You can clean your futon by firstly vacuuming it, deodorizing it, removing the stains, and finally, cleaning the frame of your futon.
The futon mattress was initially created and designed in Japan, but it was adopted by the West and modified to what you see today. To protect your futon and ensure its maximum life cycle, it is essential to regularly clean the futon to get rid of unwanted things such as spills, stains, mold, mildew, dirt, and dust.
This article is a step-by-step guide on how to clean a futon and the various cleansing agents involved.
Futons like the Novogratz can function as a bed and also as a sofa. It’s a bed when laid flat and a couch when folded up. Some futons come with a futon cover which makes the cleaning process a bit easier.
The following things are used to clean your futon:
Firstly, unfold your futon if it’s folded into a couch and remove it from its frame. Then, move the vacuum over the futon mattress to get rid of foreign elements such as hair strands, dust, crumbs, and other kinds of debris.
Use the vacuum nozzle to penetrate the corners of the futon or a brush that will clean where the vacuum cleaner can’t reach. Turn the futon over and repeat the process on the other surface when you’re done on one side.
After some time, your futon may develop an unpleasant odor due to a lack of regular cleaning or care. Accumulation of humidity, your body sweat, stains from food, or spills from beverages can result in a bad-smelling futon.
To tackle this issue, get your baking soda and sprinkle it atop the futon and leave it for approximately 1 hour. Once it’s been an hour, use your vacuum to remove the baking soda.
On a side note, baking soda is a great product for cleaning. In the video below you will see what else you can clean with this product:
The best time to remove any stain or spill on your futon is as soon as they occur. This way, you’ll be able to get rid of it before it soaks into your mattress. So the first thing to do in the stain removal step is to use a paper towel to wipe the stained area.
Once done, mix your laundry detergent with cold water and apply it to the stained area using a damp cloth. Ensure that the detergent is mild (you can even run a test on a very small portion of the futon) to prevent the discoloration or damage that will result from the usage of a harsh detergent.
Gently clean the stained area with the cloth and use a little amount of water to remove the detergent. However, using too much water can make your futon moist and create a breeding ground for mildew and mold.
If the stain on the futon is very hard to remove, mix the same amount of white vinegar and warm water and apply the solution to the stained area. Also, coat the stain with a small amount of baking soda, add a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide and one teaspoon of detergent. Leave the cleaning solution on the stain for roughly 15 minutes. Then, use a paper towel to wipe off the stain.
Take your futon outside for about a day to dry, but it will take a shorter time if the weather is very sunny. Once dried, use your vacuum to remove any remnant of the baking soda.
The futon frame has to be cleaned to prevent the accumulation of mold and dust beneath the futon. Once you have separated the futon from its frame, clean it with a moist cloth. If the frame is metallic, refrain from using dusting solution as this might trigger corrosion.
In a home where children or pets are present, urine stains will likely end up on your futon mattress. The urine stain can be dry or moist, but the result will be the same. Your futon will reek like a urinal. However, before you consider upholstering your futon sofa, there are some ways to remove urine and stop your futon from smelling.
The method of removal to use depends on the state of the urine stain. If it’s wet, the method or cleaning agent to use is vinegar and baking soda. If dry, you’ll have to opt for hydrogen peroxide.
These are the steps to follow for removing wet urine stains from your futon mattress:
Step 1: Use paper towels to soak up the urine on your mattress.
Step 2: Get baking soda and sprinkle it to eliminate the odor and the stains.
Step 3: Apply concentrated or diluted vinegar on the affected part through a spray container. Vinegar has a pungent smell, but with time, it will subside. Leave the vinegar for approximately 5 minutes.
Step 4: After 5 minutes, wipe off the extra moisture till the futon is dry.
Step 5: Use the sodium bicarbonate on the affected part as well as the entire surface of the mattress to eliminate any bad smell that may occur later.
Step 6: Take the futon to dry outside. Once it’s dry, use your vacuum to remove the excess sodium bicarbonate on the futon.
Step 1: Prepare a mixture from 3% of the hydrogen peroxide solution, three tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate, and a couple of drops of mild detergent.
Step 2: Use a cloth to apply a little of this mixture to the affected part. Ensure you don’t use too much of the cleaning solution so the futon will not take a longer time to dry.
Step 3: Prepare another mixture with a tablespoon of water and three tablespoons of laundry detergent. Apply this mixture to the urine area and let it stay there for about a half-hour.
Step 4: After 30 minutes, remove the mixture from the futon.
Step 5: Use your vacuum to remove the extra powder or mixture from the futon.