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Sofas are the most popular piece of furniture for furnishing private houses and apartments. They sleep on it, relax, wrap themselves in a blanket, and on top of all this, all the pets jump on this item. Children love to play on it, jump, frolic and eat right away. After some time, the furniture upholstery loses its original and attractive appearance, and then the question arises of how to clean it. Today we will look at an option such as cleaning upholstered furniture at home with vinegar and soda.
Preparing the surface
Before you start cleaning upholstered furniture with vinegar and soda, you need to thoroughly clean it:
- To do this, you will need an ordinary vacuum cleaner with any type of dust collector. The main condition is that its suction power is at least 350 W.
- If you don't have a vacuum cleaner, then an ordinary beater will come to your aid. To do this, it is best to take the upholstered furniture item outside.
- In addition to cleaning the dust, you need to clean the sofa from pet hair. Use a brush with stiff bristles, and you will forget about this problem for a long time.
- If you have a steam vacuum cleaner in your home, then use it. With this unit you can clean the sofa from dust and mites, which are often found in upholstered furniture that has a pile greater than 8 mm.
Cleaning dirt on the sofa and armchair
Some young housewives are thinking about how to clean the sofa from everyday dust and dirt. The most easily removed and widespread pollutant is dust from exhaust gases. Of course, dust and soot can settle on any surface. However, due to the ability to accumulate static electricity, soft upholstery attracts dirt the most. Cleaning a leather sofa is done with a damp cloth, which removes dust. But covering with a pile comes down to removing stains with a vacuum cleaner with a special attachment for fabric. This method allows you to eliminate not only minor dirt, but also dust inside the upholstery.
If you clean a light-colored sofa with a liquid, the surface will subsequently become covered with noticeable stains. Old stains of this type are almost impossible to remove.
Preparing a solution containing vinegar and soda
So, in order to clean upholstered furniture at home with vinegar and soda, you need to follow the following recommendations:
- Take 200 ml of purified warm water.
- Add five tablespoons of nine percent ordinary vinegar.
- Add one tablespoon of washing powder and the same amount of sodium bicarbonate.
- The whole mixture will begin to foam abundantly, so you need to take a large bowl for this purpose.
- Pour the entire mixture into a container with a spray bottle or spray bottle.
Important! To prepare this solution it is not necessary to add powder. However, it will make your sofa cleaner and smell nice.
If your sofa is textile and has a light shade, then you can add lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide to this mixture. These two ingredients act as bleaching agents and will give your sofa a lighter shade and remove any stubborn stains.
Cleaning the sofa
It is necessary to clean upholstered furniture with vinegar and soda when the reaction of these ingredients is still in progress. You simply need to spray the product onto the upholstery from all sides and immediately wipe it off with a sponge. There is no need to wait for it to dry, absorb or anything else - all stains will be removed instantly.
Important! Under no circumstances should you sprinkle sodium bicarbonate on the upholstery or pour vinegar and water over it. This will be a bad experience, which will lead to corrosion of the base material, and a white spot will remain on the surface for a long time, since all the soda will not dissolve.
Ready-made chemicals
You can also clean the sofa with chemicals. While studying the sofa cleaning product, we familiarize ourselves with its description and rules of use. The description indicates what type of fabric it is intended for:
- "Vanish " The line of this product includes shampoo, antibacterial agent and powder. For coatings that do not tolerate moisture, we use the latter (cleaning using the dry method);
- "Marseille Soap" . Contains olive oil and baking soda. Used to clean small stains. Wet the soap, rub the stained area and after 20 minutes rinse with a damp cloth;
- "Denkmit" - foam for cleaning carpet and sofa upholstery. We use it for velvet, tapestry and silk coverings;
- "Sama " Effectively fights old stains, dirt and bacteria;
- Bagi "Shtihonit" . We use it as a stain remover and as a complete cleaning agent;
We also recommend that all housewives find out how to wash kitchen towels from old grease stains and odors.
- "Pro Brite " An environmentally friendly product, suitable for people with allergies. It has a sprayer that is convenient for applying the product to local areas of the upholstery;
- "Dufta" , "Simple Solution" , "Nature's Miracle" . These products effectively combat unpleasant odors and completely eliminate them.
We only use soda
When deciding how to clean a sofa at home with soda and vinegar, it is not necessary to purchase these two ingredients. If you only have soda at home right now, that’s enough.
Important! The use of sodium bicarbonate is only suitable for those stains that have just appeared.
In order to eliminate this drawback, it is necessary:
- pour sodium bicarbonate onto the stain and leave for half an hour;
- The remaining product is removed using a vacuum cleaner.
Important! Please note that you can only use units with an aquafilter or a plastic container. The use of dust bags of various types and HEPA filters is prohibited.
Another way to use soda is to dissolve this substance in water. To do this you need:
- Take 300 milliliters of liquid from 100 grams of soda powder.
- Mix it up.
- Using a spray bottle, spray the product onto the newly formed stain.
Important! Despite the fact that this solution is white, it does not leave stains on the upholstery, and removes all imperfections in a matter of minutes.
How to clean a sofa with baking soda at home
At home, removing stubborn stains can be very difficult. To deal with stains and get rid of odors without using an aggressive detergent, you can clean the sofa with soda and vinegar, peroxide, washing powder or alcohol.
