How to quickly, effectively and safely clean a sofa with baking soda and vinegar at home?

Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar is a cheap, safe way to freshen upholstered furniture. The effectiveness of these simple means at hand has been tested by time and allows you to stop using household chemicals.

Baking soda is a good adsorbent not only of dirt, but also of odors. Vinegar replaces stain remover or conditioner. These substances are used to remove grease, stains, and persistent odors. At the same time, they are safe for human health and do not cause allergies. There are several simple ways to clean a sofa with vinegar and soda without harming the upholstery.

Cleaning a sofa with baking soda and vinegar at home

To clean the sofa, you can use professional household chemicals or simple household products. The easiest and cheapest way to clean your upholstery yourself and update its color is to use such simple folk remedies as baking soda and vinegar. These substances can be used for preventative cleaning.

Preventative care will not require a lot of time, but dust along with other contaminants will not accumulate and spoil the appearance of the furniture. For this purpose, both dry and wet cleaning methods are used. Sodium bicarbonate, 9% acetic acid are suitable for removing greasy or fresh stains.

The substances act softly and sparingly. They are suitable for most types of upholstery, both textile and leather. To confirm safety, it is worth doing a test cleaning on an inconspicuous area of ​​the sofa.

There are several simple ways to clean a sofa with soda and acetic acid. These substances can be used together or separately, in pure form or in combination with other agents.

Sodium bicarbonate can be used in dry form as an adsorbent for dirt or odors. To prepare combined products, liquid soap or dishwashing gel is often used. In order not to spoil the upholstery, it is best to give preference to products without dyes or fragrances.

On what surface of the sofa can vinegar be used?

To ensure that cleaning a sofa or other upholstered furniture with soda and vinegar does not cause trouble, pay attention to the quality of the upholstery.

• These components cannot be used in cases where the upholstery material contains silk fibers.
• Velor, velvet and suede do not like excessive moisture and friction. To clean them, more gentle methods are chosen.
• Also, this method is not suitable for bright colored fabrics.

Additional Information! Thanks to modern technologies, many upholstery materials have increased density, abrasion resistance, color fastness, and special impregnation. Complex chemical compositions are no longer required to clean them. “Home remedies” will do the job perfectly.

Wet cleaning with baking soda and vinegar

Cleaning with a solution of vinegar and sodium bicarbonate can remove stains of various origins:

• traces of urine from children or animals;
• blood;
• greasy stains, traces of food or drinks;
• from most fruits or vegetables and their juices.

To prepare the solution, add 2 tbsp to 0.5 liters of water. l. vinegar, 1 tbsp. l. soda, mix well. The prepared solution is poured into a spray bottle, sprayed on the surface of the sofa, left for 20 minutes, after which the contaminated areas are wiped with a brush with medium-hard bristles or a foam sponge. Wipe off any remaining product with a cloth moistened with clean water. Allow the upholstery to dry, then vacuum thoroughly.

You can clean your sofa with baking soda and vinegar, mixing them with laundry detergent, laundry liquid or dishwashing liquid. To prepare the product, pour 0.5 liters of hot water into a basin, add 1 tsp. detergent or 1 tbsp. l. washing powder, 1/3 cup table vinegar.

The mixture is poured into a spray bottle, add 1 tbsp. l. soda, quickly close the container and spray on contaminated areas. If a spray bottle is not available, the solution can be applied with a sponge, but in this case the upholstery gets more wet and takes longer to dry.

Rub the moistened surface with a dry brush or the abrasive part of a sponge. Excess product is removed with a clean rag moistened with water, and then with a dry cloth. After complete drying, the pile can be straightened with a brush.

To clean light-colored sofas, the usual products can be combined with sodium tetraborate; in this case, soda and vinegar are taken in equal proportions, and tetraborate is added as a bleach in the amount of 1 tsp.

To remove urine stains, use acetic acid and baking soda in turn, combining them with hydrogen peroxide.

To do this, first apply an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate to the upholstery of the sofa using a spray bottle (take 1 tablespoon of soda for 1 liter of water). Then spray with a 1% vinegar solution, and after 15-20 minutes - with hydrogen peroxide.

