How to Clean Head Oil from Upholstery? 2 Home Remedies

Hair-oil stains can be easily removed with a few straightforward household items before they become irreversible.

Hair and body oils are common, and they keep the skin and scalp soft by preventing drying and cracking. Excessive amounts of body and hair oil can leave a greasy stain on upholstered furniture that, if ignored, will turn into a magnet for dirt that is discolored.

Here are two approaches you can try to clean head oil from upholstery before calling a pro, but keep in mind that they could also produce outcomes that will need professional help to fix.

Clean Head Oil from Upholstery With Baking Soda

With this technique, oil can be removed from many different surfaces, including clothing, concrete, etc. However, since baking soda is naturally acidic, it is not recommended for genuine leather because it is an alkaline powder.

Further Reading:

• How Often Should You Deep-clean Upholstery?
• Best Upholstery Cleaners: Easy Cleaning!

The acidic cream of tartar can be used in place of baking soda in this method. Although this approach is generally secure, it is always advisable to test it first in a small, concealed area.

1. If there are any hair or body oil stains, liberally sprinkle baking soda over them to completely cover them. To remove the oil and associated odor, leave the baking soda on the oil stains for the entire night.
2. The upholstery’s baking soda should be vacuumed up. In a bowl, combine 1/3 cup cold water with 1 teaspoon of hand dishwashing liquid. Making soap suds requires combining the mixture with your fingers.
3. Squeeze the excess liquid with a clean sponge after dipping it in the soapy mixture. Rub the remaining body oil and hair stains off the upholstery. When the oil stain doesn’t come off, keep rinsing the sponge off, adding more soap solution, and blotting.
4. Use plain water to wet a clean cloth. To get the soap solution off the upholstery, blot the area where the oil stain is located.
5. To wick up as much moisture from the upholstery as you can, press clean, dry cloths into it. Then, let it air dry.

Cleaning upholstery fabrics needs some tips, and it is important to clean upholstery fabrics before using them for the first time, but don’t worry, we have provided you with a Upholstery Fabric Cleaning Guide. It can tell you how to clean different types of upholstery fabrics.

Clean Head Oil from Upholstery With a Degreaser

This approach is comparable to what a specialist will use, but bear in mind that it might necessitate that the leather be recolored.

1. Get a degreaser for leather. Online retailers, as well as some auto parts or furniture repair shops, carry these products.
2. To gauge how well the degreaser works, test it first in a small, concealed space. Consider switching to a different product or hiring a pro if you notice any color removal. The only way to know how a degreaser will perform with your specific item is to test it. Each piece of furniture is unique, and some may work better with specific degreasers than others.
3. Observe the directions on the product label that you have chosen. The majority of degreasers are applied to the leather’s surface and left to sit for a number of hours before being removed.
4. If you don’t see any damage after the stains are eliminated, you can continue to clean and condition the area as usual.

Although it can be difficult, removing stains from upholstery is not impossible. Here are some guides you can follow to clean different stains from upholstery:

Other Ways to Clean Head Oil from Upholstery

Besides baking soda and degreasers, there are other ways that can clean head oil from upholstery:

The WD-40 Method

Did you know you could use WD-40 to get rid of stains in addition to lubricating creaky hinges and wheels? This lubricant has solvents in it that dissolve oils and lift stains to the fabric’s surface.

As always, test a small area of the upholstery out of sight to make sure it doesn’t harm the fabric. WD-40 can be lightly sprayed on the stain if you are given the all-clear. Five minutes of letting it sit before washing it with warm water and mild dish soap. Blot dry.

The Vodka Method

Both carpets and fabrics can be cleaned of oil stains with alcohol. Spray some vodka on the stain, then blot it dry. To remove any remaining alcohol, proceed by wiping with a wet cloth. This technique may need to be repeated several times.

When to Call a Professional?

Choose a professional who has knowledge of leather and the right cleaning supplies and equipment to effectively remove the oils without harming the leather. To draw the oils out, they frequently use a degreasing substance.

This could take several hours because the oils penetrate much deeper than the surface-level discoloration. The leather will be recolored if necessary after the oils have been completely removed, and the protective finish will be replaced.

You may be interested in How to Clean Upholstery With OxiClean?

Preventing Future Stains

Apply a premium leather protector to stop future discoloration and damage. By doing this, the body oils won’t get absorbed into the leather. To get rid of any oils that have accumulated on the surface, clean the surfaces frequently using the suggested cleaning techniques.

Never dye upholstery with leather dye intended for shoes. It is a different kind of dye and won’t be properly absorbed by the upholstery. (That is to say, it will just make a big mess.)

How to Clean Dog Oil from Upholstery?

Dog oil removal is a very DIY-friendly topic. This depends on the kind of upholstery fabric we’re discussing. Many things can be done safely if your fabric is woven relatively flat. Caution is advised if your fabric has a lot of naps. Scrubbing shouldn’t damage the nap.

Vacuum

Vacuuming the impacted area thoroughly would be the first course of action. Sometimes what appears to be dog oil is simply hair or fur stuck to the fabric. Use a gentle brush (like a horsehair brush) if the material is really tangled up.

When using a cotton hand towel without a brush, simply keep folding it in half until you have a sturdy bundle. The last fold can be used as a brush.

Testing

The next step would be to attempt to spot-clean it if this doesn’t succeed in enhancing the appearance. Since you can really mess up if you are not careful, I now advise using the utmost caution when doing this. If you use a chemical or agitate the fabric vigorously enough, you risk damaging the color, nap, or general feel of the fabric.

On a soft towel, you can use a neutral spotter or even a vinegar-and-water solution. Whatever method you choose, you should always test in a discrete area. A good one is by the zipper behind the cushion. Be sure to wait until everything is dry to check for nap distortion or to determine whether the color loss or transfer will be an issue.

Treating

Once you’ve chosen a secure path for your do-it-yourself dog oil removal, it’s time to get cleaning. Now, keep in mind that you only have a limited amount of control over getting anything you insert into your fabric out. Avoid pouring your cleaning solution directly onto your furniture!

I advise lightly smearing it on your towel and using it to gently wipe the furniture. Rubbing can be dangerous because it can damage some fabrics’ naps. Work in teeny tiny segments. Use a hair dryer to quickly dry the area you are working on to determine whether it is worthwhile to continue.

Once more, if you had velvet or another expensive fabric, you should have stopped at the vacuum stage. Unless you hire a pro, these may never look better once they are wet.

Conclusion: Clean Head Oil from Upholstery

No matter what material (fabric or leather) your upholstery is made of, it gets dirty because body oils are absorbed, which causes some areas to turn a darker color.

Never dye upholstery with leather dye intended for shoes. It is a different kind of dye and won’t be properly absorbed by the upholstery. (That is to say, it will just make a big mess.)

FAQs