How to clean arm of sofa?

However, as careful as you might be, there’s no avoiding the stains, spillages and grime that build up with everyday use (or the bad smells and discolouration which come with it).

But don’t fill your shopping trolley with expensive fabric cleaning products just yet. To give your upholstery a new lease of life, all it takes is a few natural ingredients – many of which we can bet are already in your kitchen cupboard.

Take a look at the best natural ways to clean a fabric sofa, below.

Before you get started with any of the methods below, it is worth checking the individual cleaning codes of your sofa fabric (usually found on the underside of your sofa cushions).

To make sure you’re giving your sofa a sufficient deep clean, the first thing you should do is remove any crumbs or dirt from both the surface and in-between the sofa cushions (you may want to wear gloves).

To do this, you’ll need a clean, dry cloth. With the cloth in hand, brush the upholstery, ensuring you reach into all the nooks and crannies. For stubborn areas, such as dried-on spots, you may need to use a stiff brush.

TOP TIP: If your fabric sofa is lightly coloured, you’ll need to use a white cloth. Otherwise, the dye from the cloth could soak into the fabric on your sofa and cause discolouration.

By their nature, sofa fibres have a tendency to cling to smells from pets, spillages and – ahem – natural gases. Over time, this can develop into an unpleasant, lingering scent, which isn’t ideal when entertaining guests.

While you could mask the smell with an upholstery deodoriser, this only offers a temporary solution, and you could be back where you started just hours later. Instead, you should try an easy-to-make natural fabric cleaner to remove bad smells for good.

What you need:

How to do it:

For all their cosiness, fabric sofas aren’t the best at repelling spillages or deep stains. Anyone who has knocked a glass of red wine onto their favourite sofa knows this reality all too well. Thankfully, there are ways to clear up stubborn stains without the need for tough chemical products.

Take a look at our fantastic fabric sofa cleaning solution, below.

What you need:

How to do it:

TOP TIP: Baking soda and white vinegar is an ace cleaning combination for any tough stain. This is because the baking soda reacts with the vinegar to create an acidic formula which gently cuts through grease and grime.

TOP TIP: This method is also superb as a natural carpet cleaner. Mix together and apply to carpet stains for a fresh new look.

Take a teaspoon of washing-up liquid, white vinegar, baking soda and warm water and mix together into a lather (the mixture should froth up as the baking soda and vinegar react with one another). Then, apply directly to any stains or smudges that you can spot on your fabric sofa. Leave to dry out for around 10 minutes.

We spend a lot of time on our couches, so they’re bound to get dirty and stained from time to time. Knowing how to clean couch stains is a skill we should all have up our sleeves. Be it an emergency red wine spill or just a buildup of grime from the pet lying on the couch every day, we have the answers that will teach you how to clean a couch effectively!

First and most importantly, make sure you read the manufacturer’s suggestions for cleaning. Couches always come with a cleaning tag, just like your favorite clothing items. Check that label for cleaning clues. Here are some codes you’re likely to find and what they mean:

Since many tools have been developed to make carpet cleaning easier, many people wonder if they can be applied to couches. So, can you use a carpet cleaner on a couch? The answer is yes if you use a suitable attachment from your carpet cleaning device and spot-test the solution on a less visible area of your couch. Don’t forget to check the tag to confirm cleaning instructions.

Couch cleaning strategies vary, but generally speaking, you’ll want to wipe the sofa down using the appropriate cleanser. Focus on scrubbing the stained areas, then allow the area to dry completely before you assess your success at removing the stain.

How to clean a couch successfully often comes down to using the right cleaning solution on your particular couch fabric. Here are some things to consider when cleaning each type of fabric.

Learning how to clean a couch takes a little practice and patience. What works best for one fabric couch may not work well for another. So, use these tips the next time your cloth sofa requires a thorough cleaning, but be sure to adjust your technique based on the color and specific type of fabric.

When it comes to couch cleaning, rubbing alcohol can be a real lifesaver—especially when dealing with microfiber sofas. As we mentioned before, be sure to check that tag and test the solution on a small area before using it to clean the entire couch. The cleaning code “S” (for “solvent”) means rubbing alcohol is a great option.

Learning how to clean a couch properly often comes down to trial and error. For example, leather couches offer a whole list of cleaning options, as leather comes in various finishes. When determining how to clean a leather couch, keep in mind that methods may vary significantly from one couch to another.

The instructions that follow are specifically intended for cleaning protected leather, which is more common and simpler to clean than other types of leather. If you have an unprotected leather couch, consult the manufacturer for suggested cleaning methods. And in case you forgot, be sure to check that label and test cleaning products in an inconspicuous spot on the couch before attempting to clean the whole thing.

If you’ve ever wondered how to clean a suede couch, we have some tips that can help restore its original luster. Suede is a popular choice for sofas because it looks good and feels very comfortable. Unfortunately, suede material also has a reputation for being difficult to maintain. Therefore, a little extra care is required for cleaning and removing stains from your suede couch. Here are our tips for cleaning a suede couch:

If you’re curious about how to clean a couch made of velvet, patience is key. Velvet has a well-earned reputation for being high-maintenance. While velvet sofas don't require any special equipment or supplies to clean, they do require close attention and care. Velvet should be vacuumed weekly to keep it in the best condition possible. If your velvet couch requires a deeper clean, follow these steps:

How to clean couch cushions successfully depends on the material they are made of. Therefore, you’ll need to choose a cleaning method that works well on the cushion material you have. Removable cushions are a little easier to clean since you can toss them right in the washing machine, provided they are washable. If not, here are a few best practices to keep in mind when cleaning any kind of couch cushion.