We all know that with the arrival of summer, a cool watermelon becomes the perfect way to treat yourself when you want something sweet and juicy. So, the watermelon is cut, your favorite series is on, and nothing predicted trouble — when suddenly the juiciest piece falls onto the sofa, leaving behind a sticky red trace. But this story isn’t as bad for your sofa as little children dropping a slice of watermelon on it and trying to hide the evidence with their sticky hands. Familiar? Don’t worry, in this article we’ll go over how to save your sofa from watermelon stains, what not to do when trying to clean sticky spots, and when the best solution is to call a professional sofa cleaner for help.
Why are watermelon stains so insidious?
Let’s look under the rind and see what’s there. Watermelon is 92% water, which doesn’t sound so scary, but there’s a BUT. The remaining 8% combined with water is what poses a threat to your sofa. That 8% includes fructose and lycopene — a powerful pigment which oxidizes when in contact with air and leaves behind a persistent stain, while the fructose crystallizes and locks in that stain for a long time.
Saving the sofa from watermelon stains
If the sweet accident happened before your eyes, saving the sofa won’t be hard. It will be enough to immediately remove the pulp from the surface of the sofa. Moisten two tablespoons of salt with a few drops of water in a glass and salt the sofa with this paste for 10 minutes. Sounds funny, but salt absorbs the watermelon juice, and that means that after 10 minutes you will need to:
- Remove the salt from the sofa
- Wipe the stain using cool water and a clean sponge (don’t rub, just dab gently)
Add lemon!
To enhance the effect, you can squeeze lemon over the salt (do not use lemon juice on dark sofas as it can leave a light mark).
If the stain is fresh, but the affected area is large:
You will need several glasses of cool water, and for each glass of water, add a teaspoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of liquid soap or dishwashing liquid. This solution should be mixed to a uniform consistency, and using a sponge, apply it to the entire area where there are watermelon traces. After applying the solution, be sure to use a clean towel to wipe the surface, preventing the moisture from soaking deep. The mildly acidic solution breaks down fructose and neutralizes stickiness.
If the stain is old and the sofa hasn’t been cleaned for a long time, it’s better to entrust the rescue to sofa cleaning professionals, since a trip to the store for Vanish may turn into a gamble — with a small chance you’ll defeat the watermelon stains and a much higher chance you’ll create even more stains on the surface of your sofa. But if you still decide to test your luck and go to the store for a sofa cleaning spray or the well-known Vanish, be sure — I repeat, be sure — to wipe the surface with a clean white towel after using these products, not allowing the cleaner to soak deep into the sofa.
Important: Before using store-bought sofa cleaning products, read the instructions and test the product on a small area of the sofa. It’s better to spend a minute checking than to regret ruined furniture later.
To deal with an old stain, you can also use a mixture of glycerin and alcohol. Glycerin dissolves crystallized sugar, and alcohol neutralizes the pigment. Mix 1:1 medical alcohol and glycerin, and using a clean sponge, apply to the stain and wait 15 minutes. Use a clean dry towel to remove the solution from the sofa surface. Repeat if necessary.
If you have a light-colored sofa, you can make a solution of lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide:
Mix 2 tbsp of 9% hydrogen peroxide + 1 tsp lemon juice.
Apply with a cotton pad, then dissolve 30 grams of ARIEL laundry detergent in 0.5 liters of warm water until fully dissolved, and use a clean sponge to treat the dirty surface of the sofa. Immediately after applying the detergent solution to the sofa, use a clean dry towel to wipe the damp surface and collect the remaining moisture and dirt.
Why is it better to entrust the rescue of your sofa to professional upholstery cleaners?
Your sofa is a huge sponge, and in most cases, by the time the watermelon stain appears, it has already accumulated dirt and dust, or even suffered from other types of stains you’ve previously tried to clean. And when you start removing the stain from the surface yourself, the cleaning agents push out dirt that has accumulated inside, creating numerous halos on the sofa’s surface. The appearance of halos during self-cleaning is the best-case scenario that clients encounter when they come to professionals for help after trying to clean the sofa themselves. Often, self-cleaning leads to the stain becoming set in or even textile burns.
Professionals, on the other hand, use special cleaning agents tailored to different types of fabrics. Professional cleaning is done with powerful special equipment that doesn’t mask the stain, but removes it — washing not just the surface, but pulling out accumulated dirt from the filler.
Conclusion
Watermelon stains can be removed at home. The main thing is to remember that hot water is your enemy when dealing with sugary stains! And vigorous scrubbing leads to holes and damage, not to cleaner upholstery. Research by the Textile Research Journal has shown that 60% of attempts to remove stains at home lead to more stains due to incorrect cleaning procedures or ignoring proper furniture cleaning steps altogether. If you don’t want to experiment, or have long been thinking that your sofa could use a professional cleaning, now is the time to let the pros handle it. The sofa cleaning experts from Harry El Sucio Clean will help bring back your sofa’s cleanliness and freshness.