How to clean a sofa from stains at home with the help of folk remedies and household chemicals

It's hard to imagine an apartment without a sofa. It is used as the main or guest sleeping place, a family gathering place to watch your favorite movie or TV series. But on a favorite place of rest there will certainly be unpleasant stains from food or drinks, cosmetics and children's art.Of course, you can call a cleaning company and enjoy the cleanliness of the furniture object, but such a solution will be quite expensive in terms of finances.

Therefore, very often the prudent hostess wonder how to clean the couch from stains and streaks on their own and, preferably, inexpensive. There are a lot of such means, so pick up the most appropriate will not be difficult.

Types of dirt

The answer to the question of how to quickly clean the sofa from stains, depends on the type of dirt. It can be:

  • spilled drinks, stains from harder food;
  • marks from paints, felt-tip pens;
  • mold, mildew;
  • dust, pet hair;
  • greasy, discolored upholstery.

Depending on the problem, dry or wet cleaning methods are used.

For example,

  • Wool and dust will remove the dry method;
  • Vinegar will restore the original colors;
  • Only wet methods can cope with stains.

But they also have several varieties.

Simple and accessible methods were used by our grandmothers, but they are still in demand by many housewives.

Liquid dishwashing detergent

Suitable for small stains from food and drinks. To prepare the solution is extremely simple: dilute 2 tablespoons of liquid in a liter of warm water, foaming the mixture with a sponge, the resulting cap is applied to the stains.

After the procedure is finished, use a damp sponge to remove all remnants of the foam. A vacuum cleaner will help to collect the smallest particles, especially on a hairy surface.

Soapy water

Simple fresh stains can be removed with an ordinary soapy solution. You can simply soap the cloth thoroughly and wipe the dirt with it, or you can dilute the soap in water and spray the couch with a sprayer.

Remove soap residue with a damp sponge or cloth.

With complex and old dirt method is unlikely to work.

Salt, baking soda

Common baking salt can help with grease stains, spilled drinks, and greasy stains:

  • Just appeared stains are filled with enough salt and wait for it to absorb the grease or moisture. It can then be removed with a damp cloth.
  • Stained stains will require diluting the salt in a small amount of water. It is necessary to make a thick porridge, which is applied to the dirt. After five minutes the salt is removed.

To give more cleanliness, the place of filling is wiped with ethyl alcohol, and then with water and soap.

Soda also works in a similar way.

Soda and vinegar

The combination of the two components, which can easily be found in every kitchen, will help to forget about problems with greasiness, grease, stains from drinks.

Acid and alkali have different effects on the upholstery material and efficiently remove most dirt, acting in slightly different ways. Yes, and carbon dioxide generated by mixing household reagents will play a role and additionally eliminate unpleasant odors. Therefore, the mixture can also help in solving the problem of how to clean the sofa from urine stains.

To prepare the solution, you'll need to supply:

  • a bottle with a sprayer;
  • baking soda;
  • water;
  • vinegar (can be replaced with citric acid);
  • The usual detergent for dishes.

Half a glass of water is mixed with 100 milliliters of acetic acid, add a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. The mixture should be stirred thoroughly or shaken vigorously to combine the components better, and then add a spoonful of baking soda. The subsequent violent reaction will show that the solution is ready for use. It can be applied only to the stains or sprayed on the entire upholstery of the sofa.

After 5-10 minutes, remove the residue along with the stains with a damp cloth.

Stale stains are smeared liberally with a mush of the same ingredients, only a little water is added. After a couple of hours, the mixture is removed.

Ammonia alcohol

If you add 10 milliliters of ammonia to the composition, then along with gaining purity, you can return the brightness of the fabric.

The preparation will also be an excellent antidote to fungus, mold, bacteria.

If the sofa has leather upholstery, then use diluted ammonia.

But after that, the room will have to be aired out.

Hydrogen Peroxide

This preparation is excellent for cleaning a light-colored sofa. To do this, it is mixed in equal parts with water and sprayed on the upholstery. After two hours, wipe the upholstery with a damp cloth.

Chemicals

For those who are used to relying more on household chemicals, you can buy special products for cleaning sofas.

The advantages of such methods include:

  • No need to mix the components yourself;
  • the ability to use the product unlimited number of times at any time (home formulas are used once, after which the remains of the mixture are poured out);
  • rapidity of application. The components of purchased remedies usually act within a few minutes.

The disadvantages include:

  • the possibility of allergies to odors and components;
  • the possibility of destroying the upholstery or loss of brightness of the colors;
  • high cost.

The most popular means are considered Vanish, Tuba, Nordland. But hardware stores can offer cheaper analogues.

Drying

After using any wet cleaning method, it is necessary to thoroughly dry the sofa. This can be done by:

  • vacuum cleaner;
  • paper towels or towels;
  • hair dryer;
  • Air drying.

Dry cleaning.

This type of cleaning will help get rid of dust. For the full effect, it should be performed at least once a week. It is used for this purpose:

  • vacuum cleaner (used for fairly smooth fabrics: burlap, tapestry);
  • stiff brush (suitable for combing out velour, fur, other fabrics with pile);
  • whipping machine.

With the first two methods there are no questions, but beating out is a more complicated process. A regular carpet beater or a wooden spatula is used for it.

To ensure that the dust does not fly around the apartment and does not sit on the couch again, it can be covered with a damp sheet. And it is necessary to calculate the force of the influence: a too weak blow will not kick the dust out of its comfortable place, but a too strong influence may damage the material or string fasteners.

Most troubles with upholstered furniture can be avoided if you buy a cover or plaid in time. This is especially true for families with young children or those who like to watch TV series over a meal.

As the need arises, the fabric is simply washed in the machine and after drying again cover the couch. But if the trouble has already happened, you can use the methods listed above. One of them will certainly help restore the cleanliness of the sofa.

Photo examples of self-cleaning sofa stains

Beware

Sewing

Knitting

Origami