Growing up in the city and taking the bus and train everywhere, I can always remember my mom telling my sisters and me to be careful where we sit on public transportation. She didn’t want us bringing home other people’s smells, dirt and debris. We used to think she was crazy until we got older and realized she was right.
I was in my 20’s when I got my first apartment and everything my mother told me stuck with me and sometimes to me. I had anyone who walked into my home, removes their shoes and if they had on a coat, they had to hang it by the door.
You don’t usually know when a friend or family member brings in dirt from outside, but it is practically inevitable. They sit on your sofa, comfy chair, or even your upholstered dining room chairs. Whatever smell they may have picked up from the outside sticks to them like glue and they bring it into your home. There is cigarette smoke, air pollution and odors from pets. The fall weather also brings on allergies and the common cold, so there could also be sneezing and coughing in the air and all over your furniture.
So the question is, what do you do about it? How do you clean your upholstery after a guest visits?
There is a lot of promotion out there for “fabric refreshers”. Fabric refreshers are basically scented disinfectants that you spray on your furniture to eliminate odors, but they do not get rid of dirt and fine debris, and a lot of the time, they just mask the problem.
The best thing to do after company comes for a visit is to brush down all of your upholstery and then vacuum each piece of furniture. The same goes for your carpeting and even your hardwood floors. It’s best to immediately sweep and vacuum.
The Best Upholstery Method of cleaning
Regularly cleaning your upholstery will help to keep your furniture looking its best, and it also helps to remove odors from pets, cigarette smoke, cooking, and even air pollution. Properly cleaning your upholstery will prolong the life of your furniture and also makes it more comfortable to sit and lounge on.
Most fabric furniture can be cleaned with baking soda and other household products, and good vacuuming and brushing are also typically very effective at removing dried stains.
The first thing you do when cleaning your upholstery is to brush down, then vacuum thoroughly, in every crevice of each piece of furniture, the brushing helps to pull all debris to the surface, so then when you vacuum, debris is sucked out of the furniture as much as possible.
If you discover any spots, blot the area with a clean damp cloth prior to using a cleaning mixture.
Baking soda is an excellent source for cleaning fabric furniture. Mix a small amount of baking soda and water in a bowl to create a paste and then push this paste into the spot with a clean, damp cloth. In a circular motion rub the baking soda, which should then pull up any dirt and debris. Finally use a clean, damp cloth to remove as much of the baking soda as possible.
One other way to clean upholstery is by using club soda. The bubbling action helps to lift any trapped or locked in spots or stains and it should be easier to wipe up and away from any food residue. Just pour a small amount of club soda onto the area and blot up with a damp cloth.