How to Clean a Fabric Couch – Step-by-Step Guide

Last update: 56 minutes ago

The couch – a place where Netflix marathons take place, 3-hour unscheduled naps happen, and where your casual work-from-home station is. It’s only a matter of time before the daily use starts to show.

No matter how careful we are, the crevices are a magnet for crumbs, dust, and hair, while the cushions magically trap coffee spills, water stains, and what have you. Especially those poor natural fibre sofas that absorb the stains as it’s their business. Fabric couches can be a beautiful addition to any home, but let’s be real – they’re quite tricky to clean.

Fret not! Simply follow our step-by-step process of cleaning fabric furniture. We’ll guide you through the process – from deodorising your couch to spot-cleaning stains. Let’s go!

1. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions

Cleaning a fabric couch can be tricky, especially when you’re dealing with different materials. While natural fabrics might seem like the troublemakers, synthetic fabrics are often the most finicky, and using the wrong detergent can ruin them. That’s why checking the care label is key. It’ll usually have a letter code that tells you exactly how to clean your couch safely. Here’s what you can find on the care label and what it means:

The fabrics can vary from natural to artificial and various blends between both.

2. Prepare your fabric couch for cleaning

Before diving into the actual cleaning, it’s important to get everything ready. This ensures the cleaning process goes smoothly and the results are as effective as possible. It’s essential to know what textile you’re dealing with, as we mentioned before, some synthetic materials have very specific instructions for cleaning. Types of synthetic textiles your furniture can be made out of:

Gather your cleaning supplies

Start by collecting everything you might need, depending on the method you wish to use. You don’t want to be running around the house halfway through the cleaning process. Here’s a list of essentials:

Having everything within arm’s reach will make your job much easier.

Vacuum the couch

Before you even think about tackling stains, give your sofa a good vacuum. We are talking crumbs, dust, pet hair — all the stuff that somehow collects there even when you swear no one’s been eating on it. Vacuuming clears away the loose bits, so you’re not rubbing yesterday’s biscuit crumbs deeper into the fabric later on.

Use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum and gently work your way over the cushions, back, and armrests. Take your time. Those seams and little crevices? Absolute dirt magnets. You’ll be amazed at what can come out of there. And if you share your home with a furry friend, linger a bit longer — pet hair has a talent for clinging on like it’s paying rent.

Once you’ve finished, step back and have a look. Chances are, your sofa already looks noticeably fresher. Not bad for five minutes’ work, right? And you haven’t even touched the cleaning solution yet.

3. Do a spot test

Before you go all out on your sofa, pause for one tiny but important step: do a quick test run. Pick a sneaky, out-of-sight spot and try your cleaning solution there first. Think of it as a safety net for your sofa. Because nothing ruins a productive afternoon faster than stepping back and realising you’ve created a mysterious new stain where none existed before.

Grab a clean cloth or sponge and dab a small amount of the solution onto that hidden patch. And we do mean dab — this isn’t the time for enthusiasm or elbow grease. You’re not washing the car; you’re just introducing the fabric to the cleaner and seeing how it reacts.

Now comes the hardest part: waiting. Give it a few minutes to dry properly. Make a cuppa, scroll your phone, stare out of the window and contemplate your life choices. Once it’s dry, have a good look. If the fabric looks the same as it did before (no strange marks, no sudden colour changes), you’re officially cleared for action.

If, however, something looks a bit… off — a patchy mark, fading, or a colour that’s gone rogue — stop right there. Try a different cleaner and test again. It takes barely a minute, but it can save you hours of regret.

4. Getting stains out of the fabric couch

Fabrics are prone to staining easily, so working fast is key. The more time that has passed, the harder it is to get rid of them. And since all mishaps happen suddenly, you often need to DIY your cleaning products.

Another option is that you just call cleaners to professionally deep clean your upholstered furniture while you sit back and relax. This way, you don’t have to do all the hard work, and there is no chance of damaging your furniture. Hint: We can do this for you.

