Is it possible to wash foam rubber?

When buying furniture, namely sofas and armchairs inside which foam is located, you need to be ready and be able to provide the necessary care if necessary. Proceeding from this, often there is a question, whether it is possible to erase foam rubber independently and how it to make? In this article, we will talk about the main rules of washing and care products made of foam rubber, as well as share tips for preserving the furniture in excellent condition.

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Foam washing - is it worth it?

If it so happens that you need to restore the purity of the foam product yourself in the near future, the question immediately arises if it is possible to wash the foam rubber in the washing machine. Where at the same time will most of the people turn?- Naturally, the World Wide Web, or rather the Internet.

On different sites, communities you will meet a huge number of people who are ready to share their unique advice or recommendation. Often this turns out to be complete nonsense, such as: "put the foam in the pool for convenience, fill it with a detergent" or "dial a full bath of water, fill a pack of powder, soak foam pillows and jump on them."

If you are not a fan of experiments with an unforeseen outcome, in order not to spoil the product, but really help, you should refer to the official information, which indicates the moments you need, namely the GOST standards.

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Official data on the care rules of

So, the rules for the safe use of all types of furniture are regulated by GOSTs Р 16371-93 and Р 19917-93.From the very first lines of the document it is said that the term that furniture will serve you depends on the operation, namely, on compliance with conditions and accuracy in use.

This, as a rule, applies not only to furniture, but absolutely all things. Careful attitude prolongs life, preserves the original appeal of the product.

Regarding usage standards:

1. Recommended room temperature for comfortable use of armchairs, sofas, beds is from +10 ° C to +25 ° C.
2. Humidity should not exceed 65-70%.
3. Also it is not advisable to install radiators or other means of heating the room close to the upholstered furniture. This can seriously affect and damage the furniture upholstery, its frame, filler, which is often made of foam rubber.

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Advice on the care and cleaning of foam rubber

But what do professionals advise and how do they answer the question whether it is possible to wash foam rubber in a washing machine?

It is very undesirable to wash foam rubber and upholstery fabric. This is due to the fact that when wet, foam rubber loses its elasticity and return density properties.

Important! For the foam rubber in the wet state, any deformation is critical, not to mention over-voltage.

The porous structure of foam rubber helps to get rid of excessive moisture quickly enough. But despite this, the drying process takes a long time.

Important! The foam should be dried exclusively in a natural way, since it is not allowed to heat it with various electrical appliances, such as a hair dryer, a heater. This can completely ruin the material.

If you want to clean polyurethane foam products from dust and dirt accumulated for a long time, use a vacuum cleaner or dry cleaning.

Important! Small and shallow dirt can be cleaned with a soap solution and a brush, but try to use more foam and less water. So the process of drying will be faster, and the purification itself is safer.

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Basics of foam rubber - practice:

1. As a rule, foam rubber can withstand -10 ° C to +100 ° C.But in spite of this, foam rubber is not recommended to be influenced by the increased thermal impact - it often has negative consequences and has a harmful effect on the quality of the material.
2. Also unacceptable and categorically forbidden to iron with foam rubber, because it affects the deformation and melting of the material every second.
3. However, in certain environments of use, it is necessary to use foam rubber that is susceptible to high temperatures. In such cases, manufacturers use heat-resistant polyurethane foam, which contains the necessary components. They, in turn, give the material important properties. An example of using such foam rubber is the coating of ironing boards, on which decorations, embroideries and other decor elements are applied.
4. One of the most common causes of deterioration in the quality of foam rubber is incorrect transportation. Often during transportation, this material is compressed to reduce volumes by 3-5 times. When unpacking, you can see that the quality is much lower, and the rigidity is reduced by several times. And if the quality of foam rubber before transportation was not ideal, then after incorrect delivery, the properties can only get worse.

Important! The maximum permissible service life of products made of foam rubber is 13-15 years. But the service life may decrease due to high humidity, sharp temperature changes or vice versa - due to high air temperature.

So, summing up, we can not fail to note the fact that the foam is fastidious enough in care and maintenance. The answer to the main question, whether it is possible to wash foam rubber in a washing machine, explains that in principle the washing of this material is permissible, but it can lead to some difficulties and unpleasant consequences. If the years have made the filling of your sofa or other furniture unpresentable and completely exhausted its reserves, we recommend completely replacing it.