How to Clean a Sofa

 

Buttery popcorn, chocolate chip cookies, and soft drinks included! You and the children just had the best movie night ever! Woohoo! -Wow! The only thing is, now your sofa looks like a food fight has been lost. This six-step guide will show you how to clean a sofa or couch on the cheap, if you need to clean off fresh chocolate stains or dried popcorn butter.

1. Find the Tag for Fabric.

Look for the fabric tag before you do something drastic (unless you have an emergency spill on your hands). This tag should be applied to the sofa and inform you whether it is coated in leather, faux leather or cotton, nylon, polyester, rayon and wool blends.

You'll find a universal letter code on the tag the recommends how your couch should be washed. For e.g., "X" means that with either a water- or solvent-based cleaner you should not clean the couch. You should vacuum or gently clean the fabric instead. On the other hand, "WS" means that only with water-based shampoo or foam upholstery cleaner can you clean the cloth, and "W," tells you that it's OK to clean the material with water.

2. Consider the choices.

In certain instances, you would need to rent a steam cleaner for upholstery or employ a professional to clean it (although we know that's not the cheapest way to do it) if your couch doesn't have a "W" or "WS" tag. But if you see a "W" or "WS" on the mark of treatment for your sofa, then you should be able to go the DIY road.

Test it on a spot on the couch that is not readily visible to verify if it causes any harm before you start any DIY treatment.

3. Collect the right gear.

You may need to assemble the correct instruments to clean your couch:

·        A vacuum cleaner fitted with an adapter for upholstery

·        At least three microfiber bleed-proof cloths that will not pass dye to your couch

·        For lightly damp stains and spots, a spray bottle or eye-dropper

• Purified water

• Soap liquid dish

• White vinegar distilled

4. Consider baking soda.

If your couch's upholstery is made of linen, you might consider baking soda as another tool to add to your arsenal of stain-removal.

Sprinkling baking soda over all your fabric upholstery will help loosen stains and remove odors, particularly pet-related ones, believe it or not! Instead of one that's soap-based, you can also try a cleaning paste consisting of equal parts baking soda and water.

Let the baking soda do its job for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, regardless of whether it is wet or dry. With the brush attachment on your cleaner, cleaner the baking soda or baking soda solution until the stain is (hopefully) gone.

Be sure to try it on a tiny out-of-sight spot on your couch to find out if it will damage the fabric if you plan to use baking soda.

5. Get started cleaning.

• You're able to get rid of those disgusting stains until you've got the right stain-fighting tools and supplies. Follow the steps below:
•  Clean the sofa. Be sure to remove the cushions so that dirt, dust, and other secret items that do not belong there can be sucked up.
• With one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid and one tablespoon of vinegar, blend about two cups of distilled water.
• Dampen the cleaning mixture with a rag.
• Using the cloth to gently blot stained areas.

·        To scrub off the traces of the soapy solution, moisten a clean cloth with distilled water, but not with dishwashing liquid or vinegar.

·        Blot the region again with a dry cloth, to prevent any residual dampness.

6. Check out the conclusions.

Check the sofa to see if the stains have been eliminated after you've done the cleaning. If the stains have not fully come out, then you might want to employ a specialist cleaning service to do some extensive removal of stain. Or, it might be time to switch to a couch of high quality with more sturdy fabric, one free of stains.