How to clean upholstered furniture at home with soda and vinegar

Updated: 05/06/2021 11:12:50

Expert: Anna Maslova

Baking soda is a universal furniture cleaner. It will quickly remove stains and dirt (both recent and old), and get rid of unpleasant odors, dust and dirt. Baking soda will return the sofa fabric to its former brightness. It can be used for natural and artificial fabrics. Finally, soda is an affordable remedy for anyone.

In this article, we have prepared a selection of 9 effective recipes using baking soda for cleaning your sofa.

General cleaning rules

Before you try to clean your sofa with vinegar and soda, make sure that it will not harm it:

The above methods are only suitable for fabric upholstery. A sofa upholstered in suede, natural or synthetic leather cannot be cleaned this way.
Cleaning a sofa with vinegar and soda is contraindicated if the upholstery contains silk fibers. Silk does not like either acids or alkalis.
If the recipe contains a recommendation to thoroughly scrub the sofa with a brush, it is not suitable for fleecy upholstery - velor, velvet. Also, flock and chenille do not like excessive friction. Be very careful when cleaning them with a brush or rag.
Tapestry, velor and velvet do not tolerate heavy moisture. Choose recipes for them in which the sofa does not need to be washed.

Even if the upholstery of your furniture is not included in the list of exceptions, this does not mean that you can do anything with it.

Before cleaning the entire sofa with baking soda and vinegar, test your chosen method on a small, inconspicuous area. Do everything described in the recipe and dry the treated fabric. Now compare it with the rest of the upholstery.

The color hasn’t changed, the pattern hasn’t floated, the pile hasn’t started to fall off? Then the chosen method suits your sofa.

Keep in mind that after wet cleaning and drying, the pile of many upholstery becomes tougher. This can usually be fixed by simply rubbing the treated area with a dry brush. You can also pour a little fabric softener into clean water, which you will use to rinse the upholstery after cleaning. But do not add conditioner directly to vinegar solutions.

If the bristles are not softened by the brush, it means that the selected cleaning products are changing the structure of the fibers. In this case, it is better to choose a different cleaning method for your sofa.

Below are detailed descriptions of cleaning. All recipes use 9% white table vinegar and regular baking soda (not soda ash).

Refreshing Cleansing

If the furniture has become dusty during renovation or simply looks stale because it has been sitting in a barn for a long time, a refreshing treatment with soda and vinegar will help. It will restore the bright color of the upholstery material, eliminate foreign odors, and soften the pile.

The work is carried out as follows:

We recommend: A quick way to remove cat and dog hair from the carpet

To remove the smell of vinegar from the room, you need to clean it with the vents or windows open.

Cleaning a sofa with baking soda and vinegar

Cleaning the sofa with vinegar and soda will also help get rid of unpleasant odors, including the acrid smell of urine or the corrosive “aroma” of tobacco.

However, before using soda solutions, check whether the sofa upholstery will change color under the influence of the powder. To do this, carry out a test cleaning on a small area; if the fabric changes color after the procedure, you cannot use soda.

There are several ways to clean and disinfect upholstered furniture:

A combined solution of baking soda powder and acetic acid, which is suitable for removing blood, urine and other greasy stains. Take a spray bottle, pour in 1/3 tbsp. vinegar essence and 0.5 l. water. Then add 1 tbsp. l. soda powder. Spray the product evenly over the surface and leave for 10-15 minutes. Remove foam with a medium-hard brush, then wipe with a damp cloth.
Cleaning with vinegar solution. The solution is prepared from 1 tsp. 9% vinegar diluted in 1 liter. water. Soak a sheet in the prepared solution and cover the entire surface of the sofa with it. If one sheet is not enough, use two. Take a beater and thoroughly tap the upholstered furniture - all the dirt will remain on the sheet. Repeat the procedure until the sheet stops getting dirty. For a more delicate cleaning, reduce the amount of vinegar to 1/2 teaspoon. — this solution is suitable for cleaning velor sofas.

