Recipe 43 of 100 · The Country Cleans Mix Book
How to Clean a Fabric Couch Before Company Comes
W and WS Tag Foam
Lift a cushion and read the little tag first: W or WS means water is safe, S means solvent only, X means vacuum only. For W and WS, whip 2 cups warm water, 1 tablespoon clear dish soap and 1 tablespoon white vinegar for about 60 seconds and use only the foam. Vacuum first, brush the foam in a square foot at a time, wipe with a damp white cloth, blot and fan dry 2 to 4 hours.
What it fixesEveryday dinginess, food spills, kid handprints, and general grime on any couch tagged W or WS.
You need
- 2 cups warm water (475 ml)
- 1 tablespoon clear liquid dish soap
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 hand mixer, whisk, or immersion blender
- 1 white microfiber cloth
- 1 soft upholstery brush
Mix it
- Check the tag. If it says S or SW, use the S-code dry solvent cleaner instead. If it says X, stop here. X means vacuum only and no recipe in this book is safe on it.
- Pour the warm water into the bowl. Add the dish soap and the vinegar.
- Whip it hard with the mixer or whisk for about 60 seconds until the top two inches are thick dry-looking foam, like shaving cream.
- You are only going to use the foam. The liquid underneath stays in the bowl.
Use it
- Vacuum the couch first, crevice tool in every seam. Cleaning over crumbs just makes mud.
- Scoop foam only with the brush and work it into the fabric in small circles, about one square foot at a time.
- Wipe the foam off with a damp white cloth, rinsing the cloth often.
- Blot the area with a dry towel, pressing hard to pull moisture up.
- Point a fan at the couch and let it dry two to four hours before sitting on it.
Dale's noteThe whole trick is foam instead of liquid. Foam carries the soap without soaking the padding underneath, and wet padding is what causes that sour smell three days later. Use a white cloth so you can see what you are pulling out.
Don'tDo not use this on anything tagged S or X, and do not skip the fan. Foam is low moisture but not no moisture, and a cushion that stays damp overnight grows mildew inside the foam core where you cannot reach it.
This is 1 of 100 mixes in the Mix Book
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