How to Spot Clean Upholstery Stains
Blog Header Image

upholstery stains

Stains on upholstery are never a good site and are often unpleasant.  It is imperative that all furniture, carpets and rugs stay spotlessly clean to feel good in a house.  This calls for a speedy removal, as well as prevention of the stains reaching the upholstery.

Staining can happen as a result of accidents, such as food and drink spillages. But when they do occur, it is imperative that they are dealt with as soon as possible. If you are careful around your furniture, you will not have to worry about dealing with furniture cleaning all the time, but being careful isn’t always easy.  For those times that you do need to spot need cleaning your upholstery, here are a few tips for you-:

Start with the vacuum

It is important to vacuum your upholstery on a regular basis so that you stop dust, dirt, and crumbs from settling into the furniture. For old stains or spots on the upholstery, most people don’t just realize how using the vacuum can be an effective way to remove the stains. With the vacuum, the stains can fade away quickly, which makes it the ideal first approach for the treatment of stains. It is only when the stain doesn’t come out after vacuuming that you should employ other tactics.

Check the tag for cleaning instructions

Vacuuming will basically work for most of the upholstery, but when it fails and you resort to using other methods for upholstery cleaning in Tampa, you want to be sure that you are using the correct methods - and a simple way of doing this is to read the upholstery tag for cleaning instructions. The tags will always contain instructions on how you can best deal with spot stains on the upholstery. In some cases, simple cleaning with water and mild detergent may be recommended to remove stains,  for which stronger detergents may end up damaging the fabric.

If you check the furniture and you see that it doesn’t have a cleaning code – which is very common for antique and vintage pieces of furniture, you should do a spot test on a hidden section of the upholstery and see if there are any bad reactions. Simply take vinegar, water, and vodka and test them on a hidden piece of the upholstery and wait for a reaction. If nothing happens, then the upholstery can handle the stronger detergents, but if it reacts, then you should not contemplate using stronger detergents because they will end up damaging the upholstery.

Try using some steam

If your furniture or leather couch cleaning is possible with water, then you should try hitting the stain with some steam to try and loosen it up so it is receptive to subsequent cleaning. It may not be easy to drag in a big steamer to deal with a small area, which makes the steam button on an iron an ideal alternative solution to get the job done. It is precise and if the stain can respond to the steam, removing it will be easier and you will also preserve the integrity of the upholstery.

The mild approach

If the spot can’t be removed with a vacuum, and you have also tried steam, the next option is to try a mild treatment. If it is possible to clean the furniture with water, make a solution of soap and cool water, and then use a sponge to blot the stain with mixture. Be careful not to rub hard on the stain since this may weaken the fabric. The next step is for you to rinse the sponge and then use clean water to blot it clean.  Use a dry piece of cloth or paper towel to press against the spot for it to be dried.

If it is not possible to clean your furniture with water, then you may need vodka or vinegar to blot the stain. You don’t have to worry about the smell of the vodka or vinegar, since it will slowly disappear once the spot is dry.

The aggressive approach

The aggressive approach will forcefully break the stains down when gentle cleaning fails. You will need a slightly stronger detergent and it is imperative to spot test on a hidden piece of  fabric to ensure that it will not react and damage the furniture. Once you have the cleaning solution mixed properly, you will follow the same approach as the gentle cleaning, only that you may have to do some rubbing or scrubbing on the stubborn stains. Once they are removed, all you have to do is rinse the spot and dab with a dry piece of cloth or paper towels to make it dry faster.

Rinse and repeat for stubborn stains

If you were unable to remove the stain through the above approaches, then you must be dealing with a very stubborn stain. Though tiring and probably irritating, you will have to go on with the cleaning until the stain finally comes out. Simply rinse and repeat the process above until the stain is finally out.


BACK TO BLOGS