How to clean a sofa with vinegar and soda at home

Upholstered furniture is a favorite place for the whole family and a witness to their habits. After some time, the question arises of how to clean the sofa from a coffee stain, spilled juice, traces of ketchup from a pizza that fell on the upholstery, or an “autograph” left by a child.

Before calling a cleaning agency, try removing stains yourself with baking soda and vinegar. You will save not only time, but also money.

Cleaning a sofa with baking soda and vinegar at home

To clean the sofa, you can use professional household chemicals or simple household products. The easiest and cheapest way to clean your upholstery yourself and update its color is to use such simple folk remedies as baking soda and vinegar. These substances can be used for preventative cleaning.

Preventative care will not require a lot of time, but dust along with other contaminants will not accumulate and spoil the appearance of the furniture. For this purpose, both dry and wet cleaning methods are used. Sodium bicarbonate, 9% acetic acid are suitable for removing greasy or fresh stains.

The substances act softly and sparingly. They are suitable for most types of upholstery, both textile and leather. To confirm safety, it is worth doing a test cleaning on an inconspicuous area of the sofa.

There are several simple ways to clean a sofa with soda and acetic acid. These substances can be used together or separately, in pure form or in combination with other agents.

Sodium bicarbonate can be used in dry form as an adsorbent for dirt or odors. To prepare combined products, liquid soap or dishwashing gel is often used. In order not to spoil the upholstery, it is best to give preference to products without dyes or fragrances.

Where to begin?

Usually neat people, when they see a stain on the upholstery, try to clean it using the first stain remover they come across. However, if you do this thoughtlessly, you can get rid of dirt and odor, while ruining the upholstery.

Assessing the type of stain

Dust, dirt from open windows, microthreads from clothes, traces of sweat and sebum accumulate on the surface of the sofa. Small children and pets pose a great “danger” to the cleanliness of upholstered furniture, because smears of paint, plasticine, prints from dirty paws and other traces of happy leisure time inevitably remain on the upholstery.

And for those who like to snack on the couch, the upholstery is often stained with food. Grease stains, traces of sauces, spilled coffee or wine - all this greatly spoils the appearance of the furniture.

On the kitchen sofa, in addition to all of the above, soot and grease from cooking settle, and the smells of fish, fried onions and other odors are introduced into the filling. Smoke from cigarettes is soot, soot and the nasty smell of stale tobacco.

Assessing the type of upholstery

Before cleaning the upholstery, you need to make sure that the chosen product will not harm it. Any stain remover needs to be tested in action:

Apply a small amount in an inconspicuous place (behind or under the sofa).
If after applying the product there are no traces left on the upholstery, then the product is safe.

Helpful Tips:

flock or velor coverings cannot be cleaned with hard brushes, and the use of alcohol-containing liquids is prohibited;
For microfiber upholstery, only dry cleaning is suitable; the surface of the sofa can be wetted only in the most extreme cases;
to clean light-colored upholstery, you should use only white rags, otherwise the dye from the rag will leave marks on the surface of the furniture, and even more likely, lint will get caught between the fibers and leave unsightly stains;
It is not recommended to clean leather furniture with organic solvents.

For any type of upholstery, the use of bleaches and concentrated acids is excluded.

Preparatory stage

To clean a sofa with your own hands, you need to prepare first:

if there are removable covers, they need to be removed and washed;
remove dust by cleaning the furniture with a vacuum cleaner with a special attachment for furniture;
It is not recommended to clean a velor sofa with a vacuum cleaner; in this case, the sofa is covered with a clean, slightly damp cloth and knocked out using a beater. If the furniture has not been cleaned for a long time, the fabric will need to be periodically removed and rinsed;
If there are traces of dirt, plasticine, wax, chewing gum on the upholstery, they must be removed mechanically using a plastic spatula. Wax and chewing gum must be pre-cooled by applying an ice pack to the area of contamination;
From upholstery made of fabric with a pile, dirt should be removed mechanically as carefully as possible so as not to damage the pile.

After the preparatory work, you can begin general cleaning or local stain removal. If you just need to refresh the upholstery, just go through it with a washing vacuum cleaner.

Wet cleaning with baking soda and vinegar

Cleaning with a solution of vinegar and sodium bicarbonate can remove stains of various origins:

traces of urine from children or animals;
blood;
greasy stains, traces of food or drinks;
from most fruits or vegetables and their juices.

