Fabric & Upholstery Care and Cleaning

Fabric & Upholstery Care and Cleaning

Do not dry clean or machine wash cushion casings as it may damage the fabric, backing or stitching. For large or persistent stains, contact an in-home professional upholstery cleaning company.

Treat stains immediately for the best results. Blot up as much of the spill as possible with a clean, dry, white cloth. Don't rub.

Apply a small amount of cleaner to the stain and gently agitate it with your fingertips. Avoid oversaturation which can damage the fabric backing or cushions.

Blot the stain with a clean, dry, white cloth, working from the outer edge to the center of the stain.

Continue to apply cleaner sparingly and blot until the stain no longer transfers onto the cloth. This may take several attempts. When you've removed as much of the stain as possible, blot any remaining cleaner from the fabric.

If your spot cleaner recommends a water rinse, apply a small amount of distilled water to the stained area and blot to remove. Tap water may stain or discolor the fabric due to its mineral content.

Use a hair dryer on the lowest heat setting to evenly dry the fabric and prevent moisture rings.

Replacement cushion casings are available. Please contact us to order.

How to Clean Upholstered Furniture to Keep It Looking Spotless

Upholstered furniture can take a lot of wear and tear. Even if you and your family are extra careful, accidents, from a spilled glass of wine to muddy paw prints, are just a part of life. The best way to prevent stains on your furniture, including sofas, chairs, benches, ottomans, and other fabric-covered pieces, isn't to ban food and pets from the living room altogether—you just need to know what to do when stains happen. If you work fast, clean upholstery regularly, and know your fabric, you can handle spills, stains, and other mishaps with ease. Whether you're tackling a tough stain or removing unsightly pet hair, these cleaning tips will help keep your furniture looking pristine for years to come.

Jay Wilde

Vacuum Upholstered Furniture Often

Our number one cleaning tip is to vacuum your upholstered furniture often. Dirt not only affects the appearance of your furniture, it can also wear away fabric fibers. Use a clean, dry upholstery attachment, or any stiff-bristle brush, to loosen dried dirt and debris. Use the crevice tool for hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.

Use Baby Wipes to Clean Furniture

Baby wipes are surprisingly effective for quick DIY upholstery cleaning (although you should always test first on an inconspicuous area to make sure they won't damage the fabric). Great for leather, cotton, or polyester, these wipes offer a gentle mixture of water and soap with very little moisture. Keep a travel pack stashed in the living room for instant spot removal whenever spills happen. Baby wipes are also ideal for spot-cleaning rugs. Act quickly on coffee drips and other spills, and the stain will be out before it even has time to set.

Lincoln Barbour

Clean Upholstery According to Codes

Refer to the manufacturer's instructions and fabric cleaning code for the best way to clean upholstered furniture. "W" means you can use water, so you can remove the cushion covers and launder them according to the instructions. "S" means to use a non water-based solvent, such as alcohol. Spray it on lightly, then blot with a clean with a white cloth or sponge. "S/W" means you're OK using either solvents or water, and "X" means use neither and vacuum only.

Prevent Stains on Upholstered Furniture

If your furniture doesn't come pretreated with a fabric protector to repel stains, apply one yourself (or have an expert do it for you). If it's already treated, ask the manufacturer how long it will last. "Many of the treatments on the market must be reapplied every few years to retain their stain-fighting powers," says Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer of MaidPro. Keeping it treated is key to maximizing the life of your furniture, she says.

Buff Stickland

Clean Upholstered Furniture Gently

Don't scrub upholstered furniture, even when you're dealing with tough, set-in stains. Scrubbing could grind the stain further into the fibers or damage the fabric. It's better to let the stain remover sink in and set, then gently blot it away. Use a soft, microfiber cloth for blotting, not a coarse fabric or a bristled brush. If the fibers are stiff after cleaning and drying, use a soft brush to loosen the material.

Use Water Sparingly

"Many people believe that the more moisture you use, the better," says Ron Holt, CEO of Two Maids cleaning service. "This is not always true." Try a specially formulated solvent (water-free) spot remover first. Many upholstery sprays are inexpensive and work well on most stains. If you move on to a water-based approach, Holt says, use it sparingly.

Remove Pet Hair from Upholstered Furniture

If your furry friends like to cozy up on the couch with you, try these tips for cleaning. To remove pet hair, put on a pair of rubber gloves and run them over your furniture, says Leslie Reichert of Green Cleaning Coach. "The gloves create static that pulls the hair off to the edge of the piece, where you can easily vacuum it off," she says. You can also create your own static spray by mixing water and a small amount of fabric softener. Spray the solution on the furniture and wipe off the hair with a cloth. Other effective tools for removing fur from upholstery include furniture brushes and hand vacuums designed for pet hair.

Jason Donnelly

Clean Throw Blankets and Pillows

When you're cleaning your furniture, don't forget to wash your throw blankets and throw pillows. If you use a washing machine, it's generally best to stick with the gentle cycle on cold. If the pillow covers are removable, throw them in the machine inside out. Be sure to dry pillows thoroughly, as inner dampness can lead to mold. If you're not sure your pillows are washable, freshen them with a spritz of water spiked with your favorite essential oil, followed by a tumble in the dryer with a couple of tennis balls.

