It's a Miracle!

So yesterday, I showed you guys my new additions to the living room.

I was so exited to find these high barrel back button tufted regency chairs on Craigslist. But once I saw them in person, I was a bit skeptical about bringing them home.

They had sat in a storage locker/container for who knows how long, so these babies were in no condition to be brought into a home, let alone, be sat in! Between the stains, rips and damage to the bases, I almost changed my mind on them. After looking at them for about 10 minutes, I told the seller that I would think about it and get back to him before the day was over. I wanted time to get a couple estimates for professional cleaning services before I pulled the trigger.

As we pulled out of their driveway, I got that panicked feeling that I get when I know I'm going to regret not doing something. I ran through all of the pros and cons of getting the chairs: how awesome they'd look in my living room...pro; cost to clean them as a short term solution...con; feeling of owning a pair of iconic vintage chairs...pro; cost of new fabric and to get them reupholstered as a long term solution...con; price of the chairs...pro!

Want to know how much I paid for them?

$20 for the pair!

So, yeah, about an hour after telling the sellers that I needed to think about it, I texted them back and told them they were mine! How the heck could I pass up a pair of $20 chairs?!?!?

Now, on to getting them cleaned. I sent pictures to the most recommended cleaners in town to get a rough estimate on getting the chairs to a livable condition. I wasn't expecting a miracle; I just wanted to be able to sit on them without ruining my clothes or contracting a disease. While waiting on them to respond, I checked in on one of my daily reads to see what Jenny Komenda had to say for the day over at Little Green Notebook. It would just have it that she posted a linked to a tale of her favorite upholstery cleaner! After reading Jenny's raving review, I figured Folex would be my backup plan if the cleaners came back with a ridiculous estimate.

After a bit of back and forth, the cleaners couldn't give me an estimate based on the emailed photos and wanted to set up an appointment for me to have them looked at. I told them "Thanks" and that I would reach out to them within a day or so and on my way home from work, stopped by Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up a bottle of Folex. I decided to at least try it before carting the chairs all across town.

The instructions were pretty simple: spray it on; rub it in with your fingers for a second or two; blot it off with a clean rag. Seamed pretty simple.

I started with the bottom of one of the cushions.

It was yellowed and dingy from the set in dirt.

I sprayed the Folex on just the front rim of the cushion and rubbed the right side with my fingers.

Then took a towel and wiped that area with a towel.

You can't tell from this photo, but all of the yellow dinginess was absolutely gone! There was no scrubbing or waiting, it just wiped right off!

Need a better example?

YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!

THIS STUFF IS AMAZING!!!

This was years of set in mystery stains that just wiped right of with a little finger rubbing and towel blotting! Folex took my chairs from disgusting to delightful!

Here they are (sans bases) all cleaned up.

I used almost the entire bottle on these two chairs, but not before trying it out on a few carpet stains. Believe me when I say that I'm already headed back to get my second bottle! This stuff is worth it's weight in gold!!!

And I promised you guys that I'd give you an idea of the direction that I'm headed in with the living room. Well, here you go!