TOP 9 effective budget ways to clean a greasy sofa at home

02/19/201702/24/2017 Maria Ivanova 3 comments

Every apartment, house or administrative building has furniture that differs from each other in quality, technical characteristics, materials from which it is made, etc.

From time to time it is necessary to clean the furniture, as dust, dirt, and greasy stains settle on it, which can sometimes be quite difficult to get rid of.

In order not to damage the surfaces of the furniture during cleaning, you should know what products can be used and how to wash it correctly. In this article we will talk about popular ways to care for polished and other furniture at home.

General rules for furniture care

The easiest way to care for furniture is to clean it from dust. Dust is always present in the house, covering all pieces of furniture.

It is necessary to wash furniture from dust with a damp or dry cloth.

How to care for furniture if it has a varnished surface? Lacquered furniture should be washed with a damp cloth with an antistatic agent, then wiped dry.

Updating the upholstery color of upholstered furniture

The color of furniture can be restored using special restorative household preparations - sprays, ointments. Wax or vegetable oil (in limited quantities) can give the coating its original shine. Returning the fabric to its original appearance is not so easy. You can reupholster the sofa with new material, or put on removable covers. The best way to prevent a fabric covering from “aging” is to clean it in a timely manner.

How to clean polished furniture

Polished furniture is very beautiful. But only if it is well-groomed and clean. Dust settled on a polished surface is immediately visible, which is why it is necessary to clean it daily!

It is best to wipe it with special care products that contain antistatic agents. Thanks to them, a film appears that does not accumulate electrical charges. In this case, the dust settles more slowly and you can wipe it not every day, but at least every other day.

In practice, daily furniture care is not always possible, so experienced housewives try to use various methods of cleaning furniture. The most popular product for caring for polished and varnished furniture is “Polish”.

Polish

To remove stains, apply a small amount to a soft, dry cloth and wipe the stain. If after your actions there are stains left on the surface of the product, remove them with a dry cloth.

How to clean furniture at home

In the fight to keep your favorite furniture clean, you will probably need one of the following options for cleaning furniture at home.

Methods for cleaning polished furniture

How to remove stains from furniture

Here we will tell you how to deal with various types of furniture stains.

If none of the proposed methods suits you, you can buy a special furniture cleaning product in the store, for example, “Pronto”.

Attention! When working with such drugs, strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions and take precautions.

Pronto

Useful tips for caring for furniture

• Regularly care for polished furniture to prevent dust and dirt from accumulating on it.
• Avoid using household chemicals if there are people in the family who are prone to allergies. Use mostly natural products.
• When wiping furniture, use only soft fabric: flannel, flannel, wool (cloth), suede or velvet, so as not to leave scratches on the surface.
• If there are carved decorations on the cabinets, remove dust from them with a soft brush.
• Do not place hot objects on furniture: cups, kettles, irons - use special stands.
• Do not use cologne, alcohol, or acetone to remove stains - their influence will dull the polish.

Getting rid of unpleasant odor

It is important to know not only how to clean upholstered furniture quickly at home, but also how to remove unpleasant odors. For this purpose, you can use such effective means as salt, tea bags, coffee:

1. Salt is an excellent absorbent. It should be sprinkled on the surface of upholstered furniture and left for a couple of hours, then removed with a vacuum cleaner.
2. Herbal tea bags will help remove unpleasant odors. To do this, they need to be laid out on the surface of the furniture and left for several days. Tea will remove the odors of animals, beer, tobacco, and fish.
3. Ground coffee is scattered over the surface of the furniture and left for several hours. Then the upholstery needs to be vacuumed.

Reasons for the popularity of furniture covers, types of models

Salt is sprinkled on the surface of upholstered furniture, left for a couple of hours, and then removed with a vacuum cleaner.

Herbal tea bags are laid out on a contaminated surface and left for several days.

Ground coffee is scattered over the upholstery and left for several hours, then vacuumed

Wooden unpolished furniture

It should be remembered that the surface of unpolished furniture is much more susceptible to dirt, since it is not protected by a layer of furniture varnish. Therefore, it must be cleaned regularly, ideally daily, with a vacuum cleaner with a soft bristle attachment.

Brush - vacuum cleaner for cleaning furniture

This will help avoid the accumulation of dust, which gets into the smallest cracks of the wood and gives the furniture an untidy grayish tint. If contamination cannot be avoided, wipe the surface with a damp soft cloth and then wipe dry. Heavy stains can be wiped with soapy water and the remaining residue can be removed immediately with a dry, clean cloth.

