How to get stains off your sofa quickly and efficiently | Expert material

Professional dry cleaning is a rather expensive service, so most people remove stains from the couch with the help of available tools. If you know what to use, you can successfully deal with most of the dirt yourself. How to do it? Our experts will tell you about it.

Cleaning process

Removing the stain will not be difficult if you approach the issue with the desired impact. So, we clean the sofa.

Step 1. Removing dust.

Before proceeding with the removal of the stain, it is advisable to first clean the surface of upholstered furniture from dust, lint, and pet hair. For these purposes, you can use a vacuum cleaner with a special attachment, or simply use a dust collection pipe. If the fabric of the sofa is fleecy, you will have to do without a vacuum cleaner: you need to manually select the dust.

How to do this quickly and without raising dust particles in the air? It's simple: take a piece of old fabric or an unnecessary sheet, wet it with water and wring it out thoroughly, put it on the sofa and thoroughly beat the dust with a regular carpet beater.

Step 2. Removing solid contaminants (if any).

After cleaning the sofa from dust, it is necessary to remove hardened dirt from its surface. To do this, you can use a spatula, butt of a knife, in principle, any object with a thin blunt edge. If the fabric of the sofa is nap, this option will not work. You will have to soak the stain (use lather).

Step 3. Removing stains

First of all, we try the simplest option – a special stain remover. You can use a carpet cleaner, for example. Gently apply lather to the stained area, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse the fabric gently until clean. Be sure to remove excess moisture by thoroughly blotting the treated area with a dry cloth.

If you have not found special products at home or the contamination could not be removed, try using a vinegar solution (1 tablespoon of 9% vinegar in 0.5 liters of water) or shampoo slightly diluted with water with the addition of 10 drops of ammonia.

In most cases, the above manipulations are sufficient to remove stains from the sofa: this way you can remove traces of white wine, coffee, chocolate, tea, jam, etc.

Removing the 'problem' spots

If you suddenly find dirt of unknown origin on the couch, and attempts to remove it in a simple way have not been successful, you need to move on to 'heavy artillery'. But first, try to identify the type of pollutant – this will help to more effectively solve the problem.

Greasy stain

Difficult but removable contamination that salt and dishwashing detergent can handle. First, sprinkle the area with fine salt and leave for 15 minutes: it will absorb the fat. Then gently remove the salt and soak the remaining stain with the soap suds. After 10-15 minutes, rinse the fabric with water until it is clean and blot thoroughly with a dry cloth (you can dry it with a hair dryer).

Red wine – if the stain is fresh, immediately blot it with a napkin or dry rag, sprinkle with fine salt – it will take all the moisture. After 10 minutes, carefully remove the salt and walk over the fabric with ethyl alcohol, then with soap foam. Be sure to rinse the fabric with water and dry it.

Gum

Never try to scrape it off the fabric while it is soft. To quickly and without 'consequences' remove the gum, you need to freeze it. Use food ice for this: put it on for some time until the gum hardens. Then, gently scrape it off with a knife. If a stain remains, rub over it with ethyl alcohol and wipe the cloth clean.

Wax

As with gum, you shouldn't remove wax from the couch while it's soft. Wait for the wax to harden, then gently break it into several pieces and carefully remove with a knife. If a trace remains, cover it with a cotton cloth and iron thoroughly until it disappears.

Urine

Perhaps one of the most difficult to remove dirt, which may not always be noticeable, but clearly perceptible by the nose. If the sofa is dirty with a toddler or naughty pet, you will have to sweat. So, first of all (if caught hot), thoroughly blot the stain with a dry cloth to remove urine as much as possible, then dry it with a hairdryer. In case the upholstery of the sofa is made of colored fabric, it is necessary to use a vinegar solution (the ratio of 9% vinegar to water 1: 5) or a weak potassium permanganate.

If the upholstery is light or (oh, horror!) White, it is better to use citric acid. Dilute it in water (1:10), treat the area and leave the composition to 'work' for half an hour / hour. Then clean the area with soapy water and rinse the cloth thoroughly. Remember to dry the upholstery.

Blood

Fresh blood is usually easy to remove by simply rinsing with water. If the stain has had time to dry, put an ice cube on the dirty area of ​​the upholstery (let it lie down longer), then soak it with vinegar solution (at the rate of 1 tbsp. Spoon of 9% vinegar per 0.5 l of water). The last step is soapy water, which must be thoroughly washed out of the fabric.

Lipstick, marker, nail polish

To remove these stains from the sofa, you need to use a product stronger than regular soap suds. Use one of the following: ammonia / ethyl alcohol, acetone. Gently apply the substance to the contaminated area and wipe the cloth lightly.

Vegetable / fruit juice

Vegetable and fruit juices are difficult to remove from fabrics, especially if the contamination is old. Neither soapy water nor foam is suitable for this: you must use something more powerful. Try using vinegar (9%) or ammonia solution. Apply a small amount, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then blot gently with a damp cloth.

Helpful hints

In order not to spoil the upholstery of the sofa in the process of removing the stain, follow a number of simple recommendations:

1. If you want to use a special cleaner for upholstered furniture, first try it on a hidden part of the sofa (advice for light-colored items is especially relevant).

2. If the furniture is covered with microfiber, only dry cleaning methods are suitable. Don't risk using moisture.

3. The flock cover can only be cleaned with alcohol-free products.

4. Never use undiluted vinegar or bleach.

5. It is better to remove stains from a light sofa using a light rag – a colored cloth under the influence of a cleaning agent can stain the upholstery.

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