Whether you’ve bought a brand-new piece of furniture or even if it is a flea market find or hand-me-down from your grandma, you still want to keep it as clean as you can. You may have received it with some stains already present, or maybe someone spilled something and you just didn’t know about it until after the stain had already set in. Either way, getting stains out of upholstery is no easy task. Obviously the quicker you are able to tackle the stain after a spill, the better, but check out these suggestions for how to get stains out of upholstery.
Step 1: Vacuum
The first step is vacuuming up any loose particles, even those you don’t see, from the furniture. There are probably some crumbs, pet hair, or dirt on the upholstery. A small hand vacuum works great! Or just use the brush attachment. Did you know that simly vacuuming can pull some of the stain out? It may not even be as bad as you thought!
*TIP* If you don’t have a vacuum available, try a lint roller or even wrap some tape around your hand with the sticky side up!
Step 2: Clean the Non-upholstered areas
Okay, so this has nothing to do with the stain, but it is still a good idea to clean these areas. If you’re going to drag cleaning supplies out, might as well conquer the whole piece of furniture!
*TIP* You don’t have to use a fancy cleaner – just mix up a solution of warm water and liquid dish soap!
Step 3. Clean the upholstery
Upholstery should be cleaned regularly and exactly how you clean it depends on the type of upholstery it is. If it still has the tag, that definitely makes it easier to determine how to clean it. For example, the tag will tell you if it needs to be dry cleaned only if it can be steamed, or only vacuumed.
*TIP* Keep some leather soap and conditioner on hand for regular cleaning.
Step 4: Treat stains
We all know them and we all hate them. Stains. But, if you have any fabric in your life, you know they happen and you have to know how to deal with them. So how DO you deal with them?
First, consider the type of upholstery: leather, microfiber, synthetic.
*TIP* Don’t have a steam cleaner? Use the steam setting on your iron for small spots!
Fabric
There are several tough cleaners on the market such as Resolve, Wine Away, and Tuff Stuff. Do some research online and check out reviews. It may take more than once through the entire process to get the stain out. Finally, be sure to dry the upholstery – moisture is not your friend. You might even want to set up a fan to help dry it out.
*TIP* Want to use a homemade cleaner? Try mixing ¼ cup of vinegar, ¾ cups warm water, and 1 TBSP dish soap in a spray bottle. Lightly mist the area and scrub with a soft cloth. Remove the cleaner with a second damp cloth and then dry with a towel.
Leather
*TIP* Don’t have a leather clean on hand? Mix up ½ cup of olive oil and ¼ cup of vinegar in a spray bottle. Mist on the leather and clean with a soft cloth.
Synthetic
*TIP* Prefer less harsh chemicals? Spray the surface with a mixture of ½ cup vinegar, ½ teaspoon liquid dish soap, and 1 cup of warm water. Scrub with a soft cloth.
When DIY just won’t cut it for upholstery stains, it may be time to call in a professional. Call us today to get stains out of your upholstery!