Darlene said, “ Anybody know how to clean old vinyl furniture? Help needed please.”
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Vinyl furniture may be durable, but it still needs to be cleaned. Use the information in the steps below to give your vinyl a regular cleaning or to remove tough stains.
Cleaning the Vinyl
You Will Need:
- Baking soda
- A cloth
- Water
- White vinegar
- Murphy Oil Soap
- Dish liquid
Steps to Clean the Vinyl:
- Sprinkle baking soda on a damp cleaning cloth or a sponge designated for cleaning only. Rub the cloth over the surface of the furniture, adding more baking soda or water as needed. Wipe with a damp cloth afterward to rinse.¹
- Combine half a cup of white vinegar with half a cup of warm water, then stir in two teaspoons of Murphy Oil Soap. Use the solution to wipe the surface with a damp cleaning cloth or sponge designated for cleaning use only, then wipe the surface with a damp cloth to rinse.²
- If there are any stains on the furniture, combine baking soda and water to make a paste at a 3:1 ratio, then mix in several drops of dish liquid. Put the paste on a damp cleaning cloth and scrub the stain with the solution. When the stain is gone, wipe the area with a damp cloth to rinse.¹
Additional Tips and Advice
- There are toxic chemicals in vinyl furniture, some of which can be absorbed through the skin. Covering the furniture with a chair cover, table cloth, or blanket will not only help to reduce the amount of physical exposure to the chemicals, but also may help to prevent stains and reduce the amount of cleaning needed.³
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Sources
- Baking Soda Solutions by M. B. Ryther
- Joey Green’s Cleaning Magic by Joey Green
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning by Mary Findley and Linda Formichelli
Wouldn’t really recommend using this method to clean vinyl. I mixed the recommended ratio of water/vinegar/Oil Soap and came out with a white, powdery, almost curdled like mess. Had a difficult time cleaning it out of the bucket I was using, can’t imagine what it would have done to my vinyl chair.
What do u suppose I use to clean urine if an animal had an accident on the couch?
Victoria,
You can use either a white vinegar and water mixture (equal parts of each) or a pet enzyme digester like Nature’s Miracle or Kids ‘N’ Pets.
I just used this and it worked pretty well. It was not really too pasty and took out some deep dirt.
I tried all three methods… the baking soda removed the stickiness from the massage chair I was cleaning. Thank you!