Whether you need to clean fabric furniture, or a mattress or fragile upholstery, your best bet is a steam cleaner. Not only will it remove any visible stains, dirt or grease but it will also clean all the surfaces, kill bacteria, mold, dust mites and bedbugs.
Here are some easy-to-follow steps to steam clean furniture at home:
Prepare for steam cleaning:
Vacuum all dirt particles:
Begin by vacuuming any trash, dirt, pet hair or dust that might have settled on the fabric. Don’t leave out any cracks and crevices; if the furniture comes with pillows or cushions, take them off and vacuum each side.
Treat any stains on the upholstery:
For any stains on your upholstery, spray some spot upholstery cleaner so that it breaks up the stain spot. After a few minutes, blot it out using a soft cloth and you will find the stain emerging very easily. Using the steam vacuum cleaner, you can easily remove food, pee, poop and dirt stains, though oil-based stains might need something stronger.
Soften the fabric:
To remove all the dust and grit from the fabric, spray a soil emulsifier on your upholstery to loosen the dirt particles in the fabric. After a few minutes, spray a little upholstery shampoo and brush it entirely. The dirt will come off automatically.
How to clean furniture upholstery:
Furniture upholstery cleaning comprises a few important steps. These are:
Steam clean all the cushions and pillows:
Begin small by steam cleaning your cushions and pillows. You might need to do both sides of each pillow, so do it steadily and completely.
Move on to the furniture:
With the pillows and cushions done, you can move on to steam clean furniture. Steam clean a small part of the fabric and then move on to other areas until you’ve covered all your furniture. If any one spot is particularly dirty, go over it once more until you’re satisfied with what you’ve done. You needn’t wait until it dries.
Allow your furniture to dry naturally:
After you finish steam cleaning all your furniture and upholstery, leave it to dry naturally. You can do this by leaving open a window so that the air blows in or switch on a fan or blow dryer to speed up the drying process. Now, go over all that you’ve done, and check for any discoloration on your upholstery. If there are stains, there are some ways by which you can get them off. Here’s how:
For stubborn stains:
- Soak soft cloth with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. Cover the stain on the upholstery with the fabric so that the fabric soaks up the vinegar entirely. Rub the stain gently in a circular motion so that the stain particles loosen up. In the absence of vinegar, try vodka.
- To clean your sofa, use hydrogen peroxide, particularly for red wine stains.
- To get rid of dirt and grime, mix baking powder and club soda and apply it on the stain on a suede sofa.
Looking after good furniture and upholstery might mean a lot of work, but it’s more strenuous and headachy to get rid of stains than do general maintenance. But you take your pick.
Here’s a great video you can watch on how to steam clean furniture:
