Cleaning upholstered furniture: How to get sofas, armchairs, etc. clean again!

Comfortable upholstered furniture provides comfort and a homely atmosphere. They are also an eye-catcher in the living room and dining room and enhance any interior. Unfortunately, everyday life also leaves its mark, which brings with it visual disadvantages. This is a problem with a sofa whose cover is not removable and cannot be washed in the washing machine. But there are also various solutions for this that will make your seating furniture look like new again.

However, one shouldCleaning of upholstered furnituremake sure that the mishap is fixed as quickly as possible. If you wait too long, it will become increasingly difficult to remove annoying stains from the material. But be careful: not every stain can be removed in the same way! For every type of dirt, there are different methods and procedures that are suitable for the respective stain problem. You will now find out what these are and how to go about cleaning your upholstered furniture.

That’s why regular care of upholstered furniture is important!

To ensure that your upholstered furniture lasts a long time, you should subject it to a regular care routine. This will prevent the well-known grey haze from taking hold of your favourite pieces. At the same time,you eliminate unpleasant odorswhich otherwise nestle deep in the fabric. For the daily dose of attention, vacuuming your upholstered furniture is usually enough. This removes surface dirt particles, dust, crumbs from the last evening watching TV and hair left behind by your beloved pet.

To avoid unnecessary damage to the upholstery, it is advisable to use a flat nozzle attachment for this process. With the help of the appropriate vacuum cleaner attachment, you can get into the smallest cracks and dirt particles that are usually hidden from the eye are no longer an issue. For simple cleaning of leather furniture, use a soft, slightly damp cloth.

Cleaning upholstered furniture: What you should pay attention to!

If the sofa covers are removable, you can wash them in the washing machine as needed. If this is not the case, in addition to a superficial cleaning, you should consider the following 5 things:

1. If a stain occurs, you must act quickly. Only then will it be possible to completely remove the mess.
2. If it is a spilled liquid, you should carefully dab the spill. This way, most of the liquid has no chance of being absorbed into the fabric of the material and can then be removed more easily using a sustainable stain remover or a suitable household remedy.
3. Never rub away grease or chocolate stains. This technique will only cause the stain to spread and become larger than it was to begin with. Instead, you should work on the dirty area using a dabbing technique. Once the worst of the stain has been removed, any residue that has already penetrated can be gently rubbed out. Make sure that you always wipe from the outside inwards. Otherwise, there is a risk that the stain will suddenly be larger than before.
4. You should avoid using greasy cleaning agents, such as soaps, when cleaning upholstered textile furniture.
5. Upholstered furniture should never be cleaned with tap water. The lime contained in it would leave stains on the material.

Whether you want to remove stains or large areas of dirt with aCleaning agentor if you want to use a household remedy: first try the cleaning agent on an area that is invisible to the eye! Because nothing is more annoying than if the material of your upholstered furniture reacts negatively to the respective agent and, in the worst case, then has to be replaced with a new piece of furniture.

Cleaning upholstered furniture: 5 home remedies that work!

The fact is: many types of dirt and stains can be removed using household remedies. There is no need for chemicals. It is also practical that we all already have most household remedies at home. The following tips will tell you which remedies solve which problem in an environmentally friendly way.

1. Distilled water & dishwashing liquid

Dishwashing liquid is the absolute classic among household remedies. Fresh stains in particular can be removed from textile upholstery with cleaning products like these. The reason: the surfactants contained in them, which can be found in practically every washing and cleaning product. To remove dirt stains, put some dishwashing liquid on a damp sponge. You can then dab the stain from the outside to the inside.

Good tip: Make sure you use a dishwashing detergent that is based on plant-based surfactants. They are biodegradable and better for our environment.

2. Baking soda

Baking soda has alkaline properties. When combined with water, a chemical reaction occurs and the powder turns into an active lye that can be used to get even stubborn grease stains under control. To do this, dab some of the paste onto the contaminated area and leave it to work overnight. The next morning, the baking soda paste will have turned into salt, which you can carefully remove from the couch surface along with the stain using a vacuum cleaner.

