Easy methods to clear a sofa with material in 7 steps + a DIY couch cleansing resolution to make upholstery shiny and recent.
Cleansing a sofa is correct up there on the chores record of issues I dread alongside cleansing the oven, scrubbing the bathe, and mopping flooring all rolled up into one. It’s a exercise!
However when it’s carried out? It feels SO good, plus, it’s like having a model new couch.
Over time, we’ve had 5 couches, all of which went by means of trails and errors in cleansing. However I’ve discovered the successful mixture of some completely different strategies in case you’ve ever needed to know the right way to clear your sofa, plus a DIY couch cleansing resolution that’s fast and low-cost to make.
This was our sofas’ grubby “earlier than” (photos make it look higher than it did in individual). We received our two down mix Pottery Barn York couches (which I shared the full unbiased professional/con evaluation about right here) a couple of 12 months in the past.
I used to be below the impression that the Sunbrella material would stay a crisp clear white with simply needing the occasional spot remedy as a result of it’s a brilliant excessive efficiency upholstery material. However time has confirmed to me that it nonetheless will get dingy similar to you’d count on any white couch would (shock, shock).
We now have a canine and two kiddos who spill throughout them, monitor grime throughout them, and truthfully, Robert and I aren’t precisely the best on these sofas both. We now have little to no guidelines in opposition to meals and drinks on these couches, and our crew is a rowdy bunch, so you possibly can think about the carnage.
It known as for an all-over majorly intense sofa cleansing. This technique I exploit works on material chairs too, slipcovered or not.
Easy methods to Clear a Sofa with Upholstery
I like to recommend doing this sofa deep cleansing technique a few times per 12 months (I normally choose spring and fall). But it surely’s greatest to hoover couches as soon as per thirty days and deal with spills as quickly as they occur to stop everlasting stains.
Over time, I’ve cleaned all the things from our slipcovered IKEA couches to upholstered sofas and chairs, they usually’ve all resulted in a superbly deep clear that appears like new.
Provides
Earlier than You Begin
All the time verify any cleansing resolution you’re utilizing in an not easily seen space first. Scrub a small space with a white fabric and cleansing resolution. If shade from the sofa reveals up on the material, don’t use the cleansing resolution in your sofa.
Verify your sofa producer’s directions for cleansing tips on the label.
Upholstered Furnishings Cleansing Codes
W – Water based mostly cleansing brokers or foam could also be used, ideally distilled water.
S – Solely delicate, water-free cleansing solvents.
S/W – Water-based cleansing brokers could also be used, distilled water really helpful.
X – Clear solely by vacuuming or mild brushing to take away soil.
Step 1 – Take away Cushion Covers
If attainable, unzip and take away covers from the sofa cushions. Take the time to “fluff” the cushions and batting. Give the covers a superb shake to launch any unfastened particles.
(If you happen to can’t take away your cushion covers, transfer on to Step 3.)
Step 2 – Wash Cushion Covers on Chilly/Light
My favourite mixture for white material throughout our home (sheets/towels/bedding/slipcovers) is washing in 1 cap filled with OxiClean White Revive and 1 cup of baking soda. It makes all dingy, soiled whites look shiny and clear with out bleach!
The OxiClean White Revive is shade protected and septic protected, if that’s a priority for you. I used it on our white IKEA slipcovers for years to get them as white as attainable.
Wash the couch cushion covers on chilly and on the mild cycle.
Line dry till damp, DO NOT tumble dry. It’s greatest to place clear covers again on the couch cushions whereas they’re nonetheless damp to stretch out wrinkles, forestall shrinking, and make them simpler to place again on.
If you happen to’re washing slipcovers on the complete sofa, you possibly can toss the entire thing within the wash individually from the cushion covers to stop overcrowding.
However since our couches primarily wanted cleansing on the arms, I didn’t need to undergo the trouble of cleansing the complete cowl. You need to use this technique beneath on hooked up couch upholstery too.
Step 3 – Vacuum Sofa Upholstery
Take away any unfastened hair, grime, and particles below sofa cushions and on the sofa upholstery itself with a vacuum wand brush attachment. Get in each nook and crevice as a lot as attainable with the wand hose.
We now have this Shark Navigator Elevate-Away Vacuum that we love!
Step 4 – Sprinkle Baking Soda
To assist take in any odors, sprinkle baking soda everywhere in the couch (specializing in excessive visitors spots just like the couch arms) and let it sit for at the very least half-hour.
Use the vacuum wand attachment once more to hoover up the baking soda.
Step 5 – Make a DIY Sofa Cleaner Resolution
I’ve used just a few upholstery cleaners previously (Folex is one I usually like), however I’ve discovered mixing this DIY sofa cleaner in a twig bottle to be simply as efficient.
Combine in a twig bottle:
- 2 cups distilled water
- 2 Tbsp clear Daybreak dish cleaning soap
- 2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
Solely use this cleaner in case your sofa’s producer label permits water-based cleansing brokers.
Step 6 – Spray Sofa Cloth with Cleaner
Spritz the sofa upholstery with the water/cleaning soap/vinegar resolution till damp.
Step 7 – Wipe Couch Cloth Floor
Utilizing a dry, lint-free fabric, wipe the dirty couch material floor to take away any grime and dirt.
Non-compulsory: When you’ve got an upholstery cleansing machine (now we have this Bissell Little Inexperienced Stain Cleaner we like), use it after this step for a fair deeper clear.
Enable your couch to air dry earlier than placing cushions in place.
Cleaned Sofa
Does it look so significantly better?! It smells completely superb. Robert has stated time and again ever since I cleaned our couches just a few days in the past that they really feel like model new! So fluffy and shiny!
The excellent news is, although it’s fairly a chore to do, in case you make it a part of your common spring and/or fall cleansing together with spot cleansing robust stains after they occur, it could lengthen the lifetime of your material couches.
I used to be actually feeling the couch material remorse final week, however now that these couches have gotten a deep clear, I’m even happier with these Pottery Barn couches that we saved up for for years.
Even when we did have feathers flying all through the entire cleansing course of, I nonetheless love how squishy delicate and comfortable they’re.
All in all… completely value it.
My reward for tackling this sofa cleansing chore was to bust out some fall decor to make this lounge really feel further cozy, so you possibly can guess what comes subsequent in right here. 😉
By the way in which, in case you need to know since typically individuals ask, listed below are our lounge’s decor sources.
Residing Room Decor Sources
Extra Home Cleansing Concepts