Attention! Products for polished furniture should not be used, as they will leave greasy stains that are difficult to remove on the wooden surface.

The video in this article will help you

General recommendations for care and cleaning

To keep upholstered furniture looking like new for a long time, follow these recommendations:

• Dry vacuuming is more of a maintenance item than a one-size-fits-all solution. It will remove the dust, but not the stain. An exception is a washing vacuum cleaner and cleaning foam.
• Cleaning a sofa or chair should begin from top to bottom, in this order: back, armrests, seat, bottom of the product.
• During wet cleaning, excess moisture should be removed with a paper napkin or towel to avoid the development of fungus and mold.
• A washing vacuum cleaner or steam generator removes stains well without additional products.
• Upholstery made of nubuck, flock, velor should be treated with a rubber brush after cleaning, or a shoe brush.
• To prevent the original coating from suffering so much from stains, it is worth using covers.

How to clean upholstered furniture

Today we will tell you about how to care for upholstered furniture at home. The simplest solution is to use the numerous cleaning products that are offered in a wide range at our hardware stores.

However, the main rule for their use here is to strictly follow the instructions specified by the manufacturers, so that instead of shining cleanliness, you do not end up with faded spots or streaks on your favorite tapestry.

It is also important to remember that you should not get carried away with cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, since it can damage the upholstery of upholstered furniture, especially if it is fleecy fabrics. Frequent use of a vacuum cleaner can damage the lint of the upholstery fabric.

It is better to wipe such upholstered furniture along the pile with a damp cloth dipped in warm water with a little soap added. If you use the wet cleaning method, remember that the upholstery should dry naturally.

Wet cleaning of upholstered furniture

How to remove stains from upholstered furniture?

It doesn’t matter, removing a stain from a fabric covering is quite simple - folk remedies will help us with this.

How to remove stains from furniture

How to remove the smell of cat urine from the sofa

How to deal with such trouble?
There are several surefire ways that will help not only remove the smell of cat urine from upholstered furniture, but also restore it to its former freshness and cleanliness, with your own hands.

Remedies to help remove cat urine from furniture

1. Using glycerin soap. It is glycerin that can successfully fight urea, which is found in excess in cat urine. It is urea that gives a specific unpleasant odor, which can linger in the upholstery of the sofa for a long time. The soap should be thoroughly rubbed into the dirty surface of the sofa, rubbed with a coarse bristle brush, then rinsed with water and allowed to dry thoroughly.
2. Regular laundry soap will help . You need to prepare a paste from it - grate the block and add warm water. Apply the resulting paste-like substance to the stain and rub in well. Wait a while (about 20-30 minutes) and rinse with water. This method will give a positive result if you use it immediately after the cat has gone to the toilet on the sofa!
3. Lemon . Lemon is a fairly effective way to combat the smell of cat urine on the upholstery of a sofa. You need to squeeze lemon juice into any bowl, wet a sponge and carefully treat the area on the furniture where the cat has pooped. By the way, these animals do not perceive the smell of citrus fruits, and, most likely, the cat will not mark this area again!
4. Hydrogen peroxide can quickly remove cat urine stains along with the unpleasant odor. To treat, you need to take 3% peroxide and test it on an inconspicuous area of ​​the upholstery, because the product can discolor the surface. Peroxide is applied to the stain and allowed to dry. This procedure needs to be repeated several times, then it will help get rid of the smell left by the cat.
5. The most common method that avid “cat lovers” advise each other is to remove the smell of cat urine using alcohol or any other alcohol-containing product. Alcohol is also pre-applied to an area of ​​the sofa upholstery that is invisible. The treatment procedure is similar to the method with hydrogen peroxide: rub the stain left by the cat’s “crime” with a sponge or cotton pad soaked in alcohol, wait until it dries. Repeat 2-3 times. There is no need to rinse off, since the essential oils contained in the alcohol solution will disappear on their own over time.
6. Potassium permanganate solution is very popular among cat lovers. However, it is better to use it on a sofa that has dark upholstery, otherwise manganese can turn light furniture a specific pink color. Several crystals of potassium permanganate are dissolved in a glass of warm water and a sponge soaked in it is carefully treated with traces of the cat’s tricks. The procedure is repeated until the desired result is obtained.
7. Table vinegar. Table vinegar will also help remove the smell of cat urine on the sofa. You need to moisten cotton wool or a bandage in it and wipe the place where the cat decided to relieve its natural needs. Do not be afraid of the specific smell that will replace the unpleasant aroma of cat amber, because after a while it will evaporate without a trace.
8. Baking soda. Soda should be mixed with a small amount of water to form a homogeneous paste. Apply the mixture to the contaminated area and rub with a brush. Let it dry completely, then wipe off any remaining baking soda with a dry sponge or soft cloth.

