Regardless of the type of fabric your sofa is made of, caring for a fabric sofa comes with its challenges. After all, life doesn’t revolve around keeping the sofa clean. Things happen. And when they do, we want to remove the remnants as cleanly, neatly, and permanently as possible.
First, I’d like to make one important point: bleach, even diluted bleach, should never be used on a fabric sofa. I once had a beautiful, almost white sofa. I thought it was white—at least, it looked as white as white could be. Not only did my diluted bleach solution remove the stain I had struggled to get rid of for two years, but it also removed what little color the sofa had. While it looked white to the naked eye, “white” doesn’t always mean “bleach white.” Off-whites, eggshells, and other near-white shades look pretty bad with a big white blotch where the color used to be. Bleach can also eat through the fabric quickly, and it won’t take long before everyday wear creates a hole where the stain once was. I’ll take a stain over a hole in my couch any day.
Choosing the Right Fabric Cleaners
A new trend in fabric cleaners has emerged with the worldwide love affair with OxiClean. Everyone is adding oxygen to their cleansers, and Oxi-type cleaners have become very popular for nearly every household stain. In most cases, they do a pretty good job. However, when a stain remover removes the color from the fabric, you’re left with an entirely new problem to deal with. No matter how safe fabric cleaners claim to be, they should always be spot-tested somewhere less visible. The back corner of the skirting or where the fabric meets at the back corner are ideal spots to test. A spot test isn’t complete until 24 hours have passed with no signs of residue, fabric damage, or color changes.
Many people have reported the effectiveness of products like Spray and Wash as a quick protective solution for fabric sofas. They claim that a quick spray followed by a brushing with a cloth brush keeps sofas looking sharp and clean without the expense of professional protective sprays. While the general spot-testing rules still apply, few users have found any major issues when using this type of product on sofa fabrics.
One of the fastest ways to ruin sofa fabric is to allow animals, shoes, and other potentially staining items on the sofa. Of course, we can’t control everyone in the household all the time, but setting some basic rules can help minimize the damage. Baby bottles, candy, and soda are three of the biggest culprits when it comes to fabric destruction.
Lint brushes designed specifically for upholstery, combined with vacuum cleaner upholstery attachments, will easily pick up the pet hair left behind by your furry friend. Placing books or small objects in the cushions can also help deter pets from jumping on the furniture. However, pet hair is mysteriously drawn to sofa cushions. The newer and nicer the cushions, the more they attract pet hair. It’s almost as if the cushions are factory-designed with a pet hair magnet sewn right in. As frustrating as this can be, staying on top of pet hair will make a significant difference in maintaining your sofa’s appearance. Allowing pet hair to accumulate, especially under the cushions and in the cracks, will only encourage that musty, animal odor that can develop over time.
Caring for a fabric sofa can be as simple as scraping off stains that have crusted over, using a damp cloth to clean dribbled stains, and giving the entire sofa a thorough cleaning twice a year. Applying a protective spray can also help extend the sofa’s life. If you do use a fabric cleaner, be sure to remove all of it to avoid leaving dark spots where the cleanser dries.
Properly caring for a fabric sofa will add years to its lifespan. Naturally, when we spend significant amounts of money on furniture, we want it to outlast our desire to have it. Timely cleaning of stains, coupled with a little prevention, will ensure your sofa is still in great shape when your child gets their first apartment.
One Response
Hi, I bought a used cream colored large chair/ love seat almost. The 2 pillows, the seat and the back pillow had marks that oxi would not get out, so I soaked the covers in the tub with bleach overnight and air dried. They came out beautiful!! Now the problem is that they are whiter than the rest of the sofa. Do you think I could spray some diluted bleach to the rest of the sofa? Help please,
Thanks so much! Cristina