When it comes to cleaning a sofa from dirt or unpleasant odors, the first thing that comes to mind is the use of improvised means. Soda has long established itself as an effective powder for combating not only various stains, but also as an excellent sorbent that absorbs all unpleasant “odors.” Even taking into account the very low cost, it gives excellent results. However, before you start cleaning, read the basic rules that will help you not harm the upholstery and make the process easier and less stressful.
How to make homemade cleaning solution using baking soda and vinegar.
Main ingredients of the cleanser:
- soda;
- table vinegar;
- water.
To make a homemade cleaning solution you will need:
- main ingredients;
- utensils for cooking.
To clean a large sofa you need one teaspoon of baking soda, two to three tablespoons of slightly warmed vinegar and a liter of water. All this must be mixed in one container to a paste-like state and left for 5-10 minutes before use. If this volume is not enough, you can always easily and quickly prepare more.
Cleaning with vinegar
Vinegar is an inexpensive and effective cleaning agent that can be found in every housewife’s kitchen. By itself, without soda, it has a delicate effect on the material and is usually used for everyday preventive cleaning of furniture. Using vinegar, you can easily remove worn-out and greasy stains and restore the brightness of the colors of textile upholstery.
To prepare a cleaning solution, pour 1 teaspoon of 70% vinegar (essence) into a liter container of water. Now you can soak a sponge or piece of cotton cloth in the resulting solution and wipe the contaminated surface.
Like every method, cleaning sofas with baking soda and vinegar has both its advantages and disadvantages.
The main advantages include:
- cleaning efficiency and removal of fresh stains;
- neutralization of harmful odors;
- the return of bright fabric colors;
- removal of contaminants;
- Possibility of application for both natural and artificial fibers;
- availability and low cost of cleaning products.
But the method also has its drawbacks: the product is not recommended for use on some types of expensive fabrics; it does not remove complex stains and old dirt.
Before you start cleaning the sofa, you need to do the following:
- Clean the surface of the sofa from things, decor, large and small debris.
- Using household appliances, using various attachments, remove dust and dirt from the upholstery fabric and wipe the parts of the body.
- An alternative to using household appliances is the knockout method. In order to effectively knock out dust from a sofa, you need to place a damp sheet on the surface of the furniture and, using a beater, beat out the fabric, changing the sheets until they stop getting dirty.
Next, you should choose a cleaning method. There are two ways to clean a sofa using a mixture of baking soda and vinegar:
- wet cleaning;
- dry cleaning;
Recommendations for upholstered furniture
Before cleaning, the furniture must be thoroughly vacuumed or wiped, getting rid of dust, so that there are no streaks left after manipulation. For the same purpose, stains are cleaned from the periphery to the center. To avoid leaving traces, it is advisable to treat the sofa completely and not partially.
When carrying out wet cleaning, you do not need to wet the furniture abundantly so as not to stimulate the formation of mold. It will be enough to moisten the fabric a little.
Sodium bicarbonate must be carefully removed from the surface - rinse or vacuum up. Residues of the substance may begin to collect moisture or dust from the air, which will accelerate the contamination of the sofa upholstery. Delicate fabrics (tapestry, silk, velvet, velor) are cleaned dry, avoiding excessive friction. Flock and chenille are afraid of mechanical damage.
Wet cleaning as the main method of partially cleaning a sofa and removing stains
Traditionally used to eliminate stains and heavily soiled areas. With this method, the solution must be of such a consistency that it can be sprayed onto the surface using a spray bottle.
Cleaning professionals recommend making it this way: add 1/3 cup of food vinegar and a tablespoon of soda to 0.5 liters of water. The solution is poured into a spray bottle and sprayed onto a dust-free surface. After 15–20 minutes, clean the surface with a brush or kitchen sponge and wipe the area with clean water.
If you need to remove old dirt and refresh a greasy area, another recipe for a homemade cleaning product will help.
To effectively clean a sofa - vinegar, alcohol, water, soda - the best recipe. That is, it is necessary to add alcohol to the solution, which, thanks to its chemical capabilities, activates the action of the main ingredients and enhances their cleansing effect.
How to quickly and effectively remove odor?
Even if there are no visible stains on the upholstery of upholstered furniture, it may no longer seem entirely fresh due to its smell. It could just be an old smell if the sofa is many years old, or the smell of tobacco that has permeated it, etc.
You can easily get rid of it by mixing:
- 900 ml water;
- 100 ml 9% table vinegar.
In the resulting vinegar solution, you need to wet a sheet (of sufficient size to cover the entire sofa) and place it on the sofa for 20 minutes.
Usually one procedure is enough, but if the smell is very old, then it can be repeated several times.
You can find out more about ways to eliminate various odors from your sofa here.
Dry cleaning a sofa is a general method for cleaning furniture surfaces
After treating heavily soiled surfaces, you can then carry out the so-called “dry cleaning”. The method boils down to spreading baking soda over the surface of the sofa and leaving it for 40–60 minutes. During this time, it absorbs dirt and unpleasant odors. After an hour, the soda is carefully brushed off with a stiff brush, and then the surface is treated with a damp light rag soaked in a vinegar solution.
When cleaning a sofa, you must follow the following basic rules:
- conduct preliminary testing of a self-prepared solution on an inconspicuous area of the upholstery;
- do not apply increased mechanical force to the soft surface of furniture;
- use personal protective equipment when working with the solution;
- Aerate the room after completing cleaning.
