Top Furniture Tips

No matter how careful you are of your priced home furniture its upholstery will eventually accumulate dirt and probably get stained overtime. A very efficient solution with good results for this is steam cleaning.

The system is also sometimes called hot water extraction and most widely used in cleaning carpets but is also effective on the upholstery of your home furniture. Actually, no steam is involved in the cleaning. Its the hot water and cleaning agent that is prompted on  the upholstery fabric which loosens the dirt and soil. A vacuum  then sucks up the hot water along with the loosened dirt and soil.

Hot water extraction cleaners for residential homes

Another method of steam cleaning is  vapor steam cleaning which uses steam itself as the cleaning agent to quickly clean, disinfects and dry your upholstery. Steam is applied to the surface fabric to break down dirt and soil. A vacuum integrated within the device then removes the soil and dirt.

A typical vapor steam cleaner

Vapor steam cleaners in contrast to hot water extraction utilizes small amount of water that is boiled to a temperature of about 240 – 310°F  producing low pressure, low moisture water vapor, a.k.a steam. This kind of temperature output makes this type 0f steam cleaning ideal for use in residential and office buildings.

Vapor  and hot water extraction steam cleaners are typically of the same structure in which they look like a simple household vacuum cleaner but with a water chamber in place of a suction bag. Industrial steam cleaners such as the ones used in hospitals are larger in size compared with those  used in residential houses.

There are 3 ways you can have your home furniture steam cleaned. You can buy a steam cleaner at a nearby hardware or appliance store. If you are short on cash to purchase a steam cleaner there are several shops that offer them on a rental basis. And for a professional cleaning of the upholstery on your furniture you can always hire the services of a steam cleaning company.

The first thing to remember in cleaning your home furniture is that no two types of fabric are exactly the same. Some fabrics need to be cleaned differently. It is common for any furniture bought from a reputable furniture store to have an information tag about the fabric and instructions for cleaning written on a sticker on the furniture.

For someone who chooses to clean his home furniture by himself  through hot water extraction, let me suggest that he should not let the fabric absorb too much water. It will only do more harm than good when mildew appears  on the upholstery because of water not fully extracted.

Before spraying water on the fabric which has stain on it, soak the stain first with a stain remover. As much as possible do not use vinegar as a cleaning agent on your upholstery unless the stain is caused by a coffee spill; you should first test the solution in an inconspicuous place before applying it directly to avoid damaging the fabric.

In my previous post How To Remove Stain On Upholstered Furniture I have discussed several ways of removing stain on upholstery.

For a more thorough and safer cleaning of your home furniture it is better to get a professional service.  Cleaning companies have well trained people who know how to sort out the proper treatment of your upholstery.

Water marks on your wood furniture should not be so hard to remove after you have known the ways and means. As in most other wood stains, the ugly marks left by spilt water or a glass of water placed directly on top of wood furniture falls into two categories: white rings and black marks. Either way, the tools and procedures of removing the stain are quite the same. But taking action immediately as soon as the stain occurs greatly reduces the difficulty.

Gentle Buffing

As soon as you see the stain, try buffing it gently with a clean, dry cotton cloth. It is important to act quickly so that the water does not penetrate deep into the finish. For a white ring stain you can rub it off by using a very fine steel wool saturated with lemon oil. The lemon oil will act as lubricant between the wood and steel wool.

You can also rub the stain with a toothpaste (not the gel type) applied on a damp cloth. Leave it for half an hour and then polish with a furniture polish.

Paste mixtures of baking soda and water or salt with cooking oil are effective as well in removing water stains on wood.

Using white toothpaste to rid water mark

 Mayonnaise Buffing

Sometimes the solution can be found on your refrigerator. Another buffing trick of stain removal on wood furniture is a combination of mayonnaise and cigar or cigarette ashes. Rub the mixture gently on the surface and as usual polish it off with a furniture polish. Or you can simply spread the mayonnaise on a paper towel and place it on top of the white stain, leave it for about 15 minutes.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

This one is a wood cleaning product which has garnered not a few positive reviews from consumers. It can be used not just to rid water marks on wood furniture but on many other surfaces as well like kitchen appliances, tiles and grouts. The product basically is melamine foam which was said to be effective as abrasive cleaner.