The remaining substances are wiped off with a clean damp cloth, dried, and then vacuumed. When cleaning dark furniture, use hydrogen peroxide with caution so as not to discolor the upholstery.

Correspondence table between solutions and fabrics

Natural fabrics are best washed with soda: linen, cotton.

Conversely, silk and wool are not cleaned with sodium carbonate: they become stiff and their appearance changes.

Wet cleaning with vinegar without soda

You can only effectively clean a sofa at home using table vinegar. It perfectly removes dirt and refreshes upholstery. It can be used in the following ways:

1. Traditional cleaning of a sofa from dust: 1 tsp. vinegar and 2 tsp. salts are dissolved in 1 liter of water. Moisten a clean sheet of a suitable size with the solution, cover the sofa with it and beat it until the fabric darkens from the collected dust. The sheet must be washed and the procedure repeated until the fabric is clean. Velor is treated with a foam sponge soaked in the same solution.
2. To remove beer stains, rub the contaminated areas with a damp piece of laundry soap. Leave them to dry. Then soak in concentrated table vinegar using a cotton pad. After this, the upholstery is washed with clean water and dried.
3. To remove traces of fruits or juices, use a mixture that contains 2 tablespoons of vinegar and ammonia. The resulting product is rubbed into the upholstery, allowed to dry, and then removed with a damp cloth.

How to clean the upholstery depending on how dirty it is?

The standard version of the cleaning solution, which can be used even just to return the sofa to a fresh look, is prepared as follows :

1. 
   You need to put 1 large spoon of baking soda and washing powder into a spray bottle, pour in 1 large spoon of boiling water and 30 ml of table vinegar.

2. Shake the mixture well.
3. Next, you need to spray it on the desired areas of the sofa (for example, if only the armrest is dirty) and clean them with a stiff brush.
   As a result, dirt and unpleasant odors are adsorbed.

But different stains require different approaches, and in some cases a mixture of soda and vinegar is not just applied to the dirty fabric, but must be left for some time.

The same applies to the combination of ingredients - some stains require different options.

This solution must not be used on sofas with suede and leather upholstery!

From fresh stains

If the stain is removed “hotly,” you can prepare the following soda solution :

• 1 liter of water;
• 4 large tablespoons of 9% vinegar;
• 2 large spoons of soda.

You can pour this mixture into a spray bottle and generously spray the stain or moisten it with a cloth.
But the main thing: leave for 20 minutes and then rub with a foam sponge or a medium-hard brush (depending on the upholstery of the sofa).

The remaining product should be removed with a clean damp cloth and, after drying, vacuum this area of ​​the sofa.

From the old ones

In case of old stains, a more concentrated cleaning solution is required:

• 500 ml water;
• 80 ml table 9% vinegar;
• 1 large spoon of soda.

The resulting mixture can also be sprayed onto the stain from a spray bottle (amply) or applied with a cloth, and then left for 20 minutes.

Since we are talking about an old stain, to get rid of it later you will need a fairly stiff brush.

After drying, it is advisable to vacuum the sofa to remove any remaining soda particles.

To restore shine and remove grease

You can return the sofa upholstery to a fresh look by adding 1 small spoon of soda and vinegar per liter of water , and then soaking a sheet or any other piece of fabric in this liquid and covering the furniture with it.

Then you need to knock out the sofa for a while - the fabric will take on all the dirt.

But if the upholstery is made of velor, you need to clean it with a damp sponge in the direction of the pile , and in the process it is important to try not to wet the material too much.

Dry cleaning a sofa with baking soda

It is recommended to rid the sofa of stains using dry sodium bicarbonate. The product can remove traces of tea, juices, dirt, ballpoint pens and children's paints. Dry soda is used to remove grease and update the color of upholstery. Sodium bicarbonate is applied to both dry and damp upholstery and left for 30 minutes. If necessary, especially dirty areas should be cleaned with a damp sponge or brush and then vacuumed.

To remove particularly difficult stains, you can prepare a paste of 1 part baking soda and 1 part water or detergent. The resulting paste is applied to the stain with a brush and allowed to dry. Then remove with a brush or vacuum cleaner.