Professional cleaning products

Modern industry produces effective products for eliminating residues of animal excretions in domestic conditions, including cat urine. They operate on the basis of enzymes, or enzymes, which are designed to combat organic aromas. You can find them both in pet stores and in the household chemicals departments of large supermarkets. Among professional products, such as Odorgon, Zoosan, Urine Off, DezoSan and others have proven themselves well.

Products that remove cat urine

How to remove urine smell from a sofa

The problem is that human urine differs in composition from animal urine. Therefore, those products that successfully eliminate the smell of animal urine may not cope with the smell of human urine. A particularly persistent amber comes from the urine of a person who suffers from serious pathologies of internal organs and constantly takes medications, as well as the elderly.

The feces of infants, as a rule, do not leave a strong odor; it disappears easily if the wet spot is dealt with immediately. You need to immediately soak it with toilet paper, paper towels, just napkins or a towel. Then you can treat the stain with a soda solution or citric acid dissolved in water.

If it is not recommended to wet the sofa upholstery abundantly, sprinkle the stain with dry soda. This is an excellent adsorbent; soda will absorb both moisture and odor. After drying, all that remains is to brush it off and treat the spot with a vacuum cleaner. Is the scent still there? Then it’s worth trying more aggressive means.

"Vanish" for cleaning upholstered furniture

Vanish

“Vanish” helps in this case for cleaning upholstered furniture. The liquid product is whipped into foam, which is then applied to the stain and left until completely dry. After this, the sofa needs to be thoroughly cleaned with a vacuum cleaner or steam generator.

In all other cases, you need to have on hand:

• washing vacuum cleaner or steam generator;
• hair dryer or construction hair dryer;
• vinegar, bleach, ammonia;
• antiallergenic agent.

What to do with all these substances and devices?

1. First you need to open the windows, vents and balconies so that the room is well ventilated.
2. Then dissolve the same amount of bleach in 500 ml of water, add two tablespoons of ammonia and vinegar.
3. Having protected your hands with gloves, treat the stains on the sofa with this caustic solution and leave for a quarter of an hour.
4. Now it’s the turn of the washing vacuum cleaner. After this, the sofa is dried with a hairdryer.
5. The last stage is the treatment of upholstered furniture with an anti-allergenic agent.

Further video to help

Special household chemicals for stains on fabric

You can remove stains from sofa upholstery using household chemicals. In stores you can find special foams and sprays for cleaning upholstered furniture:

• Tuba;
• Nordland;
• Vanish.

Nordland

Foam for cleaning upholstered furniture made of natural and synthetic upholstery. The product is sprayed onto the sofa in a thin layer from a distance of 25 cm. Then brushed over the surface. The foam is left until completely dry, after which the sofa is vacuumed.

Advantages:

• ease of use;
• removes fresh stains well;
• removes unpleasant odors.

Flaws:

• old stains may not be dealt with the first time;
• if applied excessively, streaks will form;
• takes a long time to dry.

Price: 360 rubles.

Tuba

Apply the composition using a sponge to the entire surface of the sofa, rub in, and leave for two hours. After which the sofa is vacuumed.

Advantages:

• removes fresh stains;
• removes unpleasant odors.

Flaws:

• Several applications are required to remove heavy stains;
• may lie unevenly on the upholstery;
• divorces remain.

Price: 240 rubles.

Vanish

Spray for cleaning carpets and upholstery is sprayed onto contaminated areas. Then it is gently rubbed with a soft cloth. Leave until completely dry. After which the sofa is vacuumed.

Advantages:

• removes stains;
• has no unpleasant odor;
• ease of use.

Flaws:

• divorces remain;
• Doesn't remove old stains the first time.

Price: 380 rubles. Step-by-step instructions on how to clean the Vanish sofa without damaging the upholstery are presented in this article.

How to remove grease from kitchen furniture

One of the problems in the kitchen: during the cooking process, a greasy coating appears on all surfaces of the furniture, which cannot be removed with ordinary water.

How to wash furniture in the kitchen

Don’t rush to grab the first cleaning product you come across – first determine what material your kitchen furniture is made of.

How to remove grease from kitchen furniture if its surface is glossy, based on MDF - such a coating can only be cleaned with gel-like products. See photo.

Products for removing fat deposits

Pay attention to whether they contain ammonia, chlorine or aggressive acids, which will quickly dissolve not only fat, but also the coating of your headset.

