you will have sort of a paste.
- You can then take a cloth and rub this onto the couch stain. Then, you can dip the cloth into some warm water and squeeze it out well. You can then wipe the cleaner off of the couch.
- After wiping it with the cloth, you can use the vacuum hose to get the rest of the powder left from the baking soda off of the sofa.
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4 – Vinegar spotter:
- Immerse a corner of the cloth in vinegar and then ring it out well.
- Gently rub the cloth over the stain until it comes out.
5 – Ketchup Stains. Mix a solution of mild soap in lukewarm water. Swish to create a great volume of suds. Apply only the foam with a sponge. Wipe dry with a clean cloth.
6 – Water based spills such as tea, coffee or soft drinks:
- Using a paper towel blot the affected area until as much of the spill has been absorbed changing the paper towel frequently.
- Moisten a sponge in the clean water and dab the affected area in an inwards motion. Take care not to over wet the area.
- Using the paper towels blot the affected area again until you have it as dry possible.
- After removing the spillage, you can help to avoid a water mark when the affected area has dried by lightly dabbing the surrounding area with the damp sponge.
7 – Butter or salad dressing stains:
- For butter, the best option is to choose a dry cleaning solvent, which can be found at grocery and retail stores.
- Apply a little onto a clean, white cloth and blot at the stain, never rub.
- Mix one tablespoon of a mild, pH-balanced detergent with one cup of warm water, and again blot at the stain.
- Using another towel, sponge the solvent and detergent off with clean, warm water and allow the spot to dry.
8 – Solid or semi solid food spills such as baked beans or macaroni cheese:
- Remove all solid food from the surface using your knife or spoon. Avoid spreading the spill by working inwards towards the centre.
- For cheese, mix one teaspoon of mild, pH-balanced detergent with one cup of warm water. With a clean, white towel, blot at the cheese stain.
- Then mix one tablespoon of regular ammonia with one-half cup of water, again blotting the stain.
- Blot the stain with clean water to remove any detergent or ammonia and let the area dry.
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