Karen is looking for some upholstery cleaning advice: I bought this dining table in craigslist and i love it! The only problem is that it has some stains but not that major just some dirt in the chair pads. I tried everything like everything (oxyclean, shotout, clorox, detergent, etc) but it seems that I'm making it worse... (Note: Include a pic of your problem and your question gets posted first.
Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to:
chicago(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)
...Do you have any idea how to clean it without sending it to the professionals?
Any recommendations for Karen? Please let her know in the comments...
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Comments (7)
I have found the Mr. Magic pads work on our upholstery. Wet the pad, and go over - gently - on the stain.
I have one of those little bissell green machines, and it worked absolute WONDERS on a dirty but otherwise perfect crate and barrel couch I got for free off of craigslist. See here: http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-14007-Multi-Purpose-Compact-Earth-Friendly/dp/B0016HF5GK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1221074146&sr=8-1
It's $70, which may negate some of the benefit of buying from craigslist, but then you have the thing forever, and it frequently comes in handy.
I used Bissel fabric/upholstery cleaner in an individual aerosol on an old couch, and it worked wonders, but it is definintely not green and smells terrible. The smell disappears after a while, though, and it really does clean.
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(1hogmz45rii2c0ebwpwqsuuw)/productdetails.aspx?sku=10210&source=GoogleBase
Perhaps you can find a place that rents the cleaners (ie Loew's, HD) I know even some grocery store rent carpet cleaners, which might work if you could find a small one.
Have you tried spot shot? It worked well for me on ivory upholstery (though the stain was recent).
Good luck, and the chairs look great in the pic!
I use the Bissell green for spot cleaning on my white couch (Not the smartest buy, but I wouldn't have been happy with anything else...) It works great on the little stuff, but just isn't a good fit for a large piece. However, I'm looking for a cleaning service to do a once over on the whole thing. Any suggestions?
I also use my Bissell Green for spot cleaning. For stubborn spots I use a product called Folex, works wonders. You can find this product at Target.
http://www.folexcompany.com/
I swear by Woolite OxyDeep. A guest once spilled some red wine on my cream colored sofa and insisted we go immediately to the grocery store to buy some. I had never heard of it before, but all I can say is that it worked. No more stain. You can get it for less than $4 at Target.
One word of warning: follow the directions and don't oversaturate the stain. If you do, you will find yourself chasing a much fainter water stain.