Dry cleaning a sofa with baking soda
Baking soda is considered an effective cleaning agent for upholstered furniture. It disinfects and kills pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms: for example, dust mites.
To get rid of a stain without using a solution, simply sprinkle baking soda over the stain in a 1-2 cm layer. Leave for 40-50 minutes, then use a vacuum cleaner to collect the powder.
Dry cleaning works well for removing fresh stains.
Soda powder can also be used to dry the sofa after using liquid solutions. When you remove the solution, simply fill the wet area with baking soda - it absorbs moisture well, allowing the sofa to dry out faster.
Cleaning a sofa with baking soda and vinegar
Cleaning the sofa with vinegar and soda will also help get rid of unpleasant odors, including the acrid smell of urine or the corrosive “aroma” of tobacco.
However, before using soda solutions, check whether the sofa upholstery will change color under the influence of the powder. To do this, carry out a test cleaning on a small area; if the fabric changes color after the procedure, you cannot use soda.
There are several ways to clean and disinfect upholstered furniture:
- A combined solution of baking soda powder and acetic acid, which is suitable for removing blood, urine and other greasy stains. Take a spray bottle, pour in 1/3 tbsp. vinegar essence and 0.5 l. water. Then add 1 tbsp. l. soda powder. Spray the product evenly over the surface and leave for 10-15 minutes. Remove foam with a medium-hard brush, then wipe with a damp cloth.
- Cleaning with vinegar solution. The solution is prepared from 1 tsp. 9% vinegar diluted in 1 liter. water. Soak a sheet in the prepared solution and cover the entire surface of the sofa with it. If one sheet is not enough, use two. Take a beater and thoroughly tap the upholstered furniture - all the dirt will remain on the sheet. Repeat the procedure until the sheet stops getting dirty. For a more delicate cleaning, reduce the amount of vinegar to 1/2 teaspoon. — this solution is suitable for cleaning velor sofas.
Vinegar, baking soda and detergent for cleaning a sofa
To remove stubborn stains, you can use a mixture of any detergent and baking soda powder. This mixture penetrates better into the fabric structure, removing even deeply ingrained stains.
- Take 1 tbsp. soda powder and 1 tbsp. any dishwashing detergent: for example, “Fairy”. If you don’t have dishwashing liquid on hand, use the same amount of any liquid soap.
- Dilute the components in 500 ml. water. Stir until a thick foam forms, then apply the foam mixture to the contaminated area. Leave for 2-3 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with a little water.
- The only disadvantage of this product is the possible appearance of stains on the fabric. For a streak-free cleanser, replace soap or Fairy with 1 tablespoon fabric softener.
If you can’t clean the upholstery using a gentle method, it’s time to use the “heavy artillery” - a soda-vinegar solution, which is prepared in the following proportions:
- Mix 1 tsp in a large volume spray bottle. dish soap, 150 ml. 9% vinegar and 0.5 l. hot water. Shake, then add 1 tbsp. soda
- The spray bottle will begin to produce abundant foam, at which point the substance should be sprayed onto the contaminated area.
- Wait 5 minutes, then wipe the “foamy” areas with a brush or damp sponge.
Using Vinegar
Are you still thinking about how to clean upholstered furniture with soda and vinegar without sodium bicarbonate? There is always a way out! You can use vinegar.
Important! It is great for removing stains from grease, wine, cigarette ash, blood and many other troubles.
Vinegar is poured into a spray bottle. They “spray” the spot on the spot - after a quarter of an hour, no traces remain. The only “minus” is that a characteristic odor appears, which goes away on its own after 3-4 hours. An unpleasant vinegar odor can be eliminated using a vacuum cleaner.
Important! Vinegar with the highest acid content is most effective for removing stains. Therefore, if you have such an essence, it will do a great job with various stains.
Separate use of active ingredients
Before cleaning a sofa at home, you need to check how the material will react to the cleaning composition.
It should be applied to a small area, preferably in a very inconspicuous place, and wait.
Acetic acid, like alcohol, can discolor the upholstery, especially if the furniture is covered with bright material painted with unstable dyes.
Soda is safer in this regard, so you can use these components separately. Cleaning a sofa with baking soda is as follows:
- the material should be slightly moistened using a spray bottle;
- the wet surface should be sprinkled with a layer of sodium hypochlorite;
- leave the product for 15-20 minutes;
- The upholstery is cleaned with a brush that has natural bristles; movements are recommended to be made in one direction;
- remove excess soda using a vacuum cleaner;
- furniture should be sprayed with a weak solution of acetic acid;
- excess moisture should be blotted with paper napkins or towels;
- the surface is dried.
To properly clean a sofa with soda and vinegar, it is important to consider what material the upholstery is made of.
Recommendations for upholstered furniture
In order to resort to cleaning furniture at home with soda, vinegar, and powder as little as possible, you should adhere to certain recommendations.
Some tips for caring for your sofa:
- You should purchase a sofa according to the part of the house in which you plan to place it.
- There is no need to buy a piece of furniture with light-colored upholstery for a home with large dogs.
- After purchase, you need to cover the upholstery with a sofa deck, blanket or other similar product.
- Don't eat while sitting on the couch.
- Don't forget about cleaning. Clean the upholstery periodically using special products.