How to clean sofa? Many people try different ways to clean their sofa, but they do not get the result as per their expectations. Cause, don’t know the right way.
These days everyone has a sofa in their house. The sofa is very comfortable. Who does not like to sit on the couch and do their favorite TV shows, sports, and other things comfortably? And over time, our sofa gets messy. We sit on it and eat food; sometimes children climb on it wearing shoes, or our pets climb on it, as the dust in their feet makes our sofa messier. There are many reasons why sofas get dirty from time to time. But many people use the sofa but do not clean it properly at the proper time which is not suitable for your health and home. If the couch is not cleaned regularly, the sofa gets spoiled quickly.
Due to our busy life, sometimes we do not get time to clean the couch properly. Many people clean the sofa in their way, but sometimes stains and dirt can spread due to incorrect methods and materials. That is why in this article I will tell you how you can clean your sofa in the proper manner and with the help of suitable materials.
Table of Contents
What causes the sofa to get dirty?
The sofa is one of the items you can relax in your house. When watching TV, eating sweets, reading a book, the sofa you use every day has various stains such as sebum stains and spilled food.
Causes the sofa gets dirty
- Sweat and sebum stains
- hair
- cosmetic
- Eating dregs such as sweets
- Spilled tea or juice
- Chile dust
- Pet hair and dirt
Due to some bad habits of our daily routine, the sofa keeps getting dirty. As we often sit on the couch with a bare body, the sweat, sebum and cosmetics applied on the body get deposited on the sofa. Due to which yellowness, blackness and dirt increase on the couch.
Dirt from house dust
Sofas where you can lie down or relax comfortably tend to collect house dust and easily adhere to the seating surface and cushions. House dust can also cause allergies and should be cleaned and removed.
Sebum and sweat adhere
Sebum and sweat may soak into areas where the skin comes into direct contact, the backrest, and the seating surface. If you leave it as it is, it will cause stains on the sofa. In addition, sebum and sweat cause odors, so dirt and odors accumulate.
Dirty with spilled food or spilled drink
If you have small children, they will often get dirty with spills or spills on the sofa. In particular, spills and spills can oxidize and cause stubborn stains if not cleaned thoroughly.
Dirt caused by mischief and graffiti of children
Children’s mischief and graffiti can also get dirty, such as crayons, permanent markers, and color pens. Depending on the sofa’s material, the pigment may soak into it and the dirt may not be removed, so do not leave it unattended and take appropriate measures immediately.
Pet dirt
Your pet’s hair and dirt may stick to the sofa or give off an odor. In addition, the top of the sofa is often soiled with excrement. Since sofas are furniture that cannot be washed completely, many people may be concerned about the smell of the seats and cushions.
How to clean sofa
Regular sofa care
For regular sofa care, use a vacuum cleaner or brush on the seat or back or an adhesive cleaner (roller) to remove dust and hair.
If you have a sofa cover, wash it once a week as a guide.
Regular sofa care
- Vacuum
- Use an adhesive cleaner (rolling)
- Wash the sofa cover once a week as a guide.
Depending on the cleaning method, the sofa’s material may be damaged, so it is important to know it correctly.
Here, we will explain how to clean the sofa by material.
For everyday maintenance, use a vacuum cleaner or a roller
Use a cleaning or adhesive cleaner to clean and remove small debris.
Even on the sofa’s surface, which looks beautiful, there are surprisingly many hairs and small debris on it.
You can easily and cleanly clean the gap between the backrest and the seating surface with a vacuum cleaner and the surface of the seating surface and the backrest with an adhesive cleaner.
If you want to remove dust from the cloth that cannot be removed with an adhesive cleaner, brush it with a brush.
The fabric sofa has a visible texture, so you can brush it along your eyes to remove even the most minor stains.
If you clean it the wrong way, the dirt may spread
As a usual care method, I told you how to use a vacuum cleaner, an adhesive cleaner, and a brush.
When brushing with a brush, choose one with soft bristles.
Be careful when brushing with a brush with hard bristles as it may damage the cloth.
Also, when removing stains and stains on the sofa, the stains may spread if not done correctly according to the material.
How to clean different types of sofa
Various materials such as cloth, synthetic leather, and genuine leather are used for the sofa. If there are stains or stains on the sofa, clean it according to the material so as not to damage the sofa.
Sofa material
- Clean the cloth sofa
- Cleaning the synthetic leather sofa
- Clean the leather sofa
How to clean the cloth sofa
Cloth sofas are cleaned with alkaline baking soda.
Since baking soda is alkaline, it neutralizes and removes acidic stains such as sweat and sebum stains. Baking soda also has a deodorant effect, so try the same method if you are concerned about odors. Baking soda is friendly to both people and the environment, so it can be used safely even in homes with children and pets.
