This TikTok Upholstery Cleaning Hack Really Works
Complex cleaning hacks can be fun projects, but I like the simple ones even better, and this one is really simple: you can use the lid of a pot or pan to clean carpets and fabrics. It works like a charm, which is why it’s been all over TikTok for the past few years .
To refresh your upholstery or carpet, you will need:
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A lid for a pot or frying pan with a handle in the center.
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Large microfiber cloth.
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Bowl of water
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Dish soap
Depending on what you’re cleaning and how you prefer to do it, you may want to add a few drops of vinegar or vodka , but otherwise stick with the cleaning recipes you’d normally use for any upholstery or carpet you’re working with . on.
Upholstery cleaning
Fill a bowl with a cleaning solution, whether a mixture of liquid dish soap and baking soda, water and vinegar, or store-bought upholstery cleaner. (I used what I had on hand, which was laundry detergent.) Place the fabric in a bowl, soak it in the mixture, then squeeze out the excess and lay the fabric flat.
Place the lid in the center of the damp cloth and pull the edges up around it, securing them to the handle with an elastic band. If they do not reach this distance, simply secure them tightly with your hand on the handle as you work.
Now you have a fabric-covered disc that you can roll over sofas, chairs, carpets, rugs or pillows. It will collect lint and freshen the fabric without making it too damp. I recommend wiping the upholstery with a soapy rag until it’s fairly damp and clean, then coming back with a simple damp rag on the lid instead of a soapy rag, and then either drying the area with a hairdryer or fan (or open a window and let the outside air take care of it ).
Why I like this cleaning method
The goal here is not to wet carpets and cushions, but to give them a damp freshness – the lid provides stability and introduces the solution gently and evenly. The lid is easy to push across the surface of a sofa or chair cushion, and the weight of the lid gives you extra power. When you’re just using a rag, it’s hard to apply enough pressure to really clean the surface because both the rag and the upholstery are so soft. You’ll inevitably end up pressing too hard and the stain will become too wet, which isn’t good—if the pad doesn’t dry completely, it can lead to mildew or a bad odor.
I recently spilled coffee on the couch; Even though I soaked it that day, I was left with terrible stains. This sofa is old and cost me about $200 on Amazon years ago, so it’s not worth making a ton of stops or getting a professional machine for the job. I decided to try the lid of the pan.
To my horror, just one cycle of cleaning the lid of the pot collected a lot of coffee residue. To my delight, it took very little effort on my part and my poor cheap sofa wasn’t soaked in too much cleaning solution. The entire sofa looks much better and was ready to sit on again in less than an hour after a little air drying. Not every TikTok hack works, but this one definitely does.