To prepare the solution, add 2 tbsp to 0.5 liters of water. l. vinegar, 1 tbsp. l. soda, mix well. The prepared solution is poured into a spray bottle, sprayed on the surface of the sofa, left for 20 minutes, after which the contaminated areas are wiped with a brush with medium-hard bristles or a foam sponge. Wipe off any remaining product with a cloth moistened with clean water. Allow the upholstery to dry, then vacuum thoroughly.

You can clean your sofa with baking soda and vinegar, mixing them with laundry detergent, laundry liquid or dishwashing liquid. To prepare the product, pour 0.5 liters of hot water into a basin, add 1 tsp. detergent or 1 tbsp. l. washing powder, 1/3 cup table vinegar.

The mixture is poured into a spray bottle, add 1 tbsp. l. soda, quickly close the container and spray on contaminated areas. If a spray bottle is not available, the solution can be applied with a sponge, but in this case the upholstery gets more wet and takes longer to dry.

Rub the moistened surface with a dry brush or the abrasive part of a sponge. Excess product is removed with a clean rag moistened with water, and then with a dry cloth. After complete drying, the pile can be straightened with a brush.

To clean light-colored sofas, the usual products can be combined with sodium tetraborate; in this case, soda and vinegar are taken in equal proportions, and tetraborate is added as a bleach in the amount of 1 tsp.

To remove urine stains, use acetic acid and baking soda in turn, combining them with hydrogen peroxide.

To do this, first apply an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate to the upholstery of the sofa using a spray bottle (take 1 tablespoon of soda for 1 liter of water). Then spray with a 1% vinegar solution, and after 15-20 minutes - with hydrogen peroxide.

The remaining substances are wiped off with a clean damp cloth, dried, and then vacuumed. When cleaning dark furniture, use hydrogen peroxide with caution so as not to discolor the upholstery.

Tips and precautions

Despite the fact that both soda and vinegar are food ingredients, we must not forget that these are quite aggressive components that, if used in excess and improperly used, can cause harm. Including sofa upholstery.

To prevent this from happening, you need to follow a number of safety rules.

First, it is highly advisable to vacuum the sofa - this will already remove some of the dirt.
It is important not to wet the stain area too much - if it gets too wet, it is unlikely to dry quickly, and this will lead to the appearance of mold fungi.
The sponge or cloth used to clean the stain should be periodically rinsed in clean water, then squeezed well and then dipped into the cleaning solution again.
To quickly dry the cleaned area of the sofa, it is convenient to use a hair dryer.
Minimum moisture in the case of silk, cotton, tapestry and linen coverings.
Minimum friction in the case of velvet, velor, flock, silky upholstery.

If there is any doubt, it is better to try the cleaning option on a small area of the stain, and if the fabric does not change in any way (in a negative way), then you can continue.

Wet cleaning with vinegar without soda

You can only effectively clean a sofa at home using table vinegar. It perfectly removes dirt and refreshes upholstery. It can be used in the following ways:

Traditional cleaning of a sofa from dust: 1 tsp. vinegar and 2 tsp. salts are dissolved in 1 liter of water. Moisten a clean sheet of a suitable size with the solution, cover the sofa with it and beat it until the fabric darkens from the collected dust. The sheet must be washed and the procedure repeated until the fabric is clean. Velor is treated with a foam sponge soaked in the same solution.
To remove beer stains, rub the contaminated areas with a damp piece of laundry soap. Leave them to dry. Then soak in concentrated table vinegar using a cotton pad. After this, the upholstery is washed with clean water and dried.
To remove traces of fruits or juices, use a mixture that contains 2 tablespoons of vinegar and ammonia. The resulting product is rubbed into the upholstery, allowed to dry, and then removed with a damp cloth.

Traditional methods

Our grandmothers used simple products for cleaning upholstered furniture. These methods still work today. Basic folk methods:

Soda and vinegar
Soap solution
Dishwashing liquid
Knockout
Salt
Hydrogen peroxide

Removing stains from a sofa using folk remedies is very effective.

Soda and vinegar

Every housewife knows these remedies. These products are universal and cope with a variety of contaminants. They eliminate grease, grease stains, and drinks. Using vinegar, you can successfully restore upholstery to its brightness. This versatility is due to two factors:

Baking soda and vinegar are both alkali and acidic. These two antagonistic substances cause different chemical reactions when interacting with contaminants. Some things are affected by acid, and others by alkali.
When mixing soda and vinegar, carbon dioxide is released, which aggressively attacks dirt, literally knocking it out of the fabric fibers. Carbon dioxide also effectively removes odors embedded in the material.

