Most Natural and Cheap Ways to Clean Furniture
Regardless of how clean a person keeps his or her home, it is inevitable that the furniture will eventually need cleaning. Whether it is spot cleaning due to a spill or a thorough all-over cleaning, it is important to use the right products. While a person might be inclined to buy commercial cleaning products to do the trick, these products contain chemicals that aren’t always environmentally or health friendly. Instead, one’s kitchen is often filled with natural products that can safely be used to create all natural cleaning product recipes that are suitable for furniture. In addition to being eco-friendly, a person will also save a significant amount of money by using natural products such as lemons, vinegar and baking soda. The key to DIY natural cleaners is knowing what natural product to use for the cleaning one’s couches and cushions versus other furniture such as wooden tables or accents.
Removing Stains from Upholstery
Upholstery can easily become stained; particularly in households with children and pets. DIY natural cleaners are useful in removing stains from sofas and their cushions and even mattresses. To remove stains caused by spilled juice, food stains like those caused by dripped ketchup or spilled coffee, club soda on a clean cloth may work sufficiently. For more problematic stains, like those caused by pets and/or urine, scrub the area with a mixture of water and vinegar. Vinegar may also be used to remove grease stains from suede furniture.
Wood Furniture Cleaning
Vinegar, lemon juice and linseed oil are an example of a natural recipe for wood cleaner. Additional recipes use either lemon or vinegar in combination with olive oil to create an effective cleaner for one’s wood furniture. This combination of natural ingredients should only be used on wood that has been sealed. When cleaning wood, use a soft, clean cloth to rub the natural cleaner recipe of one’s choice into the wood.
Household Recipes lists household recipes for natural cleaning products. The document includes a recipe for an upholstery stain remover and wood furniture polish.
Leather and Fabric Upholstery Cleaning
DIY natural cleaners are a good option for cleaning leather furniture such as a leather coach or chair. A mixture of lemon and olive oil makes for a simple cleaner for leather. A paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar is an effective way to remove spots from leather. The paste is gently wiped onto the area with the spot and wiped clean. A dry upholstery cleaner for fabric sofas may be made from a mixture of cornstarch and baking soda, both of which will also help remove undesirable odors from upholstery.
Understanding Upholstery Fabric Cleaning Codes
Do you have a stain on your sofa? A dirt spot on your chair? It can be tricky to figure out the best course of action for dirt and stains on upholstery. Luckily, most decorator fabrics and upholstery pieces are labeled with a cleaning code and, once you understand the codes, you can tackle most mild cleaning jobs yourself. We’re going to take a look at those cleaning codes as well as some best practices for great looking, long-lasting upholstery.
The first thing to do if you have a stain on your upholstery is to look for the fabric’s cleaning code. If the piece is store-bought, the code should be on the tag. If it’s been reupholstered, check with the fabric manufacturer
Once you’ve determined how to clean your fabric, it’s always a good idea to pre-test the cleaner on a small, inconspicuous spot on the fabric. This way you can make sure the cleaner works and doesn’t leave a spot or cause the colors to bleed. If you’re in doubt about how to proceed, it’s usually best to call a professional upholstery cleaner.
“W”—Code W stands for ‘Water based cleaner’ and these are the easiest fabrics to clean. This is not the same as being machine washable, however. This code means that you can spot clean your fabric with a water-based shampoo or foam upholstery cleaner. You can use a brush to agitate the cleaner or even an upholstery attachment on a carpet cleaner. Be careful to avoid over-wetting the stain.
“S”—Fabrics that are Code S must be cleaned with solvents (dry clean only). You can spot treat stains with a water-free solvent or dry-cleaning product. Use solvent cleaners in a well-ventilated room and keep away from open flames. Avoid using cleaning products containing carbon tetrachloride, as it is highly toxic.
How to Clean a Sofa
It is an inevitable fact of life–sofas get dirty. Chip crumbs find their ways into the cracks, drinks get spilled, and pets track mud all over the surface of these sturdy pieces of furniture. Luckily, cleaning a sofa is relatively easy–all you need is a bit of time and some great cleaning supplies
Vacuum up large particles. Before getting into the deep-cleaning, you want to remove any surface debris or particles from the surface of the sofa. Use a dust-buster or a hose attachment on a full-sized vacuum cleaner to clear the sofa
Use a bristle brush. If there are any spots that have heavy dust or dirt caked in, use a stiff-bristled brush to break up the spots and vacuum up the released dirt. Rub vigorously, but not hard enough to damage the fabric
Remove lint and fur. Although some companies make products specifically for households with pets, your average vacuum cleaner won’t be able to remove lint or pet hair. Use a lint roller to remove what the vacuum cleaner can’t.