3. Baking powder

A large component of baking powder is sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). If you don't have baking soda at home, you can also use baking powder to remove stubborn stains. To do this, dip a damp sponge in the baking soda and work on the spot. Here, too, the powder should be allowed to work for a while. Finally, vacuum up and the stain is gone.

Good to know: Baking soda is only suitable for eliminating small stains. If used on a large area, white residue may remain.

4. Apple cider vinegar

Light-colored sofas are particularly susceptible to stains and need a complete cleaning every now and then. Apple cider vinegar literally kills two birds with one stone: unpleasant odors and bacteria are also combated during treatment due to the antiseptic properties of vinegar.

For best results, you should mix two parts distilled water with one part vinegar in a spray bottle. Now spray your upholstery over a large area or treat spots. Then you should wipe the upholstery surface against the grain with a clean cloth. But please don't forget: test in advance whether the material of your upholstered furniture is suitable for treatment with vinegar.

5. Shaving foam

Shaving foam consists largely of potassium soap, which has proven to be effective in removing grease stains from textiles. To treat the skin, work the foam in from the outside to the inside using either your index finger or a small brush. After allowing it to work for around twenty minutes, remove the remaining shaving foam with a damp cloth. Important: Shaving foam is not suitable for treating stains on real or artificial leather!

Sustainable textile cleaners also remove stains from your upholstered furniture perfectly. Products that do their job based on plant-based surfactants are particularly suitable for a wide range of dirt and are good for the environment at the same time.

Removing red wine stains: How to get even stubborn stains under control!

And then there are stains, such as red wine, which are really serious. But there are a few home remedies that work for this problem too. But you should keep the following in mind: If a red wine stain has spread across your couch due to an annoying mishap, you must act immediately. The longer you ignore the stain, the smaller your chances of getting it out of your sofa. You can trust these home remedies:

Potato starch:Sprinkle the fresh red wine stain generously with potato starch. After a few hours, the starch will have absorbed the red wine and can be vacuumed away.

Salt:Sprinkle the stain with plenty of table salt, allow it to take effect and then vacuum up the reddish salt. Carefully dab off any salt residue with a cloth soaked in carbonated mineral water

Talcum powder:Carefully dab the red wine stain from the outside in with a clean cloth. Then treat the stain with sparkling water and cover it with talcum powder. After a few minutes, either brush off the powder or use a vacuum cleaner to remove it. If the stain is still visible, repeat the procedure until the discoloration has disappeared. Important: Talcum powder should not get into the respiratory tract. It is therefore better to wear a respiratory mask when using this method of stain removal.

How do you clean heavily soiled upholstered furniture?

Sometimes it takes a little more effort to get heavily soiled sofas and the like clean again. Steam or wet vacuum cleaners are the ideal companions for this. But what is the difference between the two vacuum cleaners and which is better suited for cleaning upholstered furniture?

Steam cleaner:In a steam cleaner, water is heated until it shoots out of the nozzle as steam under high pressure. Additional cleaning agents are not needed for treatment with a steam cleaner. Devices like these not only effectively remove all types of stains. They also have a disinfecting effect. This means that in addition to stains and dirt deep in the fabric, mites and bacteria are also eliminated with the help of steam. There is one disadvantage, however: steam cleaners are not suitable for sensitive materials!

Wet vacuum cleaner:A vacuum cleaner is comparable to a bagless vacuum cleaner. The only difference is that the vacuum cleaner can also remove wet stains. In direct comparison with a steam cleaner, it has another advantage. The stain is not only treated with hot steam. Liquids can also be sucked up before they have a chance to penetrate the fabric.

Which type of cleaning device is the better alternative depends on the type of dirt. We think both do an excellent job of cleaning upholstered furniture.