No matter how careful you are with your sofa, chair, chaise lounge, or love seat, there will come a time when you need to give it a good cleaning. Spillages happen. They’re a part of life.

So what’s the advice on how to clean upholstery when you do find yourself with a stained couch or armchair? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Read on to learn how to tackle stained upholstery the right way now.

Know the Cleaning Code

If you’ve ever wondered how you can tell what kind of cleaning solution should be used on your particular sofa fabric, you can wonder no more, because there’s a very simple way to tell. It’s called the cleaning code, and it’s something a surprising amount of people aren’t aware of.

In the 60s furniture manufacturers began to mark the couches they made with a letter-based code, to signify to other customers the best way to clean said piece of furniture. It goes as follows.

  • W = Water Based
  • S = Solvent Based
  • WS = Water or Solvent
  • X = Professional Cleaning Required

Check the label of your sofa to determine which is the optimal cleaning method for it. If your sofa doesn’t have a tag, or you’ve removed it, don’t worry. Simply find the most inconspicuous area you can, and test different methods until you find the one that works best.

Stained Upholstery 101

The number one rule when it comes to stains is that the earlier you tackle them, the more success you’ll have with getting them out. Here’s how to handle a fresh stain.

Blot away as much moisture as possible with paper towels, or if it’s a more solid substance, try using the edge of a knife to lift it off. Whatever you do, don’t rub the stain. This will cause it to set in further.

Once you’ve got the excess off, you can grab your cleaning solution and get to work. Rub the stain with a sponge or cloth dipped in the solution until it’s lifted. To finish, rinse and dry the area.

When you’re dealing with an old stain, the steps will be pretty much the same. Carefully remove any excess, then use your solution to scrub away. You may need a little more elbow grease with a set-in stain.

How to Clean Upholstery

Even if your furniture isn’t visibly stained, it could still be harboring all sorts of bacteria and debris that you can’t even see. In fact, according to Martha Stewart—bonafied domestic goddess—you should be giving your upholstery a deep clean at least every six months. In order to do this, there are a few steps you’ll need to take.

First, you should vacuum your whole sofa. This will help to get rid of things such as pet hair and dust. Next, tackle any obvious stains with the above method.

Keeping Your Couch Clean

Hopefully, this guide has helped you learn more about how to clean upholstery. Remember, if you don’t have the time or the inclination to deep clean your sofa as often as is recommended, you can always hire professional cleaners to do it for you.

At Quality Care Carpet Cleaning, we’re experts in keeping your carpets and your couch clean. If you’ve got a cleaning job for us, big or small, get in touch now.