A sofa enhances the aesthetics of a room but it can do the opposite if you don’t take care of it. For this reason, periodic sofa cleaning is essential to keep its appeal alive. But how to clean sofa at home properly is a question important to address.
As there are different types of sofa fabrics, you cannot clean all of them in the same way. In this blog, you’d find various and simple ways to clean sofas at home yourself. We will show you how to clean fabric (velvet & jute) and leather sofas properly.
Let’s start with the fabric sofas.
1. How to Clean a Fabric Sofa at Home?
Cleaning a fabric sofa might seem more difficult than cleaning a leather sofa. However, you can do it quite easily if you have proper guidance. Cleaning the fabric sofa mostly depends upon the type of fabric. However general guidelines are as follows.
- Vacuuming the sofa is always the easiest and the best way to clean it. Frequent vacuuming can help in preventing the forming of dust layers which are pretty hard to clean later on. It will not take more than 5-10 minutes to vacuum sofas.
- You can use a brush (soft-bristled) to remove the dust. However, don’t scrub it too hard as it might damage the fabric.
- Removing stains is the hardest part of sofa cleaning. There are different ways of doing it. You can use water, alcohol, vinegar, liquid soap, etc. depending upon the type of sofa fabric and type of stain.
# Tips to Clean Different Types of Fabric Sofas
Cleaning the fabric sofa is a challenging task. It is important to know how to clean different types of sofa fabrics as one method might not be suitable for others. So, we are here with tips on cleaning the popular types of sofa fabric.
i. How to clean a velvet sofa?
Velvet is among the most popular fabrics for sofas. Here are some tips on cleaning the velvet sofa set at home.
- Vacuuming or using a soft-bristled brush are the best options to remove the dust.
- Clean the stains, spills, or dust immediately as they can become difficult to clean later on. It is because of the nature of velvet fabric that can be permanently damaged with stains if left untreated for some time.
- Use a wet cloth to clean the stain on it. For this purpose, you can try water, or other cleaning products for velvet sofas.
- You can use some drops of liquid soap/dish soap and mix it with 1 cup of water. Gently apply it to the stain to remove it. After 10 minutes, clean the area using a wet cloth. It is not recommended to use it on the entire area unless the stains are spread all over the sofa.
- If the sofa has been in use for long, it might have developed an unpleasant odor. If yes, then you can use vinegar on it. Just add an equal amount of synthetic/white vinegar and water. Spray this mixture on the sofa and leave it to dry. The smell will be gone after it is dried.
ii. How to clean a jute sofa at home?
Cleaning a jute sofa is a bigger challenge than velvet if it gets stained. It is because the stain is absorbed deep in its fibers. Here are some tips on cleaning jute sofa at home.
- Vacuuming frequently helps remove the dust.
- Vacuuming after a long time is not enough for removing dust completely.
- If you want to remove stains, using a soft-bristled brush by dipping it into soap water and rubbing gently on the sofa is beneficial.
- The best way for cleaning a jute sofa is to use soap water. Some also recommend using baking soda and vinegar. You can also use alcohol to remove some hard stains. Details for using baking soda, alcohol, and vinegar are given later in this blog.
2. How to Clean a Leather Sofa?
Cleaning a leather sofa might seem easier than a fabric sofa. However, you need to be cautious as many people get their leather sofas damaged by using the same ways to clean them as fabric sofa sets. For example, using alcohol on leather can dry its outer layer and damage it permanently if used frequently. So, here are some tips on cleaning the leather sofa at home.
# Tips on Cleaning Leather Sofa at Home
The following are leather sofa cleaning tips.
- Simply use a micro-fiber cloth for cleaning the dust.
- It is also beneficial to use the vacuum cleaner to remove dust from areas difficult to clean with a cloth.
- You can use a wet cloth to remove most of the stains as leather does not absorb the stains as the fabric does.
- If the stains are too old and are not getting cleaned with a wet cloth, you can try stain remover products for leather.
- Synthetic/white vinegar can do wonders if you mix its ½ or ⅓ amount with water. It will be able to take off most hard stains. However, don’t use it frequently as it can degrade the quality of leather.
- Alcohol is not recommended as it is not good for frequent use. However, for tough stains try using alcohol / methylated spirit (easily available). Just don’t make it a habit as it is not good for the leather.
3. Ways to Clean a Sofa
Here are some popular sofa cleaning ways.
i. Ways to Clean Fabric Sofa With Water
Water is the most common and easiest way to clean different types of sofas. You just need to dampen a cloth in the water and rub it on the stain to remove it. However, if it is difficult to remove, you can mix liquid soap or dish wash with the water and dampen the cloth in the mixture. Generally, 2-3 drops of dish wash or liquid soap in 1 cup of water are enough. However, you can increase this amount as per your requirements.
After applying soap water with a cloth, gently rub it and remove the stain. Then use another cloth that is wet with the water and rub it on it again to clean the soap as well.
You can use this method on fabric (velvet + jute) and leather sofas.
ii. Ways to Clean Fabric Sofa With Vinegar
Cleaning the sofa with vinegar is quite common among people when stains are not getting removed with water. Synthetic/white distilled vinegar is commonly used for cleaning the sofa. You have to mix it with water as pure vinegar might be harmful to some fabrics. The best ratio of mixing is ¼ cup of vinegar in 1 cup of water. Damp the cloth in this mixture and rub it against the stain.
Vinegar is a great odor remover. If your sofa set is old and you are noticing an unpleasant odor in it. Vinegar can help you. Just mix ½ cup of vinegar with ½ cup of water in a spray bottle. Spray it on the sofa, and leave it to dry. After it is dried, the odor will be gone.
iii. Ways to Clean Fabric Sofa With Baking Soda / Fabric Sofa Cleaning Without Water
If your fabric or leather sofa has oil stains, baking soda is a savoir for you. Just sprinkle some amount of baking soda on the stain. It will soak the oil like magic. Use a soft-bristled brush to clean it. If some portion of the stain is remaining, then you will have to use the vinegar and water mixture to remove it completely.
iv. Ways to Clean Fabric Sofa With Alcohol
It’s easy but it should be your last option. It can damage the sofa fabric, especially leather if used frequently. You can get a methylated spirit or other forms of alcohol from the pharmacies. You can soak a cloth in it and rub the cloth on the stain. It is known to remove the most difficult stains from the sofas. If the treated area on your leather sofa looks dried, you can use leather wax to restore its moisture.
4. Get Help From the Sofa Cleaning Services
If you don’t want to do it yourself, there’s always professional help. To find them, look up sofa cleaning services from OLX Pakistan.
A neat and clean sofa can enhance the aesthetics of a room. To keep it looking fresh and new, frequent sofa cleaning is essential. However, many ignore this and their sofas get a lot of stains that become difficult to remove with time.
We have mentioned most of the tips to answer your question of how to clean sofa at home properly. Just remember that you can avoid many hassles if you clean the stains immediately.
Warning: Be careful about the fabric and leather quality. Try cleaning the hidden side first and see the results. If everything comes out fine, you may use the above-mentioned tips. It is because the quality of fabric and color on it varies a lot and might look poor after using some of these tips. You might also see a discoloration if the color quality of the fabric or leather is not up to the mark. So, it is important to try on small hidden areas (generally the backside) to avoid any unwanted results.
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Have you tried cleaning sofas at home yourself? What problems have you faced? Tell us your trick to remove stains from the sofa in the comments.
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