Folk remedies and cleaning methods

Inexpensive and accessible - every housewife has her own secrets on how to clean upholstered furniture at home. The advantages of folk cleaning recipes are that the means for their implementation are always available in the kitchen or bathroom. With their help, you can remove stains, refresh the color of furniture upholstery, and remove unpleasant odors.

Ammonia

Effective against odor and stains. Wipe the dirt with it, apply laundry soap after half an hour, and after 20 minutes, rinse with a vinegar solution at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. per liter of water. This product will effectively remove even old stains.

Soapy water

For simple cleaning, it is convenient to use a water solution with laundry soap, powder or dishwashing detergent. Soak a cloth in it and wash. After drying, be sure to remove any residue.

Dishwashing liquid

Dishwashing liquid
Make a strong solution of Fairy and water, whisk it until foamy. Apply the resulting product to the upholstery, paying attention to dirty areas of the seat, scrub with a brush and rinse with water. Dry the upholstery material thoroughly to avoid any unpleasant odor. The method is effective and fast.

Hydrogen peroxide cleansing

Combine them in a ratio of 1 to 2, apply to the stain and wait until it becomes light, remove the residue. Be careful - the product can discolor the fabric itself, do not use it on an untested area! Like other home remedies, hydrogen peroxide is effective in removing stains from furniture left behind after home renovations.

Knockout

Allows you to clean furniture without a vacuum cleaner and without chemicals. Do dry cleaning weekly, and every 2 weeks using a damp sheet. This way the dust will not fly away, the sofa will be cleaned and fresh. In this case, the structure of the fabric will not be disturbed, and the dyes will not be damaged.

Cleansing foam

An excellent option for cleaning furniture is a foaming shaving product. Squeeze a small amount onto the upholstery, spread with your hands, and leave for 7-10 minutes. Clean off any foam residue with a brush, not a rag.

Shampoo Sun Clean

Apply the product according to the instructions to difficult stains, leave for 5 minutes and scrub off with a brush. Afterwards, go through the fresh dirt - all over the upholstery, immediately rinse off the shampoo to give freshness to the paint and eliminate unpleasant odors.

Universal preparation Grass Universal Cleaner

The effective product is equipped with a spray bottle, easily spreads over the surface, and is suitable for any general fabric, including plastic, nubuck and leather. Spray it on the upholstery, wait a little and wipe off.

Vinegar, powder and soda

If the upholstery is light-colored, then cleaning is carried out perfectly with soda and vinegar. To do this you will need the following:

• Take 25 g of baking soda and powder and pour into a spray bottle.
• Pour 70 g of 9% vinegar.
• Pour 400 milliliters of boiling water.
• Close tightly and shake the container until foam forms.
• Apply the composition to contaminated areas.
• Remove moisture with a sponge.

A product with vinegar and soda is suitable for improving the appearance of even greasy areas of furniture. However, to achieve excellent results, cleaning will have to be repeated.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice quickly and effectively fights even old stains. In addition, it is completely safe and has a pleasant smell. Cleaning is carried out as follows:

• Add 150 ml of juice to half a liter of water.
• Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and apply to the stain.
• Clean the area with a sponge.

Cleaning with soda slurry

This method also helps remove grease, tea, coffee and dirt stains. It is more effective, but also more complex to implement than the previous one.

• Mix soda with water (1:1).
• Spread the resulting pulp evenly over the surface of the sofa.
• Rub the product into the upholstery with a soft, short-bristled brush.
• Leave everything for an hour. The sofa should be completely dry during this time.
• Vacuum the upholstery. If necessary, wipe it with a damp cloth to remove any remaining soda.

Cleaning with soda solution

This method is suitable for quickly cleaning a sofa from light stains with baking soda. Suitable only for upholstery that is not afraid of moisture.

• Prepare a cleaning solution – 2 tbsp. l soda per liter of water.
• Pour it into a spray bottle and spray it over the upholstery of the sofa.
• More contaminated areas can be moistened with more solution and rubbed with a brush. Then remove excess moisture with a clean sponge.
• Allow the upholstery to dry completely and vacuum it.

General cleaning with baking soda and detergent.