Mixing 2 ingredients allows you to both clean the sofa and neutralize foreign odors.

Cleaning procedure: in a container with a spray bottle, mix 300-400 ml of water, 100 ml of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. Then add 1 teaspoon of soda there and quickly close. After this, immediately spray the product onto the stains or onto the entire upholstery. Wait 5-10 minutes and walk over the fabric with a stiff brush. After this, wipe the upholstery with a damp cloth and then dry it.

You can sprinkle the powder on the stains or lubricate the stains with gruel. After 1–2 hours, remove the mixture from the upholstery.

In order to return the fabric to its former brightness and color, it is also necessary to add 10 ml of ammonia to the solution. This product also perfectly eliminates bacteria, fights mold and mildew.

For leather upholstery, diluted ammonia is suitable.

Soapy water

Soapy water can remove light dirt and simple stains. The solution will also cope with fresh greasy stains. But it will not be able to remove old dirt, drink stains and greasy stains.

Moisten a rag with soapy water and wipe off the stains.

To clean the sofa, grate soap and dissolve it in water. The product is poured into a container with a spray bottle and sprayed on the sofa. Then remove dirt with a brush. You can also apply the liquid to a sponge and wipe the upholstery with it.

After 5 minutes, wipe the furniture with a clean damp cloth.

Dishwashing liquid

With this product you can quickly wet clean upholstered furniture and remove small stains. To do this, dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid in 1 liter of water and foam the water. Then use a sponge to scoop up foam and wipe the upholstery with it. After this, you need to wipe the upholstery with a damp towel and dry the sofa.

The product does not discolor furniture upholstery.

Knockout

This method is an excellent alternative to a vacuum cleaner. This method is especially suitable for fabrics with pile, which are not so easy to vacuum. The advantages of embossing are its simplicity and the fact that it does not damage the paint of the fabric.

Cover the entire sofa with a wet cloth and knock out the dust through the cloth with a beater or something else.

There is knocking out, there is dry and wet. With the dry method, dust is removed from the sofa with a special plastic spatula or any handy stick. With the wet method, the sofa is first covered with a wet sheet and then knocked out. This method prevents dust from flying around the apartment.

Dust will settle on the wet fabric and we will see it immediately.

Salt

Using salt, you can effectively remove grease stains, drinks and greasy stains. It is enough to sprinkle fresh stains with salt, which will absorb the substances. Old stains must be removed using salt paste. Dilute salt with water to a paste and apply it to the stain. After 5 minutes, remove the product and wipe with a wet towel.

Cleansing foam

Foam cleaning works well for velor upholstery. Such foam can be prepared from various means:

Egg white
Shaving foams
Detergent

Beat the foam, add salt and apply it to the upholstery. Leave for 5 minutes and then remove. After this, you need to wipe the fabric with a damp towel.

If the contamination is old, use soap foam.

Hydrogen peroxide cleansing

Using this substance, you can effectively remove dark stains from light or white surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide is mixed with water in a 1:1 ratio and applied to the furniture using a spray bottle. Leave to act for 2 hours, then wipe the upholstery with a damp towel.

The substance is mixed with water at a ratio of 1:1. The solution should act on contaminated areas for 2 hours.

Dry cleaning a sofa with baking soda

It is recommended to rid the sofa of stains using dry sodium bicarbonate. The product can remove traces of tea, juices, dirt, ballpoint pens and children's paints. Dry soda is used to remove grease and update the color of upholstery. Sodium bicarbonate is applied to both dry and damp upholstery and left for 30 minutes. If necessary, especially dirty areas should be cleaned with a damp sponge or brush and then vacuumed.

To remove particularly difficult stains, you can prepare a paste of 1 part baking soda and 1 part water or detergent. The resulting paste is applied to the stain with a brush and allowed to dry. Then remove with a brush or vacuum cleaner.

Methods

You can clean carpets with soda alone or with the addition of salt, vinegar, washing powder, hydrogen peroxide, and dishwashing detergent.

To find out which method is right for you, let's look at each in detail.

Soda and vinegar

Before using table vinegar to clean your carpet, check to see if it will ruin the color of the pile. It is better to do this in the area that will subsequently be hidden by furniture, or from the inside out. If the color has not changed, you can safely begin processing.

