There is nothing quite as good when you come out of the shower as having a warm, soft, fluffy clean towel to wrap yourself in. That fresh smell, the warmth, and the comfort that comes from good-quality towels are hard to beat.
Similarly, soft carpets underfoot, and plush sofas, help to make a house into a home. Unfortunately, all of these items, plus our clothing and curtains, attract dirt, stains, and wear and tear.
Knowing how to wash towels properly to make them last longer, or how to rid a carpet of an ugly stain, is vital to being able to enjoy home comforts more.
Upholstery and sofas can be difficult to clean with home cleaning products, and sometimes professional help is needed.
Here are some ways to clean some of your favorite items at home, by yourself, and with some help.
Keep your towels fluffy and smelling fresh
One of the most disappointing things, when a towel gets older, is that it loses that fluffy feeling. It doesn’t matter whether it is a hand towel, a bath towel, or even a tea towel, they eventually get old and worn.
There are some tips from experts on how to clean beach towels, which include washing them separately. However, bath towels can be washed together, preferably when the colors are alike. This can prevent too much bleeding of dyes during the wash.
The first thing to know about bath towels though is that they need to be washed before you can use them. Ever wondered why new towels aren’t absorbent? It’s because they are coated with a finish. Wash them to remove this and allow them to do their job properly.
The next thing to know is to use vinegar in your washes. Reduce the amount of detergent you use to 50% of whatever is recommended, and replace it with up to 1 cup of white vinegar. Go easy on the fabric softener too and only use it every few washes.
Cleaning your upholstery
If you want to clean your sofa yourself, you can use the old baking soda trick. First, you will need to remove all those crumbs and loose dirt that have fallen behind cushions. Use a good stiff brush to remove the debris.
Now, shake baking soda over the sofa and wait about half an hour. Keep pets out of the room during this time as baking soda can be harmful to them.
Next vacuum up the soda to leave a clean sofa ready to be enjoyed once again.
However, this technique might not be quite good enough for you, or your stains. In that case, you may want to consider upholstery cleaning Bromley.
What does professional steam cleaning entail?
Sofas come in a wide range of materials, and many of them are delicate, such as velvet. When it comes to cleaning these, baking soda might not always be the best option.
Professionals can use a range of techniques and methods including sofa steam cleaning to go really deep and remove all the dirt. Dry cleaning and stain removal are also part of the professional sofa cleaner’s arsenal.
The benefit of using a professional is that they will have cleaning equipment that normally you won’t have. As well as all the experience that goes along with the job.
What if you get red wine into your fabrics or carpet?
Carpets and red wine don’t mix at all, yet they seem to meet surprisingly often. The key to removing red wine is often to catch it instantly. Salt is your friend here. No matter how bad that red wine spill looks on your beige carpet, if you throw salt on it quickly enough you may prevent a big stain.
Once the salt is dry, simply vacuum it up. Another trick is to pour white wine on to neutralize the enzymes in the red wine. This only works if you can face losing two glasses of wine though.
If you have a wine stain on something white, such as a shirt, then you can use hydrogen peroxide combined with dishwasher detergent. There are a remarkable number of uses for hydrogen peroxide, according to Healthline. Perhaps then it might be wise to keep a bottle in the home.
Mix a 50/50 mix of dishwasher detergent and hydrogen peroxide and pour over the red wine stain. Wash the garment as normal and the stain should have gone.
Summary
No one wants their carpet to be stained with wine, or their towels to be dull and dry. Using these tips can extend their life and keep their appearance bright and appealing.
When it comes to upholstery, you can clean it yourself, but you should be wary of strong cleaners. Detergents containing phosphates can cause damage to the environment so it is always good to use eco-friendly products. Fortunately, good upholstery cleaners normally use green cleaning products.
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