Stains on the sofa: how to remove them at home

Such an unpleasant little thing as stains appearing on the sofa can ruin your mood for a long time, but don’t panic, because they can be removed at home. Nowadays there is upholstered furniture in almost every home, so every housewife has at least once encountered the problem of stains. Not everyone can afford the services of cleaning companies. Therefore, let’s try to figure out how to get rid of various stains on the sofa yourself.

You can easily try to remove a fresh stain with warm water and two tablespoons of soda ash. For such cases, there should always be brushes in the house. A regular dishwashing sponge also works well to remove stains. Soda ash can be purchased at any hardware store at a low price, and its effectiveness is quite high.

For preventative purposes, it is better to regularly clean the surface of the sofa to avoid stains that are difficult to remove. Over time, they eat into the fabric and become much more difficult to remove. Therefore, it is better to start dealing with stains immediately after they appear.

Steps for removing stains from a sofa

The process of removing stains may vary depending on how much the stains have become embedded in the upholstery. For any cleaning you need:

Cleaning products (laundry soap, soda ash solution, etc.);
Sponge and brush-iron;
Chemicals for deep stains.

Removing stains takes place in several steps:

First, prepare the necessary solutions, dilute soapy water or a solution of soda ash.
Apply the detergent to the dirty surface and leave it for a while. The more time the stain is soaked in the cleaning agent, the more likely it is that it will be quickly removed.
Carefully wipe the dirty area with a sponge or brush.
Wash off the cleaning agent with a towel or wet wipes.

What to do if the dirt is not removed from the sofa? You can purchase stronger chemicals, such as Vanish. This drug is sold at hardware stores. The product in the form of shampoo is diluted with water and whipped into foam, cover the stain and leave for 15 minutes. Then you can clean the sofa with a vacuum cleaner.

Helpful tips for removing stains from your sofa

To effectively combat stains on the sofa, you should know a number of useful tricks:

You can thoroughly scrub the sofa from various stains if you use a vacuum cleaner with an attachment wrapped in gauze in a water-salt solution. To prepare it, you need to dissolve a couple of tablespoons of salt in hot water. This method not only cleans the upholstery of dirt, but also renews the color. But you should not use a vacuum cleaner to clean velor and velvet fabrics, so as not to damage the pile.
If the upholstery is greasy over the entire surface, you can use this method. Make a solution of one liter of warm water, two spoons of salt and a spoon of ordinary vinegar, soak a sheet in it and cover the sofa. After a couple of hours, you can wash the surface with the same solution.
When cleaning the surface of upholstered furniture, you should only move the brush and detergent in one direction.
Before using a new cleaning product, you should try it on an inconspicuous area of the sofa.
Do not use several cleaning products at the same time.
Hydrogen peroxide will help remove dirt from white upholstery. It is rubbed into the surface of the sofa, and after 10 minutes it is wiped with a napkin.

Methods for removing stains from various materials

The material with which upholstered furniture is upholstered also affects the method of removing dirt.

Leather and leatherette can be wiped with a damp cloth. To care for such materials, there are special wipes on sale. If they are not available, you can apply whipped egg whites to the skin and then rinse with water.
Velor cleans microfiber cloth and vinegar solution well. To prepare it, you need to dissolve a spoonful of vinegar in water. It is not recommended to rub velor vigorously.
Stores sell special brushes for suede. To remove fat, you can use an eraser or an alcohol solution.
For tapestry it is recommended to use dry cleaning only. If it does not help, then you should use a solution of water and regular shampoo. Foam must be applied to the tapestry fabric; this fabric should not be rubbed.

A universal method for cleaning stains is to use ammonia. To remove the stain, you need to dilute the shampoo with water and add a few drops of ammonia. The solution is applied to dirty areas, and after 15 minutes, washed off with warm water. Then you can wipe the surface with a towel.

Methods for removing various types of stains from a sofa

A good chemical product is not always available, but stains can be removed with improvised means.

Blood. Fresh blood stains can be easily removed with cold water and a sponge.For light-colored fabrics, it is more effective to mix a glass of water with a tablespoon of regular vinegar. After this, apply laundry soap to the remaining marks and rinse well.
Beer, tea, coffee. These liquids can be removed with laundry soap. Using a brush or sponge, apply soap well to the dirt and leave for 15 minutes. Then you can rinse off the soap with water.
Wine. This stain spreads quickly, so after it appears, it is better to immediately blot it with a rag. After this, you need to cover the contamination with ordinary salt, which perfectly absorbs moisture. After 15 minutes, you can rub the salt with a brush, and the dirt with a rag soaked in alcohol. To avoid streaks after drying, you can wash the area again with soapy water.
Urine. Those who have small children or pets at home have encountered not only urine stains, but also a strong, unpleasant odor. To eliminate these troubles, the contamination is washed well with a soapy solution, and then a light pink solution of potassium permanganate is applied.
Pen ink. An ink stain can be removed from a sofa by treating it with a rag soaked in acetone or nail polish remover.
Gum. First, you need to cool the chewing gum well with ice cubes. After this, it peels off quite easily from the surface of the sofa; you need to carefully pry it off with scissors or a knife.
Juice. A solution of warm water and one spoon of soda can remove juice stains. For old stains, a mixture of 10 drops of ammonia and 100 grams of vinegar is suitable.
Milk. To remove milk stains, use dishwashing detergent. Another effective method is to mix water, two spoons of glycerin and a couple of drops of ammonia. Apply the mixture to the surface, and after 5 minutes wipe with water.
Chocolate.When the chocolate has dried, you need to cover the stain with soap suds, wipe with ammonia and rinse with saline solution.
Fat, oil. Grease stains should be covered with starch and wait 10 minutes. Then rub the stains with a sponge and dishwashing detergent, wait another 15 minutes and rinse the area with clean water.

You can avoid stains on the surface if you cover the sofa with a special cover, blanket or blanket. The housewife should always have in her arsenal the necessary set of products for the prevention and cleaning of contamination. Most cleaning products can be purchased at a hardware store.