How to remove tough stains from upholstery

Upholstered furniture in most homes usually take a strong beating and unrepentant beating! Especially when you have small kids in your home. Cast your mind back to that little playtime you had for your kids. Remember how all the kids were jumping off and on the sofa? Or that one time when a generous amount of soda was splashed on the sofa. Not forgetting chocolate and candy smears as well! And the kids don’t get all the blame too. The last time you were too exhausted to have your plate of steaming amala on the dining table, remember how you accidentally spilled thick, greenish ewedu on the sofa? I bet you do! Now let’s learn How to remove tough stains from upholstery.

Having spent a whooping sum of money on purchasing your dream upholstered furniture, it’s important that you also imbibe a maintenance culture that will help you get value off your purchase and also beautify your space. A lot of people tend to get complacent with the maintenance culture and that is why such people will find themselves shopping for a new set of sofa every year. If properly cared for, a sofa set should last you for a very long time. A well maintained sofa set will also attract more value in the event of a furniture exchange programme. So how do you deal with cases of different types of stains and ultimately keep your sofa in a perfect condition? Find out below.

How to remove tough stains from upholstery

Food and beverage stains

In most cases, food and beverage stains are the easiest to take out from your sofa, as long as you don’t allow the stain to stay on for too long and attend to it immediately. A numerable amount of food and beverage stains can be cleaned out with a simple sponge or clean cloth, some water and a tablespoon of a good clear dish washing liquid, clear water-based shampoo or foam upholstery cleaner.If you are not sure if it was a curry or that incredible cream sauce from two months back that left the indelible mark, do not use hot or warm water to treat it, because, in the case of the cream, it will make the stain harder to deal with. Proteins curdle and set more in the fabric when introduced to heat, so use cold water to treat old stains whenever you are not sure of the source of the stain.

Pretreat the stain with a liquid detergent that has enzymes in the case of the protein stains. Let it soak for about 30 minutes or longer then scrub it out with a sponge or cloth, starting with the exterior of the stain, then working your way towards the center of it. Rinse the spot out with a clean sponge, and clean water then let it dry.

Oily or greasy stains

For old oily and greasy stain on your upholstery, the first step is to try to absorb them out of the fabric as much as possible. You can do this by use of baking soda or cornstarch. Place any of these items onto the stain, and let them soak out the grease for about 15 minutes.

Afterwards, scrape, brush or vacuum them off then use a dry cleaning solvent or rubbing alcohol, vodka, and a clean white cloth or sponge to rub out the oily stain. Blot till the solvent is absorbed then let it dry.  With peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, and yogurt stains, even on washable upholstery, use dry-cleaning solvent, available online. Apply it with a clean, white cloth, blotting, and repeating until the stain is gone.

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