Upholstered furniture seems to be difficult to clean by yourself. Cleaning upholstery is not so complicated, yet, depending on the type of fabric, as well as the severity of the stain, you may want to have a professional Chicago cleaner come out to take a look. Unfortunately, sofas and upholstered chairs get dirty over time. So in this guide, we present how to clean your sofa and restore its original, beautiful appearance on your own during every-day cleaning.
How To Clean Upholstered Chairs And Sofas?
Cleaning furniture upholstery should not be more of a problem than cleaning a carpet. However, it’s important to be careful with the material from which the upholstery is made.
Initial Cleaning. Step By Step.
It’s best to start cleaning a fabric couch with… vacuuming! Fabric chairs and sofas are absorbers of all kinds of dust particles, which, despite meticulous cleaning, are often found in every interior. What’s the best way to vacuum a fabric sofa? If you own a convertible sofa, it will be easier to unfold the sofa bed, which will allow you to reach hard-to-reach places and tight spaces. Vacuum all the surfaces of the couch and make sure that the gaps are also reached, so use a special, longitudinal attachment for your vacuum cleaner. Also remove the cushions to vacuum the entire sofa structure.
Clean the couch with a bristle brush (or a soft cloth for leather furniture).
After thorough vacuuming, it’s time for step two. The method of cleaning depends on the degree of mess that the couch is in. If the material the sofa is made of needs only refreshing, we can wipe it with a solution of water with a bit of laundry detergent or dish soap. Make long and hard movements to wipe away the layer of dirt and dust. Then, to get rid of the accumulated dust in the fabric and to remove dried stains, rub the couch vigorously with a bristle brush. However, be careful not to damage the fabric, be especially careful in eco leather and natural leather (use a soft cloth).
There is also a method of covering the sofa with a sheet soaked in water and fabric softener. We can then gently use a carpet beater to help the solution soak into the sofa material. In addition to refreshing, the couch will not be static after such a treatment. You can use cold water with ammonia to refresh velor upholstery. 4 heaped tablespoons of ammonia are enough for 1 liter of water. Wipe down all hard parts of the couch. Sofas and chairs also have wooden, metal or plastic elements such as legs, armrests or decorative strips. Use an appropriate cleaning agent. In order not to stain the upholstery, e.g. with a wood cleaner, spray it on a cloth and gently wipe the part.
Proper Cleaning
After the initial cleaning, for eco leather and natural leather, prepare a delicate solution of warm water and soap, and for fabrics, you can use a solution of 2 liters of warm water, lemon juice from 1 whole lemon and 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Try on an invisible part of the sofa to see if the fabric is dying the cloth. Soda dissolves stains and lemon is a mite killer. Natural remedies will successfully replace expensive remedies and are safe for your health. Do not use harsh chemicals, so as not to damage the fabric.
Wipe the stains.
It is important that the cloth is clean and damp. Wipe off any excess water from the cloth.
Wipe a small area with the damp cloth, then wipe dry.
If the leather and eco-leather remain wet for too long, it may be damaged.
Avoid getting the sofa’s filling, i.e. foam, wet. Otherwise, dry the area with a dryer.
Use a wet baby wipe for immediate cleaning. They are so delicate that they will not damage or wet the fabric, and will remove stains.
How to clean chairs or sofas made of leather and eco-leather?
Leather is a very delicate material and only cleaning products intended for leather upholstery should be used – otherwise it may be irreversibly damaged. From home remedies, we can only use lukewarm water mixed with a little dish soap. Leather chairs and sofas should be cleaned with a soft cloth. It is worth remembering to clean the stains from the outside, and not from the inside, to avoid increasing the smudge. This is an important element of the technique of cleaning furniture with home methods.
Difficult Stains On Fabric Couch
In the case of more difficult stains, e.g. coffee or wine stains, it is a good idea to use a carpet cleaning liquid. Apply a small amount of the products on the stain, wait until it starts to foam and clean the material with a delicate cloth or sponge.
Another way is to use citric acid. Pour 10g of acid into half a glass of water and dip a cloth in it. It is perfect for tea, mayonnaise, butter or juice stains. If the stains are extremely greasy, you can wipe them with alcohol (e.g. denatured alcohol) after wiping them with a citric acid solution.
Advice From Your Bright Home
Remember not to overdo the amount of fluids and products you use to clean the couch. Otherwise, the couch may be sticky and will have a “chemical” smell.
If you want to invest in professional furniture cleaning equipment, consider purchasing a home pressure washer. You can clean both the sofa, armchair and carpet with it. The idea of a power washer is to clean the surface with hot steam. Cleaning does not take much time and gives very good results.
A couch is one of the most used—and abused—pieces of furniture in our homes, so make sure that it looks and feels perfect.
House Cleaning Services Chicago
If you’d like to delegate your home cleaning chores to professionals, give us a call. Our team of experienced Chicago cleaners will take on any job – big or small. We’ve been in the business for many years and we know that customer satisfaction is the reflection of every company’s performance.
It’s best to start cleaning a fabric couch with… vacuuming! Fabric chairs and sofas are absorbers of all kinds of dust particles, which, despite meticulous cleaning, are often found in every interior. What’s the best way to vacuum a fabric sofa? If you own a convertible sofa, it will be easier to unfold the sofa bed, which will allow you to reach hard-to-reach places and tight spaces. Vacuum all the surfaces of the couch and make sure that the gaps are also reached, so use a special, longitudinal attachment for your vacuum cleaner. Also remove the cushions to vacuum the entire sofa structure.
After the initial cleaning, for eco leather and natural leather, prepare a delicate solution of warm water and soap, and for fabrics, you can use a solution of 2 liters of warm water, lemon juice from 1 whole lemon and 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Try on an invisible part of the sofa to see if the fabric is dying the cloth. Soda dissolves stains and lemon is a mite killer. Natural remedies will successfully replace expensive remedies and are safe for your health. Do not use harsh chemicals, so as not to damage the fabric.