But for now, let’s chech few ways you can try to get stains out of a fabric couch on your own:

Cleaning with water, vinegar and dish soap

Grab yourself a bowl, half-full of warm water and mix in 3 tbsp of white vinegar and 1 tbsp of mild dish soap (the amount can vary). Dab it with a clean cloth or a sponge and spot-treat stains one by one. Try not to soak the furniture. Work gently because you don’t want to rub the stain into the fabric. Wipe away with a clean cloth and inspect if the stain is gone. If not, repeat the process. Let it air-dry. No need to use blow-driers or heaters, as they can do more damage than good.

Get oil out of the fabric couch

You thought we were done with the baking soda? No way! Mix baking powder and just enough water to make a paste, and you have a two-ingredient homemade solution to remove stubborn and greasy stains. Put a little bit of it on the stain and with the tip of your finger or a clean cloth, gently rub it in with circular motions. No scrubbing, as it will push the dirt deeper into the textile, making it a bigger problem than it should be. Leave the paste on for about 15 minutes. Check if the soda has absorbed the grease, and once it has, brush it off or vacuum it with the bristle brush attachment.

Use a cleaning product from the store

If you happen to have at home an upholstery or a carpet cleaning product (that you actually bought from the store, shocker!), the first thing you need to check is if it’s a water-based cleaner or solvent and whether it’s suitable for your furniture piece. Remember the W, S, S/W, X code scheme we explained above? Spot-treat on an inconspicuous area, and if there’s no discolouration or other problems, proceed with the cleaning by following the instructions on the label. After treating, you can soak up any residual moisture with a towel, then let the piece air-dry.

5. Cleaning the entire couch

To clean larger surfaces of upholstered furniture, you might need something else. In a completely clean spray bottle, mix together a cup of warm water, half a cup of white vinegar and 1 tbsp of dish soap. Close it and shake it well. Spray the surface of the couch from a 30 cm distance, then wipe away with a clean cloth to ensure there’s no excess residue from the solution on the furniture. Let it air-dry.

After it dries, the vinegar smell goes away, leaving behind just a clean, freshened-up couch. This method is more suitable for synthetic textiles except for suede and, as we already mentioned, some types of microfibre. It’s also a great choice for cleaning synthetic carpeting.

Deodorise and clean your upholstery with baking soda

If you just wanna deodorise the couch, you can use this method. Coat the surface of the couch with a little bit of baking soda and let it sit for about half an hour. Don’t overdo it with the amount of baking soda. You only need light coverage. After that, use the brush attachment to vacuum it away. Voila! What you’re left with is a deodorised and gently cleaned couch.

Repeat whenever you feel the need to freshen up your upholstered furniture. And if you’d like to do a deep clean, just mix the baking soda with dry upholstery/carpet cleaner and repeat the same process.

6. Maintaining your fabric couch clean

To keep your sofa clean all the time, incorporate regular vacuuming in your schedule and take care of food and drink spills immediately, so they don’t stain the fabric. You can try to keep your pets off the sofa or just give them a blanket so they have a special place next to you when you sit down. Another way to protect your upholstered furniture is to treat it with a fabric protection product (again, make sure it’s suitable for your piece).

When you clean light-coloured sofas, make sure you use white or at least light-coloured cloths too. This ensures no textile dyes will transfer from the cloth to the upholstery you’re cleaning.

If you want to take it to the next level, use distilled water when cleaning because tap water leaves residues behind and in some cases, it can actually look like a stain.

And a few tips that are not necessarily connected with cleaning but have to be mentioned:

Takeaways

• Regular care goes a long way.
• Always check the care label before cleaning. Those letters matter more than you think.
• Test any cleaner on a hidden spot before going all in. Future you will be grateful.
• Baking soda and vinegar are natural, budget-friendly lifesavers.
• A proper cleaning once or twice a year keeps your couch looking its best.

And with that, we hope you found the tips and ideas useful. Tell us in the comments below if you tried any method and how it went for you.