How to Clean a Couch, Including the Upholstery and More

In quite a few approaches, your couch is the coronary heart of your household. Assume about it this way: It is the put you and your cherished kinds gather to total jigsaw puzzles, capture up after a extended day’s work, and binge Netflix exhibit after Netflix present. Simply because of this, your sofa is also the capture-all place for chip crumbs, popcorn kernels, and occasional wine spills.

When vacuuming or wiping down your couch may deal with working day-to-working day grime and pet hair, you must bust out your fabric steamers and cleaners if you truly want to get rid of set-in stains, spills, and oils from dirty arms and feet. Each and every 6 months or so, follow this phase-by-move guidebook on how to clean a sofa — no make any difference what sort of material it may perhaps be — by Carolyn Forte, Director of the Excellent Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, to make your dwelling area all set for yet another jam-packed weekend of motion picture-looking at.

Table of Contents

How to Clean and Sanitize a Couch

Regardless of whether you happen to be seeking to tackle a specific stain on a cushion or want to give your overall couch a biannual refresh, give this easy how-to a try out:

Use a handheld garment steamer or bursts from your steam iron to destroy dust mites. Go over the overall couch, allowing just the steam to contact and penetrate the fabric. If you really don’t have a steamer or iron, skip this step and go straight to vacuuming.
With your vacuum’s upholstery attachment, go in excess of the entire sofa: back, arms, skirt and cushions. If the cushions are removable, just take them off and vacuum the fabric underneath, likely as much beneath the back and arms as your vacuum can get to. With the crevice instrument, go together the seams, all over any buttons, and alongside the trim.
Consider a search at your couch’s treatment tag to see what is actually protected to use on the cloth:
- W is the best to cleanse and signifies h2o-based cleaners are ok to use.
- W/S indicates that either water- or solvent-dependent cleaners are safe and sound.
- S means only solvent-dependent cleaning chemicals should really be utilised.
- X suggests do practically nothing additional than vacuum or brush the fabric.
1. For materials that can securely be cleaned with water, deal with food and pet stains with an enzyme-containing formula like Bissell Qualified Pet Stain & Odor Remover. In a pinch, blend together moderate dish cleaning soap with heat drinking water. Normally take a look at the cleaner in a concealed location to start with.
2. If your cushions have removable addresses, unzip them and location a paper towel among the fabric and filling to soak up cleaner. Apply the cleaner to a fabric and blot the stain very carefully, doing work from the exterior in. The moment the stain is taken off, dab the place with a different moist fabric to rinse extensively and blot dry. For “S” materials, clear away stains with a solvent-centered solution according to package deal instructions.
3. Cleanse dingy arms and headrests with a moveable extraction cleaner like Bissell’s Little Eco-friendly ProHeat Moveable Cleaner. Only dispense the cleaner and water mixture through the hose, agitate the cloth with the brush nozzle, and vacuum up the dust into the tank. For solvent-only materials, it is finest to call in a professional for a harmless and complete cleaning.
4. At the time your couch is thoroughly clean and dry, eliminate any lingering germs and odors on water-protected upholstery with a cloth sanitizing spray like Tide Antibacterial Fabric Spray.