• To remove heavy dirt, stubborn stains, and traces of urine.
• Mix a liter of water, 2 tbsp. l. soda and 2 tbsp. l. dishwashing detergents, for example, “Fairy”. Instead of detergent, you can use laundry soap or colorless shampoo.
• Lather the solution with a sponge or hand.
• Apply foam to sofa upholstery.
• Leave everything for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse off cleaning products thoroughly with a sponge and clean water.

How to remove odor from a couch using baking soda and vinegar

The easiest way to eliminate unpleasant odors is to cover the furniture with a sheet soaked in a 1% solution of table vinegar. It is advisable to carry out this procedure several times in a row until the unpleasant odor completely disappears. You can simply moisten a napkin with a 1% solution of vinegar, to which you need to add 1 tsp. hydrogen peroxide. Dry baking soda also adsorbs odor well. To do this, scatter it evenly over the surface of the sofa upholstery, leave it for 2-3 hours, and then carefully collect it with a vacuum cleaner.

The problem of how to clean urine from a sofa can be solved with the help of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid. These substances break down the components of urine, permanently eliminating its odor. To begin with, a fresh stain should be carefully and repeatedly blotted with paper napkins to prevent the urine from being absorbed into the upholstery and filling of the sofa.

Contaminated areas are generously moistened with a solution of vinegar diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2, covered with a paper napkin, and left to dry completely. After this, the stains are wiped with dry sodium bicarbonate powder. Then a mixture of 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and 1 part cold water is applied to the contaminated areas with a spray bottle.

You can add ½ tsp to the solution. liquid detergent. Mixing on the surface of the upholstery, the substances will begin to foam, releasing oxygen, which will destroy the components of urine. After 2-3 hours, wipe the upholstery with a clean sponge or napkin and then dry it.

Tips and precautions

Despite the fact that both soda and vinegar are food ingredients, we must not forget that these are quite aggressive components that, if used in excess and improperly used, can cause harm. Including sofa upholstery.

To prevent this from happening, you need to follow a number of safety rules.

1. 
   First, it is highly advisable to vacuum the sofa - this will already remove some of the dirt.

2. It is important not to wet the stain area too much - if it gets too wet, it is unlikely to dry quickly, and this will lead to the appearance of mold fungi.
3. The sponge or cloth used to clean the stain should be periodically rinsed in clean water, then squeezed well and then dipped into the cleaning solution again.
4. To quickly dry the cleaned area of ​​the sofa, it is convenient to use a hair dryer.
5. Minimum moisture in the case of silk, cotton, tapestry and linen coverings.
6. Minimum friction in the case of velvet, velor, flock, silky upholstery.

If there is any doubt, it is better to try the cleaning option on a small area of ​​the stain, and if the fabric does not change in any way (in a negative way), then you can continue.

Recommendations for upholstered furniture

Before cleaning, the furniture must be thoroughly vacuumed or wiped, getting rid of dust, so that there are no streaks left after manipulation. For the same purpose, stains are cleaned from the periphery to the center. To avoid leaving traces, it is advisable to treat the sofa completely and not partially.

When carrying out wet cleaning, you do not need to wet the furniture abundantly so as not to stimulate the formation of mold. It will be enough to moisten the fabric a little.

Sodium bicarbonate must be carefully removed from the surface - rinse or vacuum up. Residues of the substance may begin to collect moisture or dust from the air, which will accelerate the contamination of the sofa upholstery. Delicate fabrics (tapestry, silk, velvet, velor) are cleaned dry, avoiding excessive friction. Flock and chenille are afraid of mechanical damage.

How to clean a sofa?

The most resourceful readers of the women's website “Beautiful and Successful” who live in big cities can clean the sofa using a “cunning” method that we found on the Internet.

Invite representatives of any marketing company selling cleaning products or super-duper household appliances (for example, Kirby, Zepter) to your home, supposedly for a presentation and invite them to demonstrate their product on your favorite sofa.

This cleaning method will cost you a couple of hours of wasted time.

The main thing is to carefully observe the magical transformation of your sofa, admire, but not succumb to the persuasion of company representatives who can smell a potential buyer a mile away.

With words of gratitude and a promise to think about purchasing the product, close the door behind the representatives and admire the clean sofa

Source: https://www.sympaty.net/20151205/kak-pochistit-divan/