HOW TO GET AN IMPEC SOFA?

The sofa can be the focal point of your living room. As such, it needs to be spotless at all times, which can be easier said than done, given how regularly it’s used. Between children jumping on it and pets making it their bed in our absence, the sofa can be a veritable nest of bacteria. It’s even easier to get dirty when the sofa has a fabric covering.

As well as being exposed to stains and dirt of all kinds, sofas can also be a source of unpleasant smells from dirt, pet hair, sweat, food residues and so on.

To avoid sitting on a dirty, smelly sofa, follow our tips:

Removing dust before cleaning

The first thing to do before cleaning the sofa is to dust it. This will remove any built-up dust and make it easier to wash afterwards. If you have a handheld vacuum cleaner, vacuum the cushions and small spaces between the seams, as well as the seat, where dust and crumbs tend to build up.

If you don’t have a vacuum cleaner, you can dust the sofa with a feather duster or rag and flap the cushions on the outside.

Removing stains from a fabric sofa

Fabric sofas stain very easily, especially if you get into the habit of eating on them: grease, coffee, ink… are all stains you need to get rid of as fast as possible.

Some products are more effective than others at removing stains from sofa fabric. Impec liquid detergent, for example, is particularly suitable for removing stubborn stains. In fact, thanks to its Marseille soap-based composition, this detergent also acts on unpleasant smells encrusted in laundry. It is suitable for both machine and hand washing.

You can also use other tips to effectively remove stains, including:

• Soda crystals quickly remove stubborn stains. Simply rub the sofa cover with a sponge dampened with a mixture of crystals and lukewarm water, then rinse with clean water. Be sure to put on a plastic glove when handling the product, to avoid irritation.
• Shaving foam, on the other hand, is more suitable for fresh, lightly encrusted stains. Before soaking your sofa cover in detergent, place a pat of shaving foam on the fabric and leave for an hour. Then rub with a sponge or damp cloth and dry with a paper towel.
• Talcum powder, with its absorbent properties, can be used to remove grease stains. Simply sprinkle some directly onto the stain, then rub in circular movements with a soft brush to remove a fresh stain. On the other hand, if the stain is older, sprinkle talcum powder over it and cover with a paper towel to optimize grease absorption. Finally, use a warm iron to remove the stain.

Removing unpleasant smells from sofas

Sometimes a sofa can release unpleasant smells without appearing dirty. Actually, these emanations come from bacteria nestling in the textile fibers, meaning that the fabric needs to be disinfected.

For this, you need to soak the linen with a concentrated liquid detergent at between 60°C and 90°C for at least 30 minutes. This technique eliminates up to 99.9% of the bacteria and micro-organisms responsible for unpleasant smells, among other things.

As for stains, there are also natural solutions you can adopt to eliminate bad smells on the sofa. Bear in mind, however, that they will never be as effective as cleaning products, especially when smells and dirt are particularly stubborn:

• Baking soda: sprinkle generously on the base, leave overnight and dust off the next day.
• Natural air freshener with sodium bicarbonate, lemon juice and tea tree essential oil. Mix all the ingredients in a spray bottle with a glass of warm water, then spray onto the sofa. This mixture doesn’t rinse off, and works quickly and lastingly against fabric smells.