The fabric sofa in the center of your home attracts a lot of dirt and debris. A fabric couch is a beautiful addition to any home but let’s be real – they’re quite tricky to clean. Regardless of how careful we are, the crevices tend to attract crumbs, dust, and hair while the cushions magically trap coffee spills, water stains… We’ll share the basic steps and how to clean fabric sofa the right way as below.

Using an upholstery nozzle to clean the dust on a fabric sofa

How to clean fabric couch?
Prepare your fabric sofa for cleaning
Deodorize and clean it with baking soda
Remove stubborn stains
Keeping your sofa clean in the long run
Prepare your fabric sofa for cleaning
To prepare your sofa for cleaning start by vacuuming the whole surface, the crevices and under the cushions. Use a stiff brush with natural bristles to get rid of old stains and dirt. Then vacuum that part again.

Some fabric furniture has removable covers that you can put in the washing machine. If that’s your case, you can skip directly to the spot-cleaning section after washing.

Top tip: It’s more cost effective to purchase a wet and dry vacuum with a wash-system. A powerful vacuum will also save you tons of time and help the sofa cleaning more efficient.

A wet and dry vacuum and help you save tons of time and effort on sofa cleaning

Natural Fibers
In most cases, natural fibers aren't used entirely in the construction of a couch - they are usually used in blends. They’re also often a bit more pricey, and they require a bit of special attention (what doesn’t really?). Some popular natural textiles include:

Linen
Cotton
Wool
Synthetics
Before proceeding with the cleaning, it’s essential to know what textile you’re dealing with as some synthetic materials have very specific instructions for cleaning. Types of synthetic textiles your furniture can be made out of:

Polyester
Velvet
Microfiber
Rayon
Sunbrella
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions
Something that we can skip saying, but we won’t, is that you should read the manufacturer’s label.

If you thought natural textiles were tricky, wait until you hear about microfiber. It's usually the one with the most specific instructions since it can easily get damaged if you use the wrong detergent. But no matter what textile is the upholstered furniture made from, the manufacturers put letter coding to help you out. Here’s what you can find on the care label and what it means:

W – It means it’s safe to use water and water-based solutions while cleaning.
S – Only use solvents to clean the upholstery (dry clean).
S/W – You can use solvents or water-based cleaners. In this case, both dry cleanings using a mild solution and steam cleaning are good options.
X – Vacuum only, don’t use water.
Deodorize and clean your upholstery with baking soda
It wouldn’t be a cleaning tutorial if we didn’t mention baking soda. Many of you already know that baking soda is a key ingredient in DIY cleaners. It’s easily accessible and generally safe to use on various surfaces, and that includes your upholstery. Needless to say, always test on an unnoticeable area first.

How to clean upholstery with baking soda
Apply a little baking soda to the couch's surface 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 deodorized and gently cleaned couch. Repeat whenever you feel the need to freshen up your upholstered furniture.

Remove stubborn stains and deep cleaning your fabric sofa

Try eco-friendly solution before using any chemicals products

Even after all the work you just did, you might be left with a couple of persistent stains and ambiguous-looking spots.

Fabrics, especially natural ones, are prone to stain easily, so working fast is key. The more time 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. And as always – spot-test on a hidden area first!

Deep cleaning your sofa on your own might seem like an impossible task. But since you’re here, we know you’re not a quitter, so here are a few methods to do that.

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.

Sofa Cleaning with water, vinegar and dish soap – Spot-cleaning
Get yourself a bowl, half-full of warm water, and add three tablespoons of white vinegar and one tablespoon of mild dish soap (the amount can vary). Dab in it with a clean cloth or a sponge and spot-treat stains one by one. Avoid soaking the furniture. You should work gently so as not 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.

Cleaning fabric sofa with water, vinegar and dish soap – Large surfaces
You might need something else to clean larger surfaces of upholstered furniture. 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. Seal the bottle and shake vigorously. 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 has dried, the vinegar smell will disappear, leaving behind 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.

Cleaning with baking soda paste
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. Let the paste sit 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.

Clean with a cleaning product
If you happen to have at home an upholstery or carpet cleaning product (that you actually purchased from a store, shocker! ), you should check to see if it's a water-based cleaner or solvent and if it's suitable for your furniture. 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.

How to keep your sofa 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 and 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 upholstered furniture is to treat it with a fabric protection product (again, ensure it is suitable for the 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.

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

To preserve your sofa’s fresh and vibrant colours, choose a place for it out of the sun and away from any heat source. Sun and heat can not only discolour your furniture but also damage it beyond repair.
If you wash the covers in the washing machine, don’t let them dry in the blazing sun.
Revive your couch by deep cleaning it once or twice a year,
Do that by yourself with some of the methods above or call in a professional cleaning company to do that for you.