Prepare a water solution of vinegar (1 tablespoon per liter of warm water) and pour it into a spray bottle.

Sprinkle dry soda on the carpet and leave for 30 minutes.

Vacuum thoroughly. If the pile is thick and long, you will have to repeat vacuuming two or three more times.

Spray the vinegar solution from a spray bottle over the entire surface of the carpet. The vinegar should react with the remaining powder. Wait another half hour.

Now you can clean the carpet with a stiff brush. When it is completely dry, you need to vacuum it again.

This method of cleaning will refresh even an old carpet and return its colors to the brightness and shine.

Soda, powder and vinegar

If your carpet has stains, you can try cleaning them with a solution consisting of equal parts baking soda, vinegar and laundry detergent.

Pour 3 liters of warm water into a bucket or large basin. Add 2 tablespoons of washing powder and baking soda and stir thoroughly until the powder granules are completely dissolved. Add 1-2 tablespoons of 9% vinegar.

Prepare the carpet for cleaning by vacuuming both sides several times.

Spray the solution over its surface and let it soak in for 10-15 minutes.

Moisten dirt stains with the solution using a sponge and brush over them with a natural bristle brush.

After this, it is advisable to wipe the carpet with clean white rags (first wet, then dry), and when it dries, vacuum it.

With dishwashing detergent

The previous method has one, but very significant drawback: if the powder is not completely dissolved or you skipped the step of wiping the pile with a wet cloth, after cleaning, white spots may remain on the carpet, which after drying are almost impossible to remove. If you are not confident that you can cope with the task, replace the powder with the same amount of dishwashing detergent. The result will exceed your expectations!

The dishwashing detergent effectively fights not only fresh, but also old stains, dissolves grease and soot. Together with soda and vinegar, it completely eliminates the smell of cat urine and prevents the cat from further visiting “inappropriate places.”

Soda and peroxide

To deal with a particularly stubborn stain, you can try treating it with a mixture of baking soda and 3% hydrogen peroxide. A mixture of these substances easily removes stains from alcoholic beverages: for example, from red wine.

It is advisable to use cleaning products that contain hydrogen peroxide on white or cream-colored plain carpets. If you need to clean a colored carpet, be sure to test the solution on an inconspicuous corner so as not to ruin the entire product.

The stains on the carpet are moistened with a solution prepared from one or two bottles of peroxide and a tablespoon of soda, and allowed to soak in for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse with plenty of clean water, periodically rinsing the sponge to remove any remaining solution, and dry with a hairdryer.

Remember: only 3% hydrogen peroxide is used to clean carpets. A more concentrated one can discolor the fibers and even lead to destruction of the base.

How to remove odor from a couch using baking soda and vinegar

The easiest way to eliminate unpleasant odors is to cover the furniture with a sheet soaked in a 1% solution of table vinegar. It is advisable to carry out this procedure several times in a row until the unpleasant odor completely disappears. You can simply moisten a napkin with a 1% solution of vinegar, to which you need to add 1 tsp. hydrogen peroxide. Dry baking soda also adsorbs odor well. To do this, scatter it evenly over the surface of the sofa upholstery, leave it for 2-3 hours, and then carefully collect it with a vacuum cleaner.

The problem of how to clean urine from a sofa can be solved with the help of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid. These substances break down the components of urine, permanently eliminating its odor. To begin with, a fresh stain should be carefully and repeatedly blotted with paper napkins to prevent the urine from being absorbed into the upholstery and filling of the sofa.

Contaminated areas are generously moistened with a solution of vinegar diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2, covered with a paper napkin, and left to dry completely. After this, the stains are wiped with dry sodium bicarbonate powder. Then a mixture of 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and 1 part cold water is applied to the contaminated areas with a spray bottle.

You can add ½ tsp to the solution. liquid detergent. Mixing on the surface of the upholstery, the substances will begin to foam, releasing oxygen, which will destroy the components of urine. After 2-3 hours, wipe the upholstery with a clean sponge or napkin and then dry it.

Ways to deal with different stains

Specific contaminants require an individual approach. No one is immune from accidental damage to upholstered furniture. Next we will tell you how you can remove certain types of pollution.

Tea and coffee

Perhaps the most popular type of pollution.

We recommend immediately equipping yourself with detergent, water and vinegar. Further:

the sponge is moistened in a previously prepared solution;
wipe the problem area;
get rid of the remaining composition using a rag.

If the pollution is “not the first time”, then it will be more difficult to cope with, but it is possible. Vanish detergent is perfect for solving the problem.