Wet cleaning with baking soda and vinegar

Cleaning with a solution of vinegar and sodium bicarbonate can remove stains of various origins:

traces of urine from children or animals;
blood;
greasy stains, traces of food or drinks;
from most fruits or vegetables and their juices.

To prepare the solution, add 2 tbsp to 0.5 liters of water. l. vinegar, 1 tbsp. l. soda, mix well. The prepared solution is poured into a spray bottle, sprayed on the surface of the sofa, left for 20 minutes, after which the contaminated areas are wiped with a brush with medium-hard bristles or a foam sponge. Wipe off any remaining product with a cloth moistened with clean water. Allow the upholstery to dry, then vacuum thoroughly.

You can clean your sofa with baking soda and vinegar, mixing them with laundry detergent, laundry liquid or dishwashing liquid. To prepare the product, pour 0.5 liters of hot water into a basin, add 1 tsp. detergent or 1 tbsp. l. washing powder, 1/3 cup table vinegar.

Sofa cleaning solution made from vinegar, soda and “Fairy”

The method is suitable for removing general dirt, grease, street dirt, tea, coffee, grease, and beer stains. The product will also help restore the faded color of upholstery fabric. Fairy can be replaced with any other dishwashing liquid, as well as high-quality liquid soap.

Cleaning instructions:

Mix 80-100 ml of vinegar, 1 tsp in a spray bottle. "Fairy" and about 400 ml of hot water.
Add 1 tbsp to the mixture. l. soda Be careful - the product foams quickly and strongly. Close the bottle.
Spray the resulting solution evenly onto the surface of the upholstery.
Wait a few minutes for the “chemistry” to dissolve the dirt.
Scrub the most dirty areas with a brush.
When all stains have been wiped off and dissolved, remove the dirty liquid with a sponge and clean water.
Wipe the upholstery dry with a cotton towel and dry the sofa.

How to clean a sofa with baking soda at home

At home, removing stubborn stains can be very difficult. To deal with stains and get rid of odors without using an aggressive detergent, you can clean the sofa with soda and vinegar, peroxide, washing powder or alcohol.

Dry cleaning a sofa with baking soda

Baking soda is considered an effective cleaning agent for upholstered furniture. It disinfects and kills pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms: for example, dust mites.

To get rid of a stain without using a solution, simply sprinkle baking soda over the stain in a 1-2 cm layer. Leave for 40-50 minutes, then use a vacuum cleaner to collect the powder.

Dry cleaning works well for removing fresh stains.

Soda powder can also be used to dry the sofa after using liquid solutions. When you remove the solution, simply fill the wet area with baking soda - it absorbs moisture well, allowing the sofa to dry out faster.

Dry cleaning a sofa with baking soda

It is recommended to rid the sofa of stains using dry sodium bicarbonate. The product can remove traces of tea, juices, dirt, ballpoint pens and children's paints. Dry soda is used to remove grease and update the color of upholstery. Sodium bicarbonate is applied to both dry and damp upholstery and left for 30 minutes. If necessary, especially dirty areas should be cleaned with a damp sponge or brush and then vacuumed.

To remove particularly difficult stains, you can prepare a paste of 1 part baking soda and 1 part water or detergent. The resulting paste is applied to the stain with a brush and allowed to dry. Then remove with a brush or vacuum cleaner.

General recommendations

First of all
Try cleaning a small, inconspicuous area of the sofa with baking soda. This way you can check the effect of the product and make sure that the chosen method does not harm the furniture. If the result is successful, you can begin to completely clean the sofa;
Before cleaning, vacuum the sofa or wipe it with a damp cloth. In the latter case, do not use a cloth or sponge that is too damp - this is harmful to the condition of the furniture;
Don't pour baking soda on your sofa
. Water rinsing means wiping the surface of the furniture with a slightly damp sponge or cloth. The latter must be washed as often as possible in running water.