Jacob Fox

DIY Spot Removers for Upholstery Stains

The sooner you treat a spot, the better your chances are of removing it. If you catch it right away, you might be able to get away with simply blotting with a microfiber cloth, says Kenny Schultz of MyClean cleaning service. If water is safe to use on your upholstery fabric, there are many DIY upholstery cleaning tactics you can try. To reduce the risk of spreading a stain, vacuum before attempting removal, and always test first in an inconspicuous spot. Try these tricks to remove stains from upholstered furniture:

General upholstery stain removal: Start with club soda. Dab it on gently with a clean, white cloth. Two more easy options: a little vinegar (left to sit for about 15 minutes before blotting with clear water) or a solution of mild dish soap and water.

Grease or oil stains: Sprinkle with salt, let sit, then dab with soap and water. Alternatively, try rubbing alcohol instead of salt.

Coffee stains: Blot in a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar with a little dish detergent.

Crayon stains: Work in a dab of non-gel toothpaste, then rinse with clear water.

Blood stains: Blot with hydrogen peroxide, then water.

Red wine stains: Sprinkle with salt. Blot with hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice, then rinse by blotting with water.

6 Upholstery Cleaning Tips from Professionals

Upholstered furniture is a comfortable and beautiful part of your home decor, unfortunately upholstery cleaning can be a tricky part of maintaining your home. No matter how careful you are with your furniture, spills and dirt are inevitably going to find their way onto it.

Cleaning upholstery can seem really confusing because unlike with clothing, you can’t just throw it in the washing machine. Upholstered furniture is meant to last a long time, so you will definitely want to find some good techniques for cleaning it.

For those of you who may be looking for the best way that you can clean upholstery, we have put together this helpful guide with six tips from the professionals at Next Day Cleaning. You can use these techniques to maintain your upholstered furniture so that it can last a long time looking clean and smelling fresh.

Regular Vacuuming

If you are serious about cleaning and maintaining your upholstery, you need to invest in a good vacuum with the right attachments for cleaning upholstery. The upholstery cleaning attachment looks like a smaller version of the big vacuum, with a brush that rotates to lift up dirt and stains.

You also need to actually use your vacuum on your upholstery at least once a week so that you are not just cleaning it when it is dirty, but preventing it from getting dirty. If you let dirt and other messes sit on you furniture for too long, it will set deeper into the fibers of the upholstery and could start to be abrasive on the fiber and they could be ruined.

If you vacuum every week, dirt won’t have the chance to damage your upholstery and it will last much longer. It can be hard to keep up this maintenance schedule, but it will really add years to the life of your furniture.

To start you want to vacuum in one direction, then when you have covered an entire section, vacuum again in the other direction. Always try to be delicate with you vacuum and don’t press too hard onto the furniture.

Read the Care Label

All upholstered furniture should have a care label sewn into a seam or attached to the bottom of it. It will have a code on it, where a “W” means it is safe to use water based cleaners, an “S” means only use solvent based cleaners, “W,S” means you can use water or solvent and an “X” means to vacuum only. 

Follow these guidelines and you will not accidentally ruined your upholstery by using the wrong upholstery cleaning product. When you first try a cleaning product on your furniture you should test a patch in a spot that is not too noticeable to make sure that it is not staining or damaging your furniture.

Upholstery cleaning services will always read the label before starting work on any piece of furniture and you should too. You can also contact the manufacturer to inquire about which products they recommend for your furniture.

By not following the care label, you also run the risk of voiding your warranty, which can be a big problem if a manufacturing defect does arise in the future. 

Use Moisture Sparingly

It is important to be careful about not using too much wet cleaning products when cleaning your upholstery. Use the minimum amount you can to get the stain out and make sure it has a good opportunity to dry completely.

If you use too much cleaner and it soaks deep into the furniture padding, it can start to be a breeding ground for bacteria or it can damage the padding. Especially solvent cleaners should be used sparingly as they can really deteriorate the padding if let sitting too long without drying.

A good technique is to spray just a little bit of cleaner onto the furniture and then immediately blot it up with a clean cloth, so that almost none of the cleaner has time to soak in. Do this until the spot or stain is gone and you won’t have any problems.

Clean Spills Immediately

If you see a spill happen on your upholstered furniture, be quick to clean it up before it starts to absorb into the fabric. Use a clean, dry cloth to clean the area of the spill.

Try to blot up the spill with your cloth, absorbing as much of the liquid as possible. Do not rub on the spill, this can actually make the liquid go further into the upholstery material.

Be gentle when blotting up the spill, you don’t want to press too hard and end up pushing the spill into the fabric. Also you can try vacuuming any spills as this will take up the material without rubbing it in.

DIY Upholstery Cleaners

You don’t have to spend a whole lot of money on pre-made upholstery cleaners or a rug cleaner, it can be just as effective to use products you may already have in your home.

For blood stains, use some hydrogen peroxide. Spray a little bit on the spot and then let it sit a few minutes, then blot it up and it should take care of the stain.

For oil or grease stains, sprinkle some salt on it and let it absorb the oil for a few minutes, then you can vacuum it up.

For coffee stains, diluted vinegar with a drop of dish soap should take it away. 

For red wine stains, put salt on it, then try some hydrogen peroxide and then some water.

Hire an Upholstery Cleaning Service

Having a professional upholstery cleaning every year or so will keep your furniture looking like new for many years. They have all of the tools and techniques to maintain your furniture the right way.

A couch cleaning service will come to your house and do all of the work so that you can enjoy your time and not worry about cleaning. Your furniture is a very important investment, and you should be taking all the steps necessary to keep it clean and well maintained.

For a reasonable rate, we can seamlessly help you with your move in and move out cleaning needs. Call us now for free estimates or check us on Houzz!