How to properly wash kitchen furniture

Apply the product of your choice to the dirt, wait until the plaque dissolves as much as possible, and carefully remove with a soft sponge. It will be very difficult to clean old grease in one go; you will have to treat the contaminated areas several times.

Most modern materials used to create kitchen furniture can even be cleaned with mild cleaning powders. Pick up a little abrasive with a damp cloth and go over the walls and cabinet doors, pressing lightly on the sponge.

Attention! Try to clean only with a soft cloth or washcloth! Just rub without fanaticism, no matter how grimy this surface may seem to you!

Rinse off any remaining powder with clean water and wipe dry.

Test the new product on an inconspicuous area of ​​the kitchen cabinet; if there are no scratches or whitish marks left from abrasive particles, you can safely (but carefully!) clean the entire surface.

How to wash a kitchen set without chemicals

How to clean kitchen furniture from grease using folk remedies without using household chemicals? Try to wipe down all surfaces every two days. Use regular laundry soap and baking soda for this.

The best folk remedies for cleaning kitchen furniture

Soda and household soap

If the plaque is not washed in time, you will have to clean the dirt from the cabinets with more aggressive folk remedies.

The best folk remedies for cleaning kitchen furniture

Do not forget that after washing the furniture you must wipe everything dry. To avoid leaving streaks on the surface, use either a completely dry cloth or paper towel. To remove scratches from wooden furniture, you can rub it with a walnut - it will paint over white spots and stains. After cleaning, you can apply polish to the cabinet doors - this will slow down the contamination.

Traditional methods

Dirt on the upholstery can be successfully washed off with various folk remedies. They are affordable and safe to use. The most popular remedies among housewives are: soda, vinegar, salt, lemon juice.

Criteria for choosing European covers for upholstered furniture, color range of covers

Vinegar, powder and soda

If the upholstery is light-colored, then cleaning is carried out perfectly with soda and vinegar. To do this you will need the following:

1. Take 25 g of baking soda and powder and pour into a spray bottle.
2. Pour 70 g of 9% vinegar.
3. Pour 400 milliliters of boiling water.
4. Close tightly and shake the container until foam forms.
5. Apply the composition to contaminated areas.
6. Remove moisture with a sponge.

A product with vinegar and soda is suitable for improving the appearance of even greasy areas of furniture. However, to achieve excellent results, cleaning will have to be repeated.

Salt and vinegar

This vinegar method is used quite often. It not only removes dirt, but also allows you to return the product to its original appearance. Clean the contaminated surface as follows:

1. Add 30 g of salt and a little vinegar per liter of water.
2. Take a large piece of fabric (for example, an old sheet) and soak it. Cover upholstered furniture with fabric.
3. Take a carpet beater and use it until the fabric has absorbed all the dirt from the furniture.
4. Wipe upholstered furniture with a sponge moistened in clean water several times, and wash or throw away the sheets.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice quickly and effectively fights even old stains. In addition, it is completely safe and has a pleasant smell. Cleaning is carried out as follows:

1. Add 150 ml of juice to half a liter of water.
2. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and apply to the stain.
3. Clean the area with a sponge.

Ammonia

Ammonia helps to get rid of stains from the surface, even consisting of fat that cannot be removed using other means. When cleaning, you can use the following instructions:

1. Dilute 45 ml of ammonia, and then dilute another 30 ml of vinegar in 1 liter of water.
2. Pour the liquid into a spray bottle and apply to the surface of the furniture.
3. Wipe with a sponge.

This product should be applied only to a light surface, otherwise stains may remain on it, as the composition lightens.

Hydrogen peroxide and soda

This product can help when previous methods were ineffective, especially in the presence of greasy stains. Instructions:

1. Soda should be mixed with hydrogen peroxide (3%) in a ratio of 1:2.
2. Apply to stains, but for a short time, so as not to discolor the stains.
3. Wipe with a sponge moistened with clean water.

Tips for cleaning furniture at home after renovation

• Stains on carpets or upholstered furniture can be easily removed with regular milk. To do this, you just need to moisten a cotton swab and leave it on the spot where there is a stain for 1 minute. Then wipe with a damp sponge. Experts say that the casein contained in milk literally “pushes” dirt to the surface. Therefore, such cleaning is recommended for those who suffer from allergies or have small children in the house.
• If the furniture upholstery has been subjected to greasy or acidic stains, then it is necessary to use alkaline compounds. Otherwise, acid-based products - vinegar, citric acid, etc. - will help.
• Any stains of paint can be wiped off with white spirit, but you will have to act carefully. Dip an ear cleaning stick in the solution and lightly blot the stain. Try to renew the cotton swab as often as possible so as not to rub the stain over a larger area of ​​the upholstery.

