cleaning fabrics

olb81

just wondered how you clean fabric items like chairs and sofas on a regular basis to keep them fresh and dust free

are there sprays available? does it require a cloth or brush? or vacuum?

ive got the hang of most things , floors, kitchen, bathroom, just not sure about fabric items

thanks

Brie

we've used on of those rug/fabric cleaners sold in the shops with a sponge applicator to tidy up spills. vacuuming is a good idea for quick tidies. and if the pillow covers etc can be removed it may be possible to wash them or at least hang them up outside to get a good airing. you might treat "beating" them while they are on the clothes line as well as that will help remove some dust that isn't ground right in. google "beating a rug" if you don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm not a fan of sprays as frankly they make me queasy. And what do they do other than add a damp layer of smell over the dust/dirt/smell that is already in the fabric. You could try instead giving things a good dusting with bicarb, leave it overnight and then vacuum that off.

JIL

I saw something on Instagram that i do now use. Basically

Dissolve a dishwasher tablet in hot water, I would suggest about a pint. Then cool it a little with cold water.

Get a tea towel and wrap it around something that's firm but easy to hold, the suggested thing for this was a pan lid with a handle, you then wet the tea towel by dipping into the dishwasher solution, then use this to rub the sofa, chair etc, adjusting to use clean areas on the tea towel and repeating the dip. It is really surprising how much dirt is removed and how much dirt is picked up by the tea towel.

I highly recommend dishwasher tablets in the washing machine for things that have gone yellow, such as pillows and cushions as well.

kimwp

There are furniture vacuums I believe and you can do similar with a wet and dry vacuum and a soapy wet cloth. As it's just me and it's mostly my clothes touching the fabric, i just machine wash the cushion covers, spot clean spills and otherwise just dry vacuum.

otb666

I do similar although use a clothes washing machine tablet instead of dishwasher and I place the rung out micro cloth onto carpet/sofa or rug then use iron to cause a steam cloud. This seems to extract a lot of dirt and I guess acts as a steam clean I also believe its less abrasive and less wear and tear. I tend to have 2 cloths on the go one being used and then switching over to one thats soaking in container after wringing it out.