A fabric sofa is undeniably one of the toughest to clean piece of furniture. Cleaning it is just as hard as keeping dirt and stains away from it.
Imagine, you plan a quiet evening just catching up with your favorite shows on your video streaming service. You climb into the fabric sofa you bought on a holiday sale only last week. On your way home, you dropped by a coffee specialty shop, and back home, you take a leisurely sip of your caramel cocoa frappuccino.
Then it happened. You'd think things like this happen only to other people or to fictional characters like in the charming rom-com movie Notting Hill. But there you see it, clear as day, an ugly coffee stain growing on your white fabric sofa. This has never happened before, and it did not even cross your mind that such a thing might even be possible.
So here are the important things to know when you are trying to clean a fabric sofa.
Remove the stains as fast as you can. If on your fabric sofa you spilled beverage inadvertently or dropped a slice of pizza dripping with barbecue sauce and a lot of ingredients made sticky by the cheese, or even some nail polish, remove the stain immediately.
A wise guideline to always remember is that the quicker the stain is removed, the easier it is to take off. However, the opposite is also true. If you delay more than a day in cleaning the stain caused by whatever substance, the harder it would be to remove it from the fabric.
Look at the recommendations of the manufacturer. The people who designed and made your fabric sofa know the best way to clean and maintain it. Their instructions are always in a tag attached to the sofa. They know what they are talking about if they tell you to avoid using water, or don't use a brush but only vacuum it clean. Upon identifying the proper way to clean your sofa, you can expect it to last for quite a long time in pristine condition.
Be familiar with the cleaning codes. The moment that you bought your fabric sofa, you must have an idea that it is a delicate thing to clean. There are specific ways to deal with various types. You will see this in the tag. Expect four letters, each one a symbol, and the directions on how to go about your particular sofa.
The code letters are W, S, WS, and X. The first, W, means you can clean it with water. S, which stands for solvents, means do not use water, only a solvent-based cleaning agent. WS means you can use both water and solvents. And X means you should only use a vacuum cleaner and nothing else.
Have a stiff brush ready for incidents of spillage, which are more common than what people usually expect. Once you are confident that you can use water to remove stains from your sofa, you can also use a dry brush with natural bristles to enable you not only to remove caked stain particles but also to totally clean the spot.
Since you are now developing confidence in how to clean your own fabric sofa, the next time somebody spills something, you won't be as stressed or rattled as before.
Vacuum the sofa first before actual cleaning. Before doing any kind of scrubbing, vacuum the specific area as thoroughly as you can. When all the surface dirt has been removed, one look at the sofa will show you the troubled spots that need attention. You now know what to do and how to do it, and all you need is to find a way to enjoy the work.
Use baking soda. Baking soda is one of the most versatile things you'd find in the kitchen cabinets. It helps bake your favorite cakes and pastries, but there are other situations where it can also be just as effective, and they are not even related to food or cooking.
A homemade baking solution with water is perfect for removing stubborn stains on any objects, surfaces, or fabrics. Allow the baking soda to remain on top of the troubled spot for about fifteen to twenty minutes. The stain would then be a lot easier to remove, or it will just fade away.
