28 June 2024 , 11:24
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Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but sofas can harbour more bacteria than your toilet seat.
Many Brits often forget to include the sofa when it comes to their Sunday cleaning session. You may think it looks pretty clean and so needs little TLC, but fabric sofas are a hot spot for germs.
A study by UNICEF found the place where you binge Netflix, eat dinner, and chat to friends may have up to 19,200 germs per 100 cm² - compared to 1,600 germs per 100 cm² on a toilet seat. But unless you're willing to fork out big money to get your sofa professionally cleaned, many of us don't know how to keep our loungers fresh.
Cleaning ace Roo, known as Roo's Home online, has built up an impressive 620,000 followers on TikTok thanks to her handy tips to keep the house looking nice and tidy. "Current fave way to freshen up the sofa," she said in a video - while adding a splash of concentrated disinfectant into a bowl, along with some boiling water and half a glass of cold water.
She then submerges a tea towel into the liquid and wraps the soaked cloth around a pan lid - before using the contraption to wash the sofa without getting the fabric too wet. She uses this method on the pillows and non-detachable parts of the sofa and says it dries 'so fast' that it prevents any dampness from occurring.
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Hundreds of cleaning enthusiasts flocked to the comments section to share the hack with their friends and family, with many asking if it would also work on other areas like car seats. "What a great idea," one user raved. Another agreed, commenting: "I do this all the time and it smells insane!" A third added: "I need to try this." While a fourth simply wrote: "Love."
You can pick up a bottle of concentrated disinfectant from your nearest supermarket or general store. Online, a bottle of Fabulosa Multi-Purpose Concentrated Antibacterial Disinfectant will only set you back £1.