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How To Clean Your Couch

Knowing how to clean your couch can be one of the most important bits of cleaning knowledge to keep your Living Room looking great.

After all, no matter what time of year or occasion — whether it’s the Holidays, or just “movie night” — your couch is probably the most popular piece of furniture in your Living Room. Just ask your other pieces of furniture. They’ll probably express how jealous they are of your couch getting all that attention. Boo hoo.

Of course, as a piece of furniture, being so darn popular has its downside. A nice glass of vintage 1982 Château Lafite-Rothschild may taste heavenly (if you’re a wine lover) but it makes for a truly hellish dark red stain on your thirsty couch.

And when the kids come back from swimming in deep puddles of mud (or whatever they do out there) and plop themselves down for a four-hour session of video games, your friendly couch seems more than happy to get the party started — and acquire some rather unattractive mud stains in the process. Then the dog joins in. Ugh.

Since we love our couches too, we thought we’d share some helpful tips for how to clean your couch and tackle those inevitable stains and spills.

Couch Cleaning 101: “Know Thy Couch Material”

Stop! Grabbing the nearest soapy sponge and frantically scrubbing away is most likely NOT your best move!

First, take a breath. Don’t panic. Although you don’t want to let the stain set-in and dry, your couch isn’t going to get any more stained than it already is. (Not sure that makes you feel better. Sorry.)

Now, locate those helpful tags you might find along the base of your couch, or attached to one or more of its cushions. You’ll want to identify exactly what type of material you’re dealing with.

I know, we all laugh at the legal warnings on those tags and love to rip them off out of pure spite. “Oh yeah? If I remove this tag I’ll get thrown in prison? Come get me, cop’a! You’ll never take me alive!!”

Hopefully you didn’t give in to your inner “1931 James Cagney” (old gangster film “Public Enemy”) and rip off the tags. Different materials require different methods of cleaning. Always check the specific care instructions to avoid damage. They usually show a particular code to indicate the best general method for cleaning:

  • “W” means it’s safe to use water to clean
  • “S” means it’s NOT safe to use water… use a solvent-based cleaner instead
  • “WS” means either water or solvent-based cleaners are safe
  • “X” means “vacuum only” – no water or solvent-based cleaners

The following are cleaning tips for various kinds of materials. Try to test the appropriate cleaning method on a small or hidden area first before going “all-in” on your cleaning.

How to Clean Your Fabric Couch

How best to clean your couch with a fabric upholstery will depend on the type of stain.

For beverage stains: first, confirm that it’s safe to use water by checking the care tag to see the “W” or “WS” code.

Next, create a DIY cleaning solution by combining the following in a clean spray bottle:

  • 1 cup of water (distilled preferred)
  • 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid

Once combined, drop-in 1 tablespoon of baking soda and screw on the top before the bubbles overflow. (Combining the baking soda with the vinegar in the mixture will cause the solution to bubble. It’s science!)

Next, spray a white cloth with the cleaning solution. Then gently dab the stains with the cloth — don’t scrub or rub. To keep the stain from spreading as you work, start with the outer edges of the stain and move toward the center. Repeat as needed, then blot dry with a clean towel.

For food stains: dabbing with a mixture of warm water and dish soap may be enough. Again, dab, don’t scrub.

For pet stains such as urine or vomit: it’s best to use an enzyme-based cleaner specifically designed to deal with these types of stains. Dab, don’t scrub. You may then need to follow-up with a steam cleaning to fully remove the odors.

For ink stains: assuming your fabric care instructions show “WS” or “S”, dab rubbing alcohol with a cotton swab. Don’t use too much alcohol and oversaturate the fabric or the stain may spread.

For oil stains: cover the stain with cornstarch for 15 minutes and let it soak up the oil. Vacuum the cornstarch, then blot gently with soapy water (assuming it’s safe to use water on the fabric).

For blood stains: ok, if this is a frequently occurring problem… first, make a sign and nail it to your front door — it should read something like this: “No knives, razors or other sharp objects will be allowed while sitting on the couch. Make sure all boo-boos are fully bandaged before entering this establishment. Thank you. -The Management.” Although highly uncommon, if you ever find yourself strangely compelled to stab your guests, you really should seek professional help immediately. I’m serious. Halloween or not, it’s totally inappropriate. Just don’t do it!

Next, apply a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to the stain and let sit for 5 minutes. Blot dry with a paper towel and then rub gently with a damp microfiber cloth. Rinse the hydrogen peroxide away by repeatedly blotting with cold water and blotting with a dry cloth until all the hydrogen peroxide has rinsed out.

How to Clean Your Microfiber Couch

Microfiber couches can be a little tricky. Usually they will indicate “S” or “WS” on the care tag, meaning a solvent-based cleaner is your best option. Rubbing alcohol is a great solvent for this purpose.

Spray the stain with rubbing alcohol. Then scrub with a clean white cloth (yes, in this case it’s ok to scrub). Avoid using a colored cloth or sponge since the alcohol may transfer the color to your fabric.

After the fabric has dried (alcohol will dry quickly), finish by using a brush to fluff the fabric in a circular motion.

How to Clean Your Leather Couche

Leather couches come in various finishes. If your couch has a “protected leather” finish, then first test the following in a small or out-of-view area, then move on to the rest of the couch as needed:

  • Create a cleaning mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar.
  • Dampen (don’t soak) a microfiber cloth with the cleaning mixture.
  • Wipe the couch repeatedly, making sure to rinse the microfiber cloth after each wipe.
  • Dry with a clean microfiber cloth.

If your leather couch is not “protected leather” then check the suggested cleaning guidelines on the care tag.

We hope these cleaning tips on how to clean your couch help keep your home looking its best. Of course, if you need professional help, reach out to us first as we can refer a cleaning crew or upholstery care specialist to tackle tough cleaning needs. That’s what we’re here for!

Whether you need regularly scheduled cleanings, one-time cleanings, move-in / move-out cleanings, or construction cleanup, and even other services like upholstery or carpet steam cleaning and window cleaning… we handle it all, so give us a call. We are your ONE-STOP-SHOP for taking care of your home.

Always… At Your Service!
Call Howard: 949.215.9550

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