Juice, wine, beer

You can remove red wine from sofa upholstery using salt.

For this:

remove excess moisture using a dry cloth;
pour a little salt onto the problem area, which will absorb the remaining moisture;
treat the area of contamination with a soap solution.

Instead of salt, you can use starch and talc. You can get rid of traces of beer and juice by rubbing the stained area with laundry soap.

Chocolate and grease stains

How to remove a greasy stain from a sofa is a painful question for everyone, as well as how to remove an unwanted stain without damaging the upholstery.

You need to proceed as follows:

salt or soda is poured onto the grease stain;
wait about 20 minutes for the solution to be thoroughly absorbed into the greasy stain;
moisten a napkin in detergent;
go over the upholstery with a napkin;
the resulting foam is removed with warm water.

Only coarse salt should be used.

A vinegar solution works well to remove chocolate stains. Dissolve two tbsp in a liter of water. l. products and remove the problem area with a sponge or napkin.

Green paint and ink

Ink stains can be removed using alcohol, acetone or nail polish remover. To do this, use a cotton pad and moisten it in any of the above solutions. If the stain is on leather upholstery, remove the stain with a regular eraser.

Zelenka is easily removed with carpet cleaning products. If the surface is light, then white spirit can be used.

Blood trail, urine

Blood stains from the surface of upholstered furniture must be removed immediately. Take a cloth, soak it in cold water and place it on the stain.

Then:

remove the cloth and wipe the surface dry;
if there are still traces left, the procedure is repeated again;
the dried mark can be removed using a glass of water and 2 tsp. salt.

It is not recommended to use ammonia; you may damage the surface.

Traces of urine also need to be dealt with very quickly using dry wipes.

Apply a vinegar solution to the upholstery and leave for several hours. Add soda and sweep away the remaining product.
Wipe the contaminated area with hydrogen peroxide.
Pour in soda again, remove the remains and vacuum the sofa.

Animal urine can only be removed by dry cleaning. Remove the cover from the furniture and take it to a professional.

Watercolor, gouache or oil paints

Vanish or laundry soap is suitable for removing paint stains. It is necessary to get rid of watercolor stains immediately, because this substance is extremely difficult to remove. Oil paints are washed off with a solvent, and gouache is removed with warm water (never hot) and soap.

Very often, Vanish leaves stains. To remove stains from the sofa after cleaning, you need to use a steamer.

Gum

It is very easy to fight ruminants. To do this, freeze the contamination with ice, then scrape off and wipe the area with methyl alcohol until dry. If you cannot remove the stain on your own, it is advisable to seek help from professionals.

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.

A mixture of soda and laundry soap

Vinegar essence is not recommended for use in a home where a small child lives. Regular soap helps in removing stains.

The recipe for preparing the mass is as follows:

a bar of 72% laundry soap is rubbed on a fine grater;
a tablespoon of soda is added to the resulting shavings;
add a little warm water to the dry ingredients, mix everything;
the mixture will be evenly distributed throughout the material;
after 5-10 minutes, the mass is washed off with water.

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.

Cleaning Features

Cleaning a sofa with a mattress using vinegar is carried out in the usual way. There are also mattresses that do not absorb odors at all. For example, such mattresses are installed in sofas of the Ascona brand. They are made from:

holofiber;
heat-bonded flax;
foams with silver ions Ag+ (MediFoam technology);
foam with bamboo charcoal (BambooFlex technology).

Before cleaning a sofa with a folding bed inside, unfold it. This way, the vinegar solution will not penetrate deeply into the material.

The peculiarity of cleaning leather upholstery lies in the different colors of the coating material. Before using a vinegar solution on colored or dark skin, test to see if the liquid affects the color. For fair skin, this cleaning method will not cause harm. To soften the effects of acid on the skin, mix 1/4 cup of vinegar and the same amount of olive oil.

To ensure that there are no streaks left after cleaning the sofa, use a hairdryer to dry it. In this case, it is important to heat the surface evenly.

You can also unclog your kitchen sink using vinegar and baking soda.

Remember

Table vinegar removes dirt and foreign odors from alcoholic drinks, juices, human, cat and dog urine.
Effective in the prevention and control of small numbers of bedbugs.
Helps remove odors from any type of upholstery and carpets.
Vinegar is replaced with vinegar essence, iodine, manganese, lemon juice or laundry soap.
The smell of vinegar disappears within 3 days.

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