Using a basic solution of baking soda and vinegar, adding various ingredients can create cleaning mixtures that can easily deal with any problem.
On what surface of the sofa can vinegar be used?
To ensure that cleaning a sofa or other upholstered furniture with soda and vinegar does not cause trouble, pay attention to the quality of the upholstery.
- These components cannot be used in cases where the upholstery material contains silk fibers.
- Velor, velvet and suede do not like excessive moisture and friction. To clean them, more gentle methods are chosen.
- Also, this method is not suitable for bright colored fabrics.
Additional Information! Thanks to modern technologies, many upholstery materials have increased density, abrasion resistance, color fastness, and special impregnation. Complex chemical compositions are no longer required to clean them. “Home remedies” will do the job perfectly.
Recommendations from professionals regarding specific issues of cleaning a sofa:
- To remove fresh grease stains, apply a thick layer of baking soda, which absorbs grease. After this, the soda is cleaned off and the area is washed with a weak solution of vinegar and water;
- greasy areas of the sofa (back and armrests) are wiped with a mixture of soda, vinegar with the addition of any dishwashing detergent; to remove old dirt, add universal washing powder that does not contain bleach to a solution of soda and vinegar; when cleaning difficult stains, add hydrogen peroxide to the cleaning solution (not recommended for colored fabrics);
- You can remove traces of paint or marker using a solution of soda, vinegar with the addition of ammonia;
- traces of cosmetics and lipstick are easily removed with a paste-like mixture of soda and vinegar or soda with lemon juice;
- the smell of spilled alcohol can be easily removed by applying a solution of soda and vinegar to the area, and then thoroughly wiping it with water and adding a few drops of aromatic oil;
- When cleaning a sofa, it is strictly not recommended to use hot water, which can lead to a change in the performance characteristics of the upholstery surface and deterioration in the appearance of the product;
- it is necessary to use special attachments for vacuum cleaners and brushes for cleaning of medium hardness; Do not add bleach ingredients to the cleaning solution;
- after home cleaning, be sure to remove excess moisture from the surface of the furniture;
- Do not use the furniture until the upholstery surface is completely dry.
After carefully reading our tips and recommendations from professionals, you can clean the sofa yourself using accessible and inexpensive products - soda and vinegar.
Their effective solution with the addition of various components will help remove stains and return the furniture to its original appearance. But, if, nevertheless, you are faced with contaminants that cannot be removed, then in this case, you should seek the help of professionals who, having experience and the necessary skills, can easily cope with the task and return the product to its cleanliness and beautiful appearance, and to you good mood!
Using only soda
If suddenly you don’t have either baking soda or vinegar at home, you don’t have to buy both. Just baking soda is enough. Its use is perfect for fresh stains. To get rid of an unpleasant stain, you need to pour a little sodium bicarbonate on it and leave for about 30 minutes. Then remove with a vacuum cleaner.
Using hydrogen peroxide
You can clean the sofa of traces of berries, vegetables, fruits, tea, coffee, wine with a mixture of NaHCO3 and hydrogen peroxide.
It must be prepared as follows:
- Soda and hydrogen peroxide are mixed in proportions 1:2. The mass should be prepared for one time, as the mixture cannot be stored;
- apply this composition to the dirty area;
- the connection begins to provide a stain;
Expert opinion
Attention!
IMPORTANT. If the mixture gets on a clean fabric, it may discolor it, so you should avoid getting it on other areas.
- the solution is removed with a damp sponge, the area is washed with water;
- The wet mark must be dried with a hairdryer.
Expert opinion
Carefully!
NOTE. Caution must be taken. When cleaning contaminants with vinegar or ammonia, you must work with rubber gloves, and the room must be well ventilated.
Reviews of soda dry cleaning
According to housewives, cleaning the carpet with soda is safe at home, which is one of the undeniable advantages.
This substance is environmentally friendly and practically incapable of harming health. Sodium bicarbonate is a non-toxic compound that, when used wisely, cannot cause allergies or poisoning. Soda is safe, it is widely available, it is very inexpensive, and only professional hypoallergenic dry cleaning products used by cleaning companies can compete with it. Another advantage of soda is that it is cheap. According to this criterion, the product cannot be compared with any other cleaning product except laundry soap. If you want to save money, consumers advise cleaning with soda, which is sometimes supplemented with peroxide.
Cleaning the carpet with baking soda and vinegar can achieve good results. Such manipulations eliminate dirt, kill germs and remove strong odors, restoring the brightness of the color. It is difficult to harm a carpet product with pure soda; only some fibers can be damaged by such a solution. Housewives believe that among all folk remedies this is the safest for human health.
How to clean a sofa?
The most resourceful readers of the women's website “Beautiful and Successful” who live in big cities can clean the sofa using a “cunning” method that we found on the Internet.
Invite representatives of any marketing company selling cleaning products or super-duper household appliances (for example, Kirby, Zepter) to your home, supposedly for a presentation and invite them to demonstrate their product on your favorite sofa.
This cleaning method will cost you a couple of hours of wasted time.
The main thing is to carefully observe the magical transformation of your sofa, admire, but not succumb to the persuasion of company representatives who can smell a potential buyer a mile away.
With words of gratitude and a promise to think about purchasing the product, close the door behind the representatives and admire the clean sofa
If this method does not suit you, we suggest you get acquainted with other ways to clean a sofa at home.
