Whether it is pizza sauce, or a chocolate stain or a nail paint splatter, your expensive and cherished upholstery deserves the best of care; so removing the stain as soon as possible is imperative. However, there are times when you cannot clean a stain the moment a spill, splatter or a smudge occurs, as you could be away from the house, or maybe you’ve guests present at that time. So the stain continues to soak in and set itself to a dry, hardened crusty form on your favourite chair or sofa.
What do you do – call in the upholstery cleaners?
Worry not, as we have a house cleaning guide for you with effective tips on dealing with stubborn, old, set stains and removal methods for different types of them.
1. Vacuuming your upholstery.
You should always include upholstery cleaning techniques such as vacuuming in your London home cleaning routine to get rid of dust, food crumbs, other debris and to keep it in top shape.
You’ll be surprised at how effective vacuuming is on an old stain. Suck out all the stain particles till it fades off slightly.
2. Know the type of your upholstery fabric.
When doing upholstery cleaning, it is always important to check out your furniture tags to know what stain removing technique is allowed for that piece of upholstery.
Look at the following letters and their respective cleaning methods:
1) W
Use a mild detergent with a water based solution to clean off spots with the foam produced.
2) S
Here you clean off stains the way professional cleaning services do it – with a solvent in a ventilated room, as it tends to stink.
3) X
This means just vacuum it off, whether the stain fades or not. If you’ve pets or kids, this type of upholstery should be skipped instantly when you shop for furniture.
3. Stain removal for various types of stains.
1) Coffee or Tea Spots
Spray a few squirts of a solution of equal quantities of white vinegar and water. Blot with a damp cloth, followed by a solution of a teaspoon of ammonia in a cup of water. Blot again with a wet cloth, then a dry one.
2) Sticky Stuff (Gum, Wax)
Press ice cubes on the sticky mess till it hardens. Scrape off with a butter knife. Apply clear dishwashing detergent to dislodge further partickes. Wash off with a damp cloth.
3) Grease (Pasta, Pizza, Salad Dressing)
Liberally put some talcum powder till the stain absorbs it completely. Buff with a dry cloth.
Apply any of these techniques and dealing with the upholstery will be simply a walk in the park. Sometimes it is just that simple – you just want to know how to deal with it.