How to clean a used couch is a very typical question in the minds of people who are fond of garage sales for all their furniture needs. If you are also a fan of thrift stores and garage sales, all furniture whether upholstered or leather, such as used sofas, should be cleaned and sanitized before taking them in. Otherwise, you may inadvertently bring unwanted bacteria, odors, and pests into your home. When you buy or inherit a used sofa, you also acquire or inherit the stains and dirt from the previous owners. Even if the couch in question appears to be spotless, it should still be cleaned before use to remove any deep-seated dirt that may not be visible. And then it’s not only about second-hand couches or sofas. If you have children or pets, you know all too well how fast a sofa can go from brand new to looking like it needs to be sent to the sidewalk. If you are wondering how to clean a used couch, you are at the right place.
How to clean a used couch? For upholstered sofas, many decide to hire a professional to clean them, but this can be expensive. For used leather couches, you can use commercial leather cleaners, but these can also be expensive. Luckily, you can easily clean a used couch at home using common products or inexpensive cleaners. These are effective ways to disinfect and remove odors from a used sofa without detergent. In some cases, however, you may need to use a stronger cleaning and carpet cleaner if the stains you are working on are stubborn. Many people also ask – “can you use carpet cleaner on couch?”. Let us find out
How To Clean A Used Couch – Can You Use Carpet Cleaner On Couch?
How to clean a used couch using carpet cleaner? But can you use carpet cleaner on couch in the first place? When you ask if you can use carpet cleaner on a couch, the answer is mostly yes, but we do avoid very harsh cleaners.
Here is how you can safely use your carpet cleaner to clean your couch.
Furniture Preparation
You should thoroughly vacuum the sofa before the cleaning procedure. A manual baby vacuum cleaner will be perfect for this purpose if you will have one.
Furniture Cleaning Process:
Now that the furniture itself is ready, you need to prepare a solution of carpet cleaning liquid and water. For 9 parts of water, we take 1 part of the product. If you need more solutions, increase the proportion accordingly.
Next, you need to beat the solution to a thick foam and apply it to the surface of the upholstery. The foam is easily whipped with a large sponge. You need to do the process wearing gloves to protect your hands from chemicals. The foam must be applied quickly, otherwise, it quickly settles.
Now you need to wait until everything dries. After drying, the sofa must be thoroughly vacuumed again.
How To Clean A Used Couch – Cleaning A Used Leather Couch
When it comes to cleaning a used leather couch, you must understand that a leather sofa has to be washed gently and with the right cleaning agent. Keep in mind that leather sofas come in different types of leather, and it is good if you can find out what applies to your particular sofa.
A leather sofa gives an exclusive feeling in a living room and comes in a number of different variants. Even though leather is a durable material, it still requires a lot of maintenance to stay in perfect condition. If you have the opportunity, it is good to find out what type of leather sofa you have. Then you know how much and what kind of soap, the leather variant used in your sofa can handle. However, always use water sparingly when cleaning the leather sofa, no matter what type of leather it is.
Everyday Cleaning Of Leather Sofa
Real Leather and faux leather can behave differently. If there is a care guide for your leather sofa, it is good if you look at its specific recommendations. Leather is an organic material that requires some maintenance, but it is not difficult to keep it clean and with the right means, you can keep it nice and fresh for a long time.
Vacuum Leather Sofa
Get in the habit of vacuuming the sofa in joints with a sofa nozzle, where a lot of dust and crumbs accumulate. Also take the opportunity to vacuum armrests, all pillows, and don’t miss out on cleaning behind the sofa. Then use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe.
Wipe Stains With Mild Soap
If you have a simple stain on your leather sofa, you can wipe it off with mild soap mixed with water. Here again, it is important to point out that it is good to check if your sofa’s leather can tolerate mild soap. Soaps can damage or discolor some variety of leather.
If you are unsure, you can do the following. Select a surface that is not visible, for example on the back of the sofa, and test dry with the soap mixture there. Let it dry to see if any discoloration has happened. If no visible changes occur, you can wipe the sofa with the same mixture. Should stains occur, you can use only water. But remember not to use an overly wet cloth.
Remove Stains With White Vinegar
Should your sofa have tougher stains, which cannot be removed with mild soap or water, you can use white vinegar instead. You do not have to worry about vinegar smelling on the couch afterward. Mix half water and half vinegar, moisten a cloth, and gently wipe the surface with the vinegar solution. Wipe dry with a dry cloth once the stain is gone.
Remove Chewing Gum From Leather Sofa
Something that easily gets stuck on leather sofas is chewing gum. Many people do the mistake of scratching it out with their nails, but unfortunately it usually only makes the situation worse. There is a simpler trick that is effective but not everyone knows about it.
You will need the following:
- Ice cubes
- Plastic bag
- Hairdryer
- Dry cloth
Put the ice cubes in a plastic bag and then place them on the chewing gum by pressing with your hand. When the chewing gum has frozen, you can easily remove the chewing gum with your hands. If there are still chewing gum leftovers, you can try freezing them again. If they remain, you can heat the chewing gum with a hairdryer. When it melts, you can wipe off the residue with a cloth. Then clean with a slightly damp cloth, possibly with a little mild soap, and wipe dry with a cloth.