Dry Ironing

If all the above methods above did not remove the water mark on your furniture you may want to try a different approach. It was found out that putting a hot iron (without steam) over a cotton cloth on top of a stain a few seconds is effective in removing water marks. The stain may not disappear at the first time so do the procedure repeatedly. A lady from Ohio commented that she couldn’t find her iron. What she did was to improvise by grabbing a hair dryer. She held the device a few inches from the stain for about 5 minutes while simultaneously buffing with a dry cloth. She was amazed how it works!

Oxalic Acid

When all other means of removing stain on your wood furniture fail, refinishing would be the last resort. This method is mostly done on black marks which cannot be removed except by taking off the finish on the stained furniture. The stain is then attacked by bleaching the spot where the black mark appears. Oxalic acid is used as bleaching agent because it does not make the wood white but retains its natural color.

Related Posts:

Simple Furniture Caring Tips

Easy Tips for Removing Stain on Wood Furniture

What You Need to Know Before Refinishing Your Antique Furniture

How to Remove Stain on Upholstered Furniture

In my last post Simple Furniture Care Tips, I mentioned removing stain on your upholstered item but barely discussed it. Today I will try to elaborate on the topic to help you make the appropriate action on what kind of cleaning method to apply for each type of
stain on the fabric. As I have suggested before, look for an inconspicuous spot first to test your cleaner before attacking the stain to avoid discoloration or damaging the fabric.

Coffee Stains

We all love to sip coffee on the sofa while watching television or reading the papers. To get rid of a coffee stain, mix one teaspoon of a mild, ph-balanced detergent with one cup of warm water, then blot from the outside in. Follow this with blotting the stain with a mixture of one-third cup white vinegar with two-thirds cup water. When finished, use a clean, white towel to absorb any excess, allow the area to dry

Ink Stains

Option 1: On a clean white towel spray hairspray and then dab at the affected area. Follow it up by blotting with a clean, dry towel.

Option 2: Treat a clean, white towel with isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Blot it out with a clean, dry towel.

Option 3: Apply nail polish or acetone on the affected area and blot from the outside edges toward the center.

Option 4: Using a clean, white towel, use spirits of turpentine, blot again as with the other treatment options.

Cheese Stains

For cheese stains, mix one teaspoon of mild, ph-balanced detergent with one cup of warm water. With a clean, white towel, blot at the cheese stain. Then mix one tablespoon of regular ammonia with one-half cup of water, again blotting the stain. Finally, blot the stain with clean water to remove any detergent or ammonia and let the area dry.

 Beer Stains

Dish washing liquid works well in removing beer stains. Mix ¼ teaspoon of any dishwashing liquid that doesn’t contain lanolin or bleach, with one quart of water. Blot with a clean damp sponge until the stain is lifted. Blot again with cool, clear water to get the soap out and dry by blotting with a thick, clean towel. Please note that it’s best to use a clear dishwashing liquid as using a dishwashing solution that’s cloudy or creamy in texture will leave a sticky residue. Also try to avoid using too much soap as it can lead to further staining.

 Grease and Oil Stains

Step 1: Scrape up as much of the motor oil or grease as possible from the upholstery without spreading the stain further.

Step 2: Place an absorbent, such as cornstarch or baking soda, onto the stain, and let it soak in for approximately 15 minutes.

Step 3: Scrape or vacuum up the absorbent, which has absorbed some of the grease and oil.

Step 4: For the grease stains still remaining take a clean white cloth and sponge the stain with a dry-cleaning solvent. First, be sure to test this solvent on an inconspicuous area of the upholstery to make sure it is safe.

Step 5: Next, blot at the stain until the solvent is absorbed.

Step 6: Repeat steps 4-5 until the stains are removed from the upholstery.

Here is a video for more additional tips on removing stain on your upholstery: