How to Clean Soft Furnishings at Home

Even if you take care of your furniture, it gets dirty sooner or later. The upholstery becomes greasy over time, it gets covered in pet hair, dust, crumbs, and more. And if you like to eat on the couch, then stains can develop as well.

5-Minute Crafts will tell you how to rid your soft furnishings of dirt and stains without using expensive cleaning products or turning to professionals for help.

General recommendations and how to prepare furniture for cleaning

• You should always test the cleaning product on a small, hidden patch of the upholstery before cleaning the entire piece of soft furniture.
• Vacuum the furniture before wet cleaning it. This must be done to prevent the dust between the fibers of the upholstery or on the surface from turning into dirty streaks on the furniture during cleaning.
• To beat the dust from the inside of the soft furniture, cover it with a wet sheet that was wrung out well and pat the sheet with your palm, a carpet beater, or a tennis racket. The sheet may turn gray from the dust that was released — rinse it, wring it out, and repeat the process.
• Wear rubber gloves before cleaning the furniture with various chemicals to protect your skin.
• Clean the stain on the upholstery from the edge to the center. This way, the stain won’t spread.
• If the stain is big, clean the entire surface of the furniture to avoid streaks. For example, clean the entire seat of an armchair or sofa or the entire back.

• Don’t press on the furniture during wet cleaning. Apply the cleaning product to the fabric in a way so it doesn’t penetrate the fabric deeply, and squeeze the sponge well. Otherwise, the product will get into the filling of the sofa. It will be difficult to dry the furniture, and mold can start growing inside.
• Don’t use all cleaning methods at the same time — this can damage the upholstery. Use one method, let the furniture dry properly, and only after that, if a stain persists, should you try another method.
• Use a cloth that isn’t dyed along with brushes with soft bristles or sponges to clean furniture.
• Try to remove stains from the sofa as soon as they occur — fresh stains are always easier to remove than old ones.
• Let the furniture dry well after cleaning by ventilating the room properly. Pat dry excess moisture from the upholstery with a paper towel.

Cleaning with shaving foam

You’ll need:

• Shaving foam
• Water
• A sponge
• A paper towel

The process:

1. Apply the foam to the soft furniture. Rub it with the help of a sponge.

2. Remove the foam thoroughly with the wet sponge that was wrung out well. Rinse the sponge in water from time to time and change the water in the bowl. Repeat your actions until the water remains clear and clean after another rinsing.

3. Pat the spots you cleaned with a paper towel and let the furniture dry well.

Cleaning with a mixture of baking soda, dishwashing liquid, and vinegar

You’ll need:

• 1 liter of warm water (plus water for washing)
• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid
• 6 tablespoons of 9% vinegar
• A sponge
• A paper towel

The process:

1. Dissolve the baking soda in the water, add dishwashing liquid, and stir it thoroughly. Add vinegar. You should see dense foam on the surface of the resulting mixture.

2. Apply the foam to the stains on the furniture with the help of a sponge. Leave it there for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. After that, remove the foam with the help of the sponge, rinsing it in clean water from time to time. Keep rubbing until the water from the sponge becomes clear.

4. Pat the furniture with a paper towel and let it dry.

Cleaning with baking soda

You’ll need:

• Baking soda
• A sponge
• A vacuum cleaner

The process:

1. Wet the surface of the furniture with the sponge or fabric soaked in clear water.

2. Cover the upholstery with a thick layer of baking soda. Leave it for about 15 minutes.

3. Rub the soda slightly in the fabric or stains.

4. Let the upholstery dry and remove the soda with the vacuum cleaner.

Cleaning with a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda

You’ll need:

• 1 cup of warm water (plus water for washing off)
• 5 tablespoons of baking soda
• 5 tablespoons of lemon juice
• A sponge
• A paper towel

The process:

1. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and add the lemon juice.

2. Apply the resulting mixture to the stains and leave it there for a few minutes.

3. Wipe the furniture with a wet sponge, pat it with a paper towel, and let it dry.

Cleaning with a ready-made carpet cleaner

You’ll need:

• A carpet cleaner agent
• You might need water and a vacuum cleaner, according to the chemical’s directions.

The process:

Follow the directions written on the bottle. With our chemical, we dissolved the cleaner in a ratio of 1:9 in clean water (1 part cleaner and 9 parts water) and foamed it. Then we applied the foam to the furniture and removed it with a wet sponge after 10 minutes.