How To Clean A Used Couch – How To Steam Clean A Couch?
How to steam clean a couch? Steam washing is one of the most effective ways to clean a sofa and is also completely free of harmful chemicals. The steam is active on several levels and can remove stains and odors, kill bacteria and restore the sofa’s former luster.
In addition to the fact that a steam cleaner for a sofa is a very effective way to get rid of stains and freshen up a sofa, it is also very gentle for both you and the sofa. Many textiles are sensitive to chemicals and other cleaning methods and therefore the steam wash is perfect.
When it comes to how to clean a used couch and how to steam clean a couch, when you steam wash a sofa, you only use hot water vapor, which is not harmful to the fabrics and materials used in making couches. In addition, you avoid residual chemicals and any allergic reactions. Because of this, steam washing of sofas is recommended for most people, especially families with small children and animals who spend time on the couch.
Although steam cleaning is a good and gentle way to wash a sofa, you should always read the manufacturer’s instructions before you start. Just like with clothes, most sofas have washing instructions attached to the fabric. There you can read more about the cleaning methods recommended for the furniture and whether there are specific chemicals you can not use with the sofa, or if it can not be steam washed.
You rarely need to clean a sofa more than 1-2 times a year and therefore it is superfluous to invest in your own steam cleaner, especially if you do not plan to clean other furniture and fabrics with it.
Therefore, we suggest that you rent a steam cleaner for the sofa instead. Today, there are a large number of cleaning companies and players who rent out cleaning tools.
Here are detailed cleaning instructions if you want to do it yourself at home:
- Vacuum the sofa extensively. The most difficult stains can be preliminarily removed with a detergent. If you do not want to use chemicals, try the natural remedies given in this article
- After the upholstery is completely dry, you need to prepare a steam cleaner. Pour water into the container. For a better effect, you can add upholstery cleaner, shampoo, or dishwashing detergent. It will be safer to use the chemicals specified in the manufacturer’s instructions. In addition, you need to dilute them in water, and not use concentrate.
- Then you need to put on a suitable nozzle – a triangular one.
- Now you can start the cleaning process. The nozzle must be kept at an angle. The device must be moved smoothly, the upholstery should be cleaned with long and soft movements, often wiping the remaining dirt with a cloth (but not from a rough material).
- The whole process should be gradual. Treat easy-to-reach places first, then hard-to-reach places. The same areas need to be carefully treated several times.
After the cleaning is finished, the furniture should be left to dry. This is not a fast process. But if a vacuum cleaner is built into the steam cleaner, then drying will take much less time – just a couple of minutes.
How To Clean A Used Couch – How To Clean Polyester Fiber Couch
How to clean a used couch and how to clean polyester fiber couch? The range of synthetic furniture fabrics is quite extensive. This group includes textiles made of polyester, polyamide, acetate, etc. All of them are distinguished by strength, durability, and unpretentiousness in care. But, of course, you need to know how you can and how not to clean the upholstery of your sofa.
How to clean polyester fiber couch? Carefully study the information on the back wall of upholstered furniture. The manufacturer is obliged to provide the consumer with reliable information about the composition of the fabric and acceptable care technologies. Even if you bought the right synthetic cleaner, don’t use it right away. Test it on a small area, and observe how the upholstery reacts to household chemicals. Only then clean the sofa completely.
Many of these fabrics including polyester fiber are water-cleanable and washable. They can be cleaned with active foam and washing solutions of textile shampoo. However, it is not necessary to wet the furniture too much so as not to create conditions for the development of mold and fungus. Polyester is widely used in furniture production. The fabric is durable, elastic, drapes well, and guarantees a long service life of upholstered furniture without constriction. Proper care of it includes the same fundamental conditions as for most types of furniture textiles:
- Spots from spilled liquids, blood, and fat should be removed immediately, without rubbing over the surface, but with soft blotting movements.
- Remains of dirt can be removed with a clean cloth and soapy water, then washed off (wiped) with water, dried with paper towels, and warm air using a hairdryer.
- If after washing or wet cleaning, the sofa has an unpleasant musty smell, then professional dry cleaning with an air conditioning treatment, a special deodorant for furniture, will help get rid of it.
- Solutions of detergents and cleaners should be made in clean, cool water not warmer than 40 degrees.
- Organic solvents are used with caution. Read label directions carefully. Upholstery can deteriorate from interaction with inappropriate chemicals.
- Any chemistry and folk cleaning products are tested on a small area below or on the back of the furniture.
- Synthetic upholstery is dry-cleanable but usually requires a professional.
How To Clean A Used Couch – Conclusion
As we said, all sofas must be washed from time to time. It does not matter what sofa you have or how much you paid for it. Cheap sofas are often more difficult to clean and they tend to wear out faster than slightly more expensive variants. Whatever it may be, when it comes to how to clean a used couch and when done in a proper way, even the less expensive sofas can last you many years to come.
