“How do I get a stain or soil out of my sofa or love seat? I have tried everything, and nothing seems to work.” “What do I do to remove water spots from my wood furniture?” These are common questions that are often asked. We cannot guarantee that our solutions will work in every situation. But they do have a proven track record. We've received testimonials from many of our readers, praising on how some of these methods worked for them. So we'll share them with you.

Keeping a Clean Couch

You don't need to hire a professional cleaner every time you get a stain or soil build-up in your upholstery. Use our methods to help keep your couch clean and save you money. We'll even show you how to concoct your own cleaning solution.

* Vacuum the cushions on your sofa, chair, or love seat on a weekly basis. Use a soft brush to get up loose soil.

* To get out the non-greasy soil from your upholstery, use cool water.

* On the other hand, to remove greasy stains, use warm or hot water. Use this technique scantily since heat causes stains to set in the fabric.

* You can also use 3 Percent Hydrogen Peroxide to get out greasy stains. Pour some on a cloth. Then blot it on the stain, but don't rinse it. You may have to perform this step again until the stain disappears.

Creating Your Own Upholstery Cleaning Solution

Forget about going to the store to purchase an upholstery cleaning product. Use your money for other things. Make your own home-remedy solution. Here's how you do it:

* Pour equal amounts of water and liquid detergent. (CAUTION: Never use laundry detergent.)

* Use a hand mixer to blend in the ingredients. You want to blend them until the solution is foamy.

* Saturate the sponge, cloth, or brush. Scrub it into the stains.

* Rinse the area.

Keeping Your Wood Looking Good

Common problems you experience with wood furniture are getting rid of spots and stains. You'll try different techniques, but nothing works. So you'll become frustrated and find a figurine or centerpiece to cover the blemishes up. Or you might throw the furniture away. Well, there's no need to do that. Here are some techniques you can use.

Water Spots

Yes, you can get rid of these pesky problems. Get some toothpaste. Yes, you heard correctly, use some toothpaste. Now, you know it's not just for cleaning your teeth. Squeeze some of the toothpaste onto a damp cloth. Gently rub it onto the water spots.

Grease Spots

Salt is the answer for these problems. Pour salt right away on the grease spots to soak these up. This method also prevents staining.

Ink Stains

Those blue and black ink stains can be a pain, too. Use one of the following methods below to get rid of them. But before you use any of these methods, we strongly caution you to blot the stain. Rubbing the stain will make it worse.

* Pour some turpentine on a clean, white towel. Blot the area.

* Pour isopropyl rubbing alcohol on a clean, white towel. Blot the area.

Good luck to you in your cleaning endeavors. Tell us if these techniques worked.