Milk

Vinegar, citric acid

White Spirit

Note! In any case, before using this or that composition, be sure to test the result on a piece of unnecessary fabric or an inconspicuous part of the furniture.

In this article, we tried to give a number of tried and tested tips on how to properly wash furniture in certain cases. By following these simple recommendations, you can keep all the furniture in your home in perfect order and it will look like new.

And this costs a lot, because it would be simply unreasonable to buy new furniture due to the formation of dirt that you can easily deal with yourself. We wish you success!

Basic rules for wet cleaning of upholstered furniture

Wet cleaning is carried out using diluted vinegar, ethyl alcohol, soap, and shampoo. Wet cleaning with a steam cleaner will also be effective. It not only fights stains, but also kills pathogenic bacteria and dust mites. This does not require special preparations; a hot stream of steam removes almost any dirt. The only disadvantage of this method is the high price of the equipment.

• Wet cleaning of fabric is not suitable for all materials. For example, silk does not tolerate contact with water. After liquid gets into the fabric, stains remain. Suede also does not tolerate moisture; the material should be cleaned with extreme caution and a little solution should be applied.
• Wet cleaning of the skin will be more effective than dry cleaning. The easiest way is to use soap. However, for more stubborn stains, ready-made chemicals are suitable. Before purchasing any of them, it is recommended that you read the product information. Some household preparations can easily clean natural leather, but can be destructive for artificial materials.

Do not wipe the covering with circular movements, as this can leave streaks on the upholstery. It is also not recommended to wet the napkin too much. After wet treatment, the surface must be wiped dry.

Removing stains from a sofa using folk remedies

The origin of the stain also plays a big role when choosing a cleaning method:

• fat

Cover the stain with baking soda or salt and leave it to absorb the grease. Then remove it with a soft sponge. If a trace remains, use dishwashing detergent after foaming it.

• blood

Remove with water and dry the coating thoroughly. If the stain is old, cover it with ice and let it sit longer. Soak with vinegar solution (2 tbsp per 1 liter of water), and then wash with soap and water.

• juice

Prepare a solution with ammonia and vinegar, mixing them 1:1. Apply the mixture to the stain and wait for it to dry. Clean with a damp cloth.

• wine

Blot with a napkin and cover with salt. After it has absorbed moisture, shake off the salt and wash with ethyl alcohol and then with soapy water. Clean with clean water and dry.

• beer

Dry with a hairdryer or towel. Then treat with vinegar solution (3 tbsp per 1 liter of water).

• Coffee and tea

We wipe off the dirt with soap, without water. Then wipe with a damp cloth. If the contamination is old, use soap foam.

• gum

Wrap the ice in a bag and apply it to the gum. After freezing, clean it with a plastic object. We treat the trace with an alcohol solution.

• wax

We wait until it hardens, scrape off the wax, cover the mark with 2-3 napkins and iron it.

• urine

Immediately after the stain appears, blot it with napkins and dry it. Treat with a vinegar solution (1:5) if the coating is colored, or with a citric acid solution (1:10) if it is light. Leave for 1 hour and wash with soapy water, then with clean water and dry.

• pen, felt-tip pen, lipstick, nail polish

Soak it in ammonia or acetone and then rinse.

Cleaning a sofa with different coverings. Types of materials and features of its processing

Fabric upholstery of furniture can be made of different coatings, with their own characteristics and contraindications for care:

• dermantine

Cleaning such a surface does not cause many problems. The main rule when cleaning dermantine coating is not to over-wet it. Remove stains with egg white, after beating it until it forms a thick foam. Apply it to the dirt and leave it for 5-7 minutes, and then wipe it off.

• velor

We soak a microfiber cloth with a vinegar solution (1 teaspoon of vinegar per 1 liter of water) and clean the dirt with light movements in the direction of the pile. To remove complex stains, we turn to dry cleaning.

• suede and nubuck

To clean such a coating, use a brush with soft bristles. Remove grease stains with an eraser or alcohol solution. We recommend regular treatment with impregnations that repel dirt.

• tapestry

A very capricious and demanding coating that can only withstand dry cleaning with a vacuum cleaner. Cleaning products negatively affect the quality of upholstery and its color. Wet processing is possible only with foam; we try to minimize the volume of moisture.

• vinyl

We clean with three drops of any detergent that foams, diluted in 1 tbsp. water. We remove dirt with this solution.

• velvet and silk

We clean this coating with special cleaning agents.