How To Clean And Protect Upholstery
MOLLY
28 June 2016
You know when you first get something and you keep it brand new and pristine for ages, and then there comes a point when it is no longer new anymore and all those standards drop? When I first got my front room suite no one in the house was allowed eat or drink while sitting on it. Now, with the children flown the nest, you’ll find me with a tray on my lap and coffee on the side, feet up on the footstool, with absolutely no thought of keeping it immaculate. Till now that is …
This week I’ve given my sofa, chair and footstool a spring clean, and so I thought I’d share my methods. I also got a chance to try out the ingenious fabric protector Liquiproof, which I remember being amazed at when I saw it on Dragon’s Den, when the inventor poured a glass of red wine all over his suit and it just ran off leaving not a trace.
Let the upholstery cleaning commence!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO CLEAN AND PROTECT UPHOLSTERY
BICARBONATE OF SODA
MILD DETERGENT IN WARM WATER
WHISK
MICROFIBRE CLOTH OR SPONGE
LIQUIPROOF
First thing to do is sprinkle bicarbonate of soda all over – and give this a little rub in too while you’re at it. Bicarb is my absolute favourite cleaning product, I use tonnes of it! Leave it for an hour or so on your upholstery and allow it to do its deodorising magic.
Then hoover it all off, using attachments to get into all the creases and crevices. Be sure to check with your hands first though, you might uncover a fortune in loose change! Sadly I only found one coin, ironically a 20 cent Euro coin – a reminder of my identity as a European 🙂
After hoovering, it’s time to get washing. Use the whisk to whip your detergent solution up into a froth. (Where did I get that whisk from, the Ark?). You want to use the foam on top, not the water underneath to clean with, to avoid over-saturating the layers below the surface of the upholstery. Using a cloth or sponge, apply the foam, gently rubbing in, all over the upholstery.
Leave to dry naturally, with windows open, or else keep them closed and use a humidifier and/or a hair dryer to speed up the drying process. You can relax (but not on your damp sofas), the hard work is done. The next step will be to future-proof your clean sofa with Liquiproof …
If you didn’t see the Liquiproof pitch on DD,
or would just like to watch it again, here it is:
All I needed to do was wait till the upholstery was dry, spray all over with Liquiproof, then lightly brush in to make sure it bonds with the fabric. I did this twice, allowing ten minutes in between each coat, then leaving for 24 hours to dry completely.
I’ve not been brave enough to pour tomato ketchup, coffee or red wine over my sofa or footstool to test its full capabilities, but I have tested it by pouring water over – it just beads up and sits there (and rolls off if you tilt) – amazing! See my photo – and think of the time that drop of water was sitting there while I got my camera, focused and pressed the shutter …
LINKING UP WITH:
I’m absolutely sold, and will be Liquiproofing everything – my Converse and hiking boots for sure, but also cushions and rugs – if the bottle was big enough I’d be doing my carpets too!
My suite is now looking a lot cleaner since its spring clean, and now I’m confident it will stay that way, and I sit and eat and drink on it with reckless abandon if I so please, knowing that it is protected from any spillages. Result!
Thanks to Liquiproof for sending me this product to try out. No payment was received and all words and thoughts are my own and genuine. As always!
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Twitter:
on June 28, 2016 at 12:03 pm
Molly, you may just have found my whole entire future happiness in one product! I’ve been desperate to find something that works on our sofas since Maddie commandeered them as a pup and I’m at a loss, pretty much everything I’ve tried either damages the fabric or leaves a mark. This looks fantastic X
Lins recently posted…A Viking ‘Arty Party’ at Lumiere London
Glad to be of service Lins!
Twitter:
on June 29, 2016 at 8:35 am
Ah I have just got a new car and was wondering how to protect the seats, I am going to do this. A brilliant post Molly – thanks a million xxx #HomeEtc
Good plan. I wish I’d known about this product when my chairs were new, and it says it works best on new fabric. Enjoy your new car! x
Twitter:
on June 29, 2016 at 2:47 pm
Wow I did to try this on my arm chair and foot stool! I was just thinking how it needed a clean. Great tips thanks. Xx
#HomeEtc
It’s worth doing Carly – I didn’t think mine was grubby but it’s come up a lot fresher looking 🙂
Twitter:
on June 29, 2016 at 4:50 pm
This looks great! We had our sofas scotchguarded which seems to do the trick, but I have plenty more things that could do with this treatment! #HomeEtc
I’ve just done my Converse Katy, and it’s quite amazing – poured a jug of water over and it just ran right off!
Twitter:
on June 29, 2016 at 5:05 pm
Oh, I just bought a new pair of converse! That is genius!
Twitter:
on June 29, 2016 at 8:49 pm
Oh this stuff looks amazing, I love the idea of doing your converse with them! I might have to give it a go!
BloggerMummyLauren recently posted…Our Living Room Makeover
I’m genuinely impressed. I think I might have to do a little video showing me pouring water over my Converse and it running right off! I got soaked the other week while wearing them, I wish I’d proofed them before that 🙂 (Apparently it lasts forever too, as in you don’t need to redo the process – because the protective stuff binds with the fabric, doesn’t just sit on top)
Twitter:
on July 1, 2016 at 3:08 pm
I love the image of you with your feet up, eating your tea in front of Corrie 😉 I think I *remember* seeing this on Dragon’s Den!!! What a fantastic product. We have white sofas and I think this would be amazing for us!! 🙂 Thanks for linking up, Caro xx #HomeEtc
Caro recently posted…173 weeks and 1 day | Me and Mine {June}
Haha, it doesn’t happen very often! I do feel the need to apologise to my children though, who were never allowed eat anywhere other than at the table 🙂 Very happy to have tried this product – amazed at how well it works, esp. on my converse.
Great tips, amazing product! I will try it myself. Thanks!
Twitter:
on July 2, 2016 at 9:47 pm
This looks fab – we’ve had leather sofas up till now but will be taking the plunge for a fabric one soon. And he he – yes to that being new and almost not being able to use it, when does that change?! #homeetc
Twitter:
on July 4, 2016 at 10:14 am
Looks brilliant! Ours are always needing a good clean and spruce up! Looks great. Thanks for sharing as ever. Jess xx
#HomeEtc