Help cleaning upholstered furniture...??

[Valerie226]

I have a badly soiled upholstered chair. after much searching I found it has to be cleaned with a solvent other than water. Ach. How do I do this? the store i bought it is no longer around.

there was a large plant next to it that got some kind of infestation. it dripped tiny drops sticky sap onto the fabric, which in turn attracted all kinds of dingy dust and dirt. ( not simple like a wine spill) It's been dirty for a long time but I had assumed I could clean it with the upholstery attachment of the rug shampooer. but no water! Where do I start with this? Is this a do it yourself project, or should I have it cleaned professionally?

[LaraW]

I would probably call a professional to clean it. A carpet cleaning business, or maybe call a high-end furniture store and see if they can give you some recommendations on someone to clean it, or how to do it yourself.

[catharine]

I've had good luck cleaning upholstered furniture with Oxyclean. It is water-based so I am not sure if that would work for you.

Good luck.

[Valerie226]

I'm going to check with the furniture place I bought it. after a search apparently a store exists about 60 miles from here.

Chair was treated with "soil shield" which is now owned by another company, etc. this chair is not new but I have a pair, only one is soiled. the fabric is labeled 's' which means solvent only definately not water. thought there might be a simple home use product that I'd never come across. Thanks for your thoughts.

[Beth]

Do you have and arm cover or a place you could do a test? I thought that Capture dry carpet cleaner used to say it was for upholstery -- but everything I find now only says carpet. It is a powder that you sprinkle on, rub in, let stand and then vacuum. You can buy it at Home Depot, Lowe's and Bed Bath & Beyond. We buy it at Lowe's because they carry the large buckets for carpet, but they also sell smaller containers for spots that would be plenty if it tests okay for your chair fabric.

[Valerie226]

Beth, that's something I didn't think of. I do have them .. never used them because they fell off constantly. they don't have the sticky residue on them but I could see what happens if they get wet and go from there....