Consider the material from which the sofa is made:

Suede and nubuck should not be exposed to hot water;
Leatherette is wear-resistant, but does not tolerate cleaning with hard brushes;
Velor cannot be treated with a brush - instead, use a damp cloth, moving in the direction of the pile;
The tapestry must not be washed with a brush - use a vacuum cleaner with a soft attachment;
It is better to clean vinyl only with soda, without adding other components;
Leather is an unpretentious material that can only be cleaned with soapy water.

If the sofa is made of expensive materials and delicate fabric, use the help of professionals so as not to damage the furniture.

How to remove odor from a couch using baking soda and vinegar

The easiest way to eliminate unpleasant odors is to cover the furniture with a sheet soaked in a 1% solution of table vinegar. It is advisable to carry out this procedure several times in a row until the unpleasant odor completely disappears. You can simply moisten a napkin with a 1% solution of vinegar, to which you need to add 1 tsp. hydrogen peroxide. Dry baking soda also adsorbs odor well. To do this, scatter it evenly over the surface of the sofa upholstery, leave it for 2-3 hours, and then carefully collect it with a vacuum cleaner. The problem of how to clean urine from a sofa can be solved with the help of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid. These substances break down the components of urine, permanently eliminating its odor. To begin with, a fresh stain should be carefully and repeatedly blotted with paper napkins to prevent the urine from being absorbed into the upholstery and filling of the sofa.

Contaminated areas are generously moistened with a solution of vinegar diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2, covered with a paper napkin, and left to dry completely. After this, the stains are wiped with dry sodium bicarbonate powder. Then a mixture of 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and 1 part cold water is applied to the contaminated areas with a spray bottle.

You can add ½ tsp to the solution. liquid detergent. Mixing on the surface of the upholstery, the substances will begin to foam, releasing oxygen, which will destroy the components of urine. After 2-3 hours, wipe the upholstery with a clean sponge or napkin and then dry it.

Which Vanish to choose?

The manufacturer offers a line of “Vanish” products, which differ in shape and method of application. To clean the sofa and not harm its upholstery, you should choose the necessary product from this variety:

The shampoo is effective against old and persistent stains. Suitable not only for cleaning upholstered furniture, but also floor coverings.
Shampoo for a washing vacuum cleaner, the name of which indicates its method of use. Cleaning with this method minimizes operating time and significantly enhances the cleaning effect.
Antibacterial shampoo is used for manual cleaning only.
With its help you can remove dirt, unpleasant odors, and mustiness. This product effectively kills pathogens.
The powder is used when it is necessary to clean using the dry method, without using water.
It does not require preliminary dilution or moistening of the upholstery of upholstered furniture. The procedure will require a powder with a brush or a vacuum cleaner. This product should not be used to clean delicate fabrics.
A stain remover in the form of a spray is used to locally clean the fabric. It quickly removes fresh stains.

Do not wipe wooden and metal finishing elements with Vanish.

How to use the product so that there are no streaks left?

To make the cleaning process effective, use the general recommendations for the selected product:

The shampoo is diluted with water at room temperature in a ratio of 1 to 9. The product is whipped into foam and applied to the upholstery using a sponge, avoiding getting too wet.
If the contamination is fresh, then the composition is applied and left to act for 10 minutes. If it is necessary to clean the entire surface of the sofa, Vanish is left for 7 hours.
With heavily ingrained dirt, this time increases to a day. Then all that remains is to vacuum up the dirt.
Vanish spray does not require preliminary preparation. Shake the container, turn the cap, spray the product onto the problem area. Rub the spray into the surface of the sofa with a sponge. After 5 minutes, remove dirt and any remaining spray with a soft cloth.
The powder is applied in an even layer to the surface and rubbed into the upholstery of the sofa with a brush. The product is left to act for half an hour. After which it is removed along with the dirt with a vacuum cleaner.

Do not use Vanish to clean furniture with bright upholstery. Any product in this line consists of oxygen-containing bleach, which, together with the stain, is capable of removing the dye from the treated area.