Cleaning Dirty Upholstery

Upholstered furniture is a great addition to any home. The different patterns and colors can make even the most dingy looking room look warm and inviting.

Some people might shy away from buying upholstered furniture, or they may go as far as throwing away their upholstered furniture once it becomes dirty. A word of advice: do not, I repeat, DO NOT be one of those people!

Cleaning upholstery is not as difficult as one might think, and it is most definitely cheaper than going out and buying something to replace the perfectly fine piece of furniture you have right now!

Keeping this in mind, it is important to know how to clean your upholstered furniture. Don’t be fooled into thinking it is worthless once a muddy shoe print or drop of blood mars your upholstery.

Stay calm and follow my easy cleaning tips to make your upholstery looking better than ever.

Prepare Your Cleaning Solution

Some people prefer to buy a cleaning formula to wash the upholstery on their furniture, while others prefer to mix their own.

Either is fine and will work, but make sure to test the cleaning solution before fully committing to it. If you don’t, there is a possibility your upholstery will be ruined.

When using a prepackaged cleaning solution, be sure to follow the directions carefully. Using the wrong formula in the wrong manner can ruin your furniture.

Making your own solution is easy. Just mix the following with a blender until it forms a stiff sudsy foam (similar to meringue):

• 1/4 cup of your favorite laundry detergent
• One cup warm water

Vacuum First

There’s no point in cleaning your upholstery until you have removed all of the dust, dirt and pet hair that has accumulated in and on it over the years.

If your furniture doesn’t have cushions, vacuum as much of the fabric as you can.

If your furniture has cushions, remove and vacuum them. Then vacuum out all of the debris that have been shoved down the sides of the cushions.

Utilize your vacuums different attachments, such as the crevice attachment, to get into those hard to reach places.

Make sure you vacuum every part of the furniture. Pay special attention to the backs, sides, arms, bottoms, etc. that are often overlooked so that you can be positive there will be nothing left behind when you begin to clean your upholstery.

Dab Your Cleaning Solution on the Stain

Once you have tested your cleaning solution on a hidden spot on your furniture for blotching, fading or shrinkage and deem it safe to use, you can begin the actual cleaning process.

Get a spoonful of your sudsy cleaning solution and dab onto the upholstery. Begin blotting at the stain with a soft cotton rag. It shouldn’t take long to begin seeing dirt accumulating in the suds and on the rag.

Rinse and Repeat

Take a wet (but not drenched) washcloth and wipe away the dirty suds. Rinse out the wash cloth afterwards and repeat the cleaning process described above.

You may have to do this several times on very dirty or stained pieces.

Let the Upholstery Dry Completely

Once you have completed the cleaning process, let your upholstered furniture dry overnight. Once dry, vacuum the dried furniture one last time to get up any lifted dirt or dust from the cleaning solution.

Now Relax

Now, sit back and enjoy the look and smell of your newly cleaned upholstered furniture.

While it is true that cleaning upholstery takes some time, it really isn’t a difficult job. Besides, one look at your upholstery and you will be glad you took the time to bring it back to its original beauty.