REPAIR STAINED OR SCRATCHED FURNITURE
If you’re using disinfecting wipes on wooden tables or scratching at stains on leather chairs – stop now, writes Jura Koncius.
My husband and I have eaten a lot of meals with plates propped on our laps while watching Netflix. A blob of something I dropped on our new leather chair went undetected for a few days.
Then, when it could not be easily wiped off, my industrious husband took the abrasive side of a sponge to it, leaving scratches across the surface. More on that later.
Extra time stuck inside during this pandemic has left its mark not only on our finances and waistlines, but also on our home furnishings. Whether it’s carpets dotted with spilled coffee, or wooden desks scraped by laptops, Lego and game consoles, many home items are in need of care and repair. (Aren’t we all?)
We rounded up five major areas of damage and consulted experts (and TikTok) for the best ways to address them.
Revitalising wood surfaces
If you have been using disinfecting wipes to sanitise your wooden tables, stop now: They can soften the finish.
Use a soft, damp cloth with a touch of soap to clean your tabletop, then wipe with a dry cloth.
Leave small scratches alone; they’ll blend into the patina over time. For a heavy, deep scratch, a permanent marker matching the colour of your wood will do the trick. Just colour the scratch and quickly wipe off any excess with a cloth. The next day rub a little vegetable oil (not olive oil) into the crack to help protect it from spills and moisture.
Removing stains from rugs and carpets
Experts say you should remove stains on a carpet or rug immediately, if possible. But if you don’t catch it right away, you still have options.
First, consult your rug’s label or manufacturer’s instructions for best cleaning practices.
If it’s a new stain, says David Weidkamp, sales manager at rug manufacturer Tufenkian, ‘‘blot up the excess liquid as quickly as possible, then use a cleaning solution and blot again’’.
You don’t need a specific carpet-cleaning product, he says; dish soap is a good, basic solution. He suggests a few drops of mild dishwashing soap mixed in a cup of water.
Once cleaning and rinsing is complete, blot the area with a dry towel. Use a portable fan or hair dryer set on cool – never hot.
A wet/dry vac is also useful for immediate removal of spills and stains, and to suck up cleaning liquids before they dry.
With old stains, use the same method multiple times. If it’s dried, first scrape or remove what you can, then clean, blot and rinse. If you don’t see success after three to four cycles, call a professional.
Cleaning outdoor fabrics
For cleaning outdoor pillows or cushions, take out inserts and hand-wash the fabric in a mixture of dish or mild soap and water, using a soft-bristle brush or sponge to work on stains.
After checking the washing instructions for your fabric or cushion, you can consider throwing the covers into a washing machine. (Close the zippers first.) Wash in cold water on the delicate cycle, then air-dry.
If the cushions or pillows are not removable, prepare a solution of 1⁄4 cup of mild dish soap to four litres of water, and clean them seam to seam using a soft-bristle brush. Then rinse thoroughly; you can use a hose.
For mildew stains, try mixing a cup of bleach and 1⁄4 cup of mild dish soap in four litres of water.
Bringing upholstery back to its former glory
As sofas and cushy chairs took a beating last year, watching people clean them became a new form of entertainment. Bissell’s Little Green portable deepcleaner, for example, went viral on TikTok.
If you’re sticking with spotcleaning, Patric Richardson, author of Laundry Love, says to apply a laundry stain treatment. Remove the treatment with a warm, wet towel.
Richardson’s trick for not ending up with a ring after it dries is to feather the edges. ‘‘Pull a dry towel from the centre of the wet spot into the dry,’’ he says. Go around the entire stain ‘‘as if you were following the numbers on a clock’’.
Repairing leather
For my own black leather scratch, I ordered a leather recolouring balm.
The kit I chose arrived with what looked like a jar of black shoe polish, a spongy applicator and a buffer. Apply the tinted balm, wipe off the excess, then buff. It worked like a charm (to my husband’s relief).
Some leather manufacturers offer consumer products to help with maintenance and repair.
If you’re going to apply a colour to your leather, test it on a hidden spot first. Then use a cotton swab or cotton ball to saturate the damaged area with the colour. For serious scratches or damage such as ink stains, you’ll need a professional repair service.
Leather can be damaged by alcohol-based products. So don’t use sanitising wipes to clean it, and beware of putting your hands on the arms of your leather furniture just after you’ve used sanitiser. It could break down the top coat.
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