What to prepare
- Vacuum cleaner
- Baking soda (appropriate amount)
- Neutral detergent
- 2 towels
Procedure
- Vacuum dust and dirt with a vacuum cleaner
- Sprinkle baking soda over the entire sofa
- Leave for a few hours
- Vacuum the baking soda
- Put a small amount of neutral detergent on the towel and hit the stain on the sofa
- Gently wipe towards the center of the stain to collect dirt
- Wet it with water and wipe it with a towel that has been wrung out tightly
Note – When applying the detergent to the stain, rubbing it will spread the stain, so apply the detergent as if tapping it. (Dark stains such as coffee and grape juice may not be removed)
A removable sofa is an easiest and cleanest way to wash it in the washing machine. However, it may shrink or discolor depending on the material, so check the washing label. If you are uneasy, it is recommended to send it out for cleaning.
How to get rid of ticks on a cloth sofa
In the case of a cloth sofa, if you collect dirt without cleaning it, it may become a hotbed for mites. If the sofa has a removable cover, it is recommended that you take it out for cleaning regularly or use a high-temperature dryer in a coin laundry.
Even if the cover cannot be removed, you can remove mites to some extent with a steam iron and vacuum cleaner.
Beware of ticks
It is said that mites always inhabit in an environment with a temperature of 20 ° C to 30 ° C, a humidity of 60% to 80%, and nutrients such as dust. Dead mites can also cause allergies, so try to reduce the incidence of mites as much as possible.
What to prepare
- Steam iron
- (If you don’t have a steam iron)
A towel that has been moistened with ironing water and squeezed tightly. - Vacuum cleaner
Procedure
- Set the temperature of the steam iron to “high”
- Float a few centimeters from the sofa and apply steam, or moisten it with water and squeeze it tightly and iron it over the towel
- Vacuum the entire sofa carefully
If you iron the sofa directly, it may burn or the fabric may deteriorate.
Points for exterminating mites
When ironing, the point is to move it little by little so that the heat penetrates slowly without finishing it quickly. Also, don’t forget to vacuum the dead mites and dung after ironing. Inhaling dead mites and feces can cause allergic rhinitis and asthma.
How to clean a synthetic leather sofa
Clean the synthetic leather sofa with baking soda water and a melamine sponge.
Melamine sponge is a sponge made of melamine resin, which has a dense and innumerable fine mesh on the surface and is an excellent sponge that can scrape off dirt without using detergent. Convenient for stubborn stain removal that is difficult to remove. You can easily buy it from shops and drug stores.
What to prepare
- Laundry detergent
- 2 towels
- baking soda
- Spray bottle
- Melamine sponge
Procedure
- Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda powder with 100 ml of water and put in a spray bottle to make baking soda water.
- Wipe the surface of the sofa dry
- Apply a small amount of detergent to a towel that has been moistened with water and wrung out tightly.
- Wipe the entire sofa
- Spray baking soda water on hard-to-remove stains
- Rub dirt with a melamine sponge
- Wipe the entire sofa with water and wipe off the detergent and baking soda.
- Wipe dry and let it dry
Caution
The color may change with detergent or baking soda, depending on the material and color. Before cleaning, apply detergent and baking soda to inconspicuous areas and check for discoloration.
How to clean a leather sofa
Leather sofas are delicate materials, so it is strictly forbidden to use water or detergents.
A common way to clean a leather sofa is to polish it with a special cleaner such as leather cream. It is also good to use an oil cleaner to supplement the oil to prevent cracks.
However, since the handling method differs depending on the product, please check the instruction manual for the maintenance method.
What to prepare
- Vacuum cleaner
- 2 towels
- Leather cleaner
- Protective cream for leather
Procedure
- Vacuum the sofa lightly
- Wipe the surface of the sofa with a towel
- Apply a leather cleaner for leather and gently wipe off dirt and stains.
- Apply protective cream for leather all over
- Wipe dry with a towel
How to clean fabric sofa
The method of cleaning the fabric sofa mainly uses a vacuum cleaner and a neutral detergent.
Use a vacuum cleaner to clean the sofa’s surface, and apply a small amount of neutral detergent diluted with water to the towel and tap it on the spots to let the detergent blend in.
When applying detergent to the stains, please do not rub it, but tap it with a pompon to blend it in. If you rub it, the stain will spread.
It is also recommended to sprinkle baking soda on the seat or back of the sofa, leave it for several hours, and then vacuum it.
Since baking soda is weakly alkaline, it neutralizes and removes acidic stains such as sweat and sebum stains.
Recommended items that are useful for cleaning the sofa
We are introducing items that make cleaning the sofa easier. We have a lineup of items that can be used not only on sofas but also on carpets and in cars, such as the popular cloth vacuum cleaners and cloth brushes.
Items that make sofa cleaning easier
- Popular household “cloth” vacuum cleaner
- Wet wipes for cloth
- Stain remover for cloth with brush
- Leather cleaner spray
Hi, am Sukanya Sharma, a professional blogger and writer, from Bhubaneswar. I completed my graduation from Delhi University in 2018. My expertise is in Lifestyle, Food & Health.
