Cleaning Furniture all Naturally

Cleaning Furniture all Naturally

Vacuum the tiniest cracks with a squeeze bottle cap. Take the top off of a squeeze bottle—the inexpensive, reusable ones used for condiments—and put it on the end of your vacuum’s attachment hose to clean tiny spaces in furniture and throughout your home that even a crevice tool can’t reach.

Make your own dusting gloves out of old socks. Now you know what to do with those stray socks from the laundry—turn them into handy dusting gloves! Put a sock on your hand, spray lightly with all-purpose spray, and wipe surfaces clean. Kids love this cleaning method.

Hide scuffs on wood with walnuts. Rub a walnut into scuffs and scratches. The color from the walnut will blend into the wood, making small marks less noticeable.

Remove spilled wax from wood with ice. Fill a storage bag with ice cubes, and put it on the wax. Let it sit for a few minutes until the wax hardens, then scrape it away easily.

Eliminate water stains with mayonnaise. Apply a thick layer of mayo to the stain, and let it sit for 24 hours for light stains and up to 48 hours for tougher jobs. Wipe clean with a cloth.

Use a hair dryer to fix new water stains. You can also use a hair dryer to fix water stain emergencies in wood furniture. Blow the hair dryer on the stain until it dries, then seal with a dab of olive oil.

Freshen fabrics with baking soda. Sprinkle some baking soda on fabric couches, chairs, and love seats. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then vacuum them clean.

Renew upholstery with this DIY upholstery cleaner. Has that upholstered chair or couch seen better days? Make it look bright and new again with this easy and inexpensive DIY upholstery cleaner.
1 cup water or plain (unflavored) club soda
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon natural dish soap
Spray bottle

• Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle. Vacuum upholstery to lift loose dirt from the surface, and do a spot test with the cleaner before use.
• If the fabric is easily removable (e.g., a dining room chair with removable seat), remove it before cleaning. Spray the cleaner on upholstery until the surface is lightly soaked, and let it sit for 5–10 minutes. Scrub lightly in a circular motion with a cloth or sponge to lift stains. Do not scrub too hard or the fabric may pill. Spray with water, and mop up extra moisture with a wet/dry vac or a dry, absorbent cloth.
• Once the upholstery is completely dry, vacuum again to make sure all the dirt is out of the fabric.

Use a dry homemade cleaner to clean fabrics that shouldn’t get wet. Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with 1/2 cup of cornstarch. Add just enough water to form a thick paste. Apply the paste to fabric, and allow it to dry (this should take about 30 minutes). When the paste is dry, vacuum the fabric clean. If you want a completely dry cleaner, sprinkle the baking soda and cornstarch on the fabric, and vacuum it clean. It may not have as much cleaning power as the paste, but baking soda and cornstarch will still draw out dirt and neutralize odors.

Spot-treat tough stains with DIY upholstery stain remover. Mix 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with 1 cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray the stain, and let it sit for 1–2 minutes. Scrub the stain with a clean towel or sponge, then let it dry. Repeat if needed. Warning: do not use alcohol on fabrics containing acrylic, modacrylic, acetate, or triacetate fibers.

Hide small scratches in leather with shoe polish. Use shoe polish that most closely matches the color of the leather. Apply a little shoe polish on scratches, and buff dry.

Clean leather furniture with a homemade citrus spray. Place 1 cup of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 6 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 8–10 drops of orange or lemon essential oil in a spray bottle. Screw on the lid and shake well to combine. Do a spot test with the cleaning spray on a hidden area before treating the entire piece, and wait 24–48 hours to ensure the spray won’t cause any damage to the leather. If the leather looks great after the spot test, spray the cleaner on a cloth, and wipe the leather clean. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then wipe again with a dry cloth.

Make wood shine with beer. Spot-check in an inconspicuous place before wiping down the entire piece. Wet a cloth with flat beer, and wring it out until damp and not soaking. Wipe dull wood in circular motions to make it look shiny and new again. Follow up with a dry cloth to remove any excess moisture left behind. The B vitamins and sugar content in beer add luster to wood surfaces.

Condition leather with olive oil. Use an old washcloth or paper towels to apply olive oil to scratched and dried-out leather on couches, love seats, and other furniture. Add more oil to particularly dry spots, and let it sit for 5–10 minutes to absorb. Wipe thoroughly with a clean, dry (old) towel to remove excess oil.

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