Wipe down any exposed hard surfaces. Many sofas have exposed wood or other materials, and you want to make sure you give them attention too. Find a cleaning product appropriate for the surface you want to clean. An all-purpose surface cleaner will suffice if you don’t have a surface-specific product on hand
How to Give Your Natural-Fabric Couch a Deep Clean
After a long day, your cosy couch is the perfect place to unwind, which sometimes involves stinky feet or a late-night snack. You might not realize your couch is a bit dirty, but giving it a deep clean helps remove built-up stuff that you’d rather not think about — like sloughed-off skin cells and leftover bits of food. If you have a natural-fabric couch, here’s how to make your sofa look like new again.
Identify the Fabric
Couches come in lots of shapes and materials, with some even having removable and washable cushions. If you are lucky enough to have a cotton-blend or linen couch, you can easily clean it with natural ingredients. Before getting started, give your couch a good once-over to figure out what it’s made from.
Prep Your Couch
Get your couch ready for grooming by using a clean and dry white hand towel or wash cloth to brush the entire piece of furniture, breaking up any dried-on spots and removing any bits that have made homes of nooks and crannies. You can also use a stiff brush for this step. Avoid using any coloured towels or sponges, as the dye may alter the colour of your couch.
Deep Clean
Sprinkle the entire couch with a good heap of baking soda. Baking soda helps release lurking smells and break up stains in the fabric. If you’re feeling your sofa really needs a serious clean, mix together this dry natural carpet cleaner, and then use for covering the fabric. Allow the baking soda to sit on the couch for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour before vacuuming using a brush attachment
Stains, Begone
Now take a closer look at the couch to find any lingering stains. Mix together this easy cleaning solution, and do a small fabric spot test in an unseen location to check if there’s any discolouration. Dip the wash cloth in the cleaning solution, and gently dab and rub stains — or simply use for wiping down the entire couch. You’ll be amazed with the results!
Upholstery Cleaning and Maintenance Hacks to Keep Your Sofa As New
Sofa, armchairs and other soft furnishing are a big investment for every homeowner and require certain maintenance if you want them to be hygienic and look good, even after years of use. Regular vacuuming and professional upholstery cleaning are a must to prevent the fabric from wear. But there are some other tricks that will help you prolong your furniture’s life and keep it looking as good as new for a very long time.
Bring Back Upholstery Colours with Scrubbing Brush
If you notice that your sofa’s colour has started to look faded, don’t reach out for furniture catalogue yet! Sometimes the reason the upholstery looks dull is dust, accumulated deep into the fabric’s fibres. Next time you are about to clean your sofa, take a few minutes and brush the fabric well. This will help loosen the fibres and when you run a vacuum, you will extract the deeply settled dust. After you are done the upholstery’s colour will look brighter and fresher
Fluff the Cushions to Save Their Shape
At some point, sofa cushions start looking deformed. We sit and lean on them day after day, so it is natural they start losing their shape. There are two things you can do to avoid this and protect the sofa from wear. Every now and then, take all the removable cushions of your sofa out and fluff them thoroughly. This will prevent the filling from flattening and the fabric from stretching. You can also flip the cushions if they are two-sided to avoid uneven wear and deformation
Get Rid of Pet Hair Using Tape
Even the most expensive home vacuum cleaners aren’t able to extract all of the pet hair from the upholstery. Especially, when you are dealing with short, thick kinds of fur. However, the only thing you need to pull out pet hair from the fabric is paper tape. Wrap the tape around your hand like a glove, with the adhesive side out. Tap the upholstery gently and you will be amazed how much hairs you will collect. You can use this trick to remove easily food crumbles and grit.
Lift Grease Stains with Salt
Grease stain is always bad news. If you let it sit, there’s a big chance it will become a permanent spot. The best thing to do, when dealing with a grease stain on your upholstery, is to lift the grease with salt. Cover the spill with a paper towel to extract the excessive oil. After that, sprinkle a generous amount of salt directly onto the stain. Let it sit like this for 30 minutes and vacuum. Salt will absorb most if not all of the grease. After this procedure treat the upholstery with appropriate stain removal product
