It is true, natural fabric furniture looks beautiful and feels more comfortable than those made of synthetic fibers. Simply put, our skin corresponds better to natural materials, and this has been known for centuries. However, the more natural the fabric is the more prone to staining and dirtying it is. What is even worse, it is very hard to clean efficiently, as you most certainly know if you own at least one item. This is especially true of natural fabric sofas since they undergo various maltreatments from us, such as spilling soda on it, ketchup or other greasy food ingredients while watching our favorite TV show. Luckily, there are several cleaning hacks available and they will be presented here.
Phase Your Cleaning
The most successful manner of cleaning natural fabric is a step by step approach, with fixed chronological order. However, before you start, you need to be sure if your sofa is made from natural materials. Check the tag and continue if your sofa is on the list. Do not worry, when it comes to cleaning phases there are only three. However, do not skip any, no matter how small the stain or dirt seemed.
source
Preparatory Phase
You can refer to this phase as grooming phase. You will need a “brush” embodied in a white washcloth or a light colored towel, white being the best option again. The aim of this preparatory phase is to break up any dirtied spots and areas that have dried up, at the same time removing bits of dirt and food or any other leftovers. Why white, they will get dirty too and become useless, you may ask? It does not really matter, you will easily replace a washcloth or a towel, but if they leave any discoloration, on your sofa during this phase, none other will help fix them and you can only sit and despair.
Thorough Cleaning Phase
Surface dirt is only a part of your problems when it comes to cleaning a sofa. No matter how well you do it, if any dirt is accumulated within the fabric, it will always resurface. Therefore, it would be best to deep clean it using a vacuum cleaner using a brush attachment which will force all the inner dirt out. Even better results are achieved by treating your sofa with a cutting-edge Polti steam cleaner. Steam heats up the fabric of your sofa, making it expand and push the dirt out, without applying too strong of a force, which sometimes happens with regular vacuum cleaners. So, not only do they efficiently clean, steam cleaners protect your sofas as well.
Stain Removal
No matter how well you performed the first two phases there are always same reminiscent stains. If your sofa cover is machine washable, you may try doing it, just be careful when it comes to discoloration again. If this does not remove all stains, this next solution will. The best way to get rid of them is to repeat the preparatory phase, only this time reinforced by a simple, but very efficient cleaner. A mixture of vinegar, baking soda and hot water does wonders when it comes to stain removal. A gentle rub would be sufficient and your sofa as good as new when all phases are completed.
source
Proper cleaning of your natural fabric sofa obviously requires some additional effort. However, it is well worth it since only impeccably clean sofa provides all the benefits coming from its natural fabric.