Who doesn’t love to spend time resting in your living room, on your couch ? Most confortable piece of furniture of every living room, the sofa like the rest of your decoration also has to go through the cleaning part to stay beautiful and clean year after year. So take out your cleaning kit and let’s get to work !
Before sharing with you all of our little tips, it is important to remind you that the caring for your sofa is not the same from a sofa to another. In fact, from a surface to another, the cleaning techniques will of course not be the same. It will therefore be important to do some research in advance before proceeding with cleaning.
The regular caring for your fabric sofa
The first you have to think about when you wish to clean your fabric sofa regularly is of course the dusting. For this, use the brush connector of your vacuum cleaner or a damp cloth, then go all over the surface of the sofa. Repeat the operation at least once a week to avoid dirt, stains and dust to get embedded in the fabric fibers too much. Then, to not damage your fabric and for it not to lose any of its pretty colour, we advise you to put your sofa away from the sun rays.
Of course, eating on your sofa is also a thing to avoid, because you would then limitate the risk of stains and crumbs. Favour rather dinners at the table or even use meal trays to limitate any food from falling on the surface of your sofa.
As well, if you have pets in the house, don’t make them go on the sofa, beacuse they could scratch it and therefore damage or even stain it with urine or with their dirty paws. As for animal hair, use an anti-hair lint roller or a rubber glove to catch all animal hair and finish with a little swipe of vacuum cleaner for an efficient cleaning
Also, if your sofa has a removable cover, it will be useful to clean it regularly by putting them in the washing machine or simply to clean them by hand. You can also invest in a second cover. This will allow you to save money and mean you won’t have to cover your sofa or, worse still, buy a whole new sofa because the cover is damaged or dirty.
To ensure your sofa lasts for years to come, we also recommend using a cloth or blankets to cover it, thereby protecting its surface.
All this methods will allow you to avoid a caring and cleaning that is too abrasive, and that in the long run, will significantly damage your fabric.
Water cleaning of a fabric sofa
Before starting a water cleaning, two small things are to be done and watched. First of all, check well thanks to your sofa etiquettes that your fabric handles water correctly or else, you risk to do the opposite effect and damage it. Then, always dust off your sofa to wet it. In fact, if the dusting step is not done, you risk to create additional stains on your fabric and that is not what we want ! When those two steps are done, you can then start the cleaning.
For this, you can opt for the simpliest method : the damp cloth. Careful, your cloth should not be soaked with water, the goal is not to stain the surface of your sofa. In fact, too much water would risk to cause stains and to damage the surface as well as the filling of the seat.
Then, you can very well opt for a mix such as with Marseille soap or even those with white vinegar that also allow to desinfect your sofa.
Finally, using a steam cleaner can be a great way to deeply clean your sofa with water and in a very efficient way.
Dry cleaning of a fabric sofa
Dry cleaning is one of the most used and liked method for fabrics considered as fragile and delicate, like linen for example. To dry clean a sofa, different methods exist and are very efficient. To start, you can opt for the ‘Terre de Sommières’ stain remover, this clayey material is a great absorbent and allows to eliminate all liquid and greasy stains efficiently. In addition to this, it allows to eliminate bad smells as well. You can also opt for talc, this white powder will allow to eliminate greasy stains. Finally, the bicarbonate of soda, a powder very well known for its properties, is very efficient for making disgracious stains go away from your fabric, and to desinfect its surface. For all those methods, you will only have to put the powder on the stain, let it rest for at least an hour and gently rub the stain before vacuuming the excess amount.
Grandma recipes to clean your fabric sofa well
Clean a fabric sofa with white vinegar
With vinegar is a great way to eliminate your resistant stains like wine, soda or even coffee. In addition to the rest, it allows to make bad smells go away. To use it well, you will have to mix it with lukewarm water and liquid soap. Then, you’ll only have to soak a sponge in the solution, wring it well and start rubbing the liquid on the stain that you wish to make go away. Then comes the rinsing, for this, take a cloth that is damp with clear water. Finally, dry everything with a dry cloth or let the damp stain in the open air. And that’s it, magic, the stain has disappeared !
Clean a fabric sofa with bicarbonate soda
Bicarbonate soda is a great way to brighten up your sofa and remove smells and stubborn stains. To do this, our tips for use are as follows: sprinkle your stain with bicarbonate soda, then rub gently with a damp cloth or brush to form a paste-like consistency. Leave to stand for a few hours, then remove the excess with a dry cloth. Finally, rinse with clear water and leave your fabric to air-dry!
Clean a fabric sofa with steam
Before you start cleaning your sofa with a steam cleaner, make sure it’s safe to get wet. You’ll easily find this information on its label. If everything’s ok, then it’s time for the big cleaning of your sofa and cushions. It’s easy to use: just fill the tank with water for chemical, abrasive-free cleaning, and wipe over all surfaces. Be careful, however, not to dwell on certain areas, as you risk soaking them with too much water. Also take the opportunity to clean your cushions, and sometimes even the mattress if your sofa is convertible. Leave to air dry. Note that you can put detergent in your steam cleaner for a thorough cleaning, but we advise you to test the solution on a small, non-visible part of the bench to avoid unpleasant surprises in the event of a bad reaction.
How to remove stains from a fabric sofa?
As you’ve seen, there are a multitude of solutions and mixtures to help you maintain and significantly clean your lovely sofa! Grandma’s methods are quick and easy to make, and are great stain removers for juice, coffee or grease stains. They’re also great for disinfecting and reviving sofa colour. Of course, you can also opt for the ready-made products you’ll find in the stores, which will also do just as well. From foam to stain removers, there’s plenty of choice to get the job done right!
Caring for your sofa is important, so don’t neglect this step. Clean and dust your sofa fabric to make it last longer, and avoid eating on it or letting your cat or dog climb on it for even greater longevity. Whatever techniques and products you use, your sofa will thank you for it!
