Stain Removal Hacks
How to Remove Water Stains from Upholstery
Water stains can be a nightmare of unsightly blotches on your gorgeous cotton or linen covered soft furnishings. Their formation is caused, not by the liquid itself, but by the minerals present in the water, and so can obviously be worse in areas with hard water. That’s why, even when you are especially diligent in mopping up any spills, you can still be left with water stains.
Do not fear, however, as there are several very effective methods to remove these marks.
Dried Water Stains
If the stains are solely on the sofa cushions, and they can be washed in the machine, your job is simple. Remove the covers and wash on a coolish cycle. However, most of us won’t be that lucky.
So we move on to the next method:
Vinegar and baking soda
Into a bowl, mix a little white vinegar, and baking soda and add about a cup of distilled water – this carries no minerals or impurities and therefore won’t add to the watermarks.
Using a clean cloth dipped in the foamy liquid, lightly scrub the stain in a circular action.
Once thoroughly scrubbed, taking a clean absorbent cloth and, using plain distilled water wash the area. Soak up as much water as possible with another cloth, and leave to air dry.
If you wish, use a hair dryer to efficiently dry the patch in a much shorter time.
Steam cleaning
If you have access to a steam cleaner, this is a very effective way to remove water stains, and although requiring more effort, steam from a freshly boiled kettle does the same thing. If your marks are on a cushion, hold the cushion over the steam for a few minutes, then use a cloth to absorb the resulting liquid.
Plain distilled water or soda water
You may need to repeat this a couple of times before the stain vanishes completely.
Damp down the area with plain distilled water, or fizzy soda water, then cover the patch with a pile of folded paper towels about ⅛ of an inch thick. Weight them down with a heavy book, or vase, and use your hair dryer on a cool setting over the area for several minutes, ensuring that all the damp has completely dried.
