What is a Fabric Sofa?
Fabric sofas are a type of sofa (or is it a couch?) that have natural fibers made from cotton, linen, wool, or silk. Alternatively, they may present synthetic fibers made from petroleum or polypropylene.
Fabric sofas are increasingly popular these days. They provide comfort, variability and come in different colors. They also match perfectly with all furniture types and light up any living room. You can even upgrade the design of your sofa with matching pillows. The couch is where you relax, watch TV or engage in never-ending conversations with your partner (and, let’s face it, sometimes some good old fights!).
Due to their heavy usage, sofas can accumulate stains and dirt from drink and food spills or dirty feet. As they also tend to be a little less expensive option than sofas that have leather upholstery, fabric sofas are harder to clean.
First of all, if you try to remove stains by simply rubbing against the fabric, chances are you’ll worsen the situation. When rubbed, stains tend to amplify and this can ruin your precious sofa.
The second method people normally use is water. We use water to clean every surface. Nevertheless, when it comes to fabric sofas, this can damage them. Because of the excess moisture, you risk damaging the cushioning, the pillars, and the sofa’s wooden frame.
By know, I think I know what you’re thinking, you still haven’t answered some important questions. How can you clean your sofa? Is it dependent on the sofa fabric? Can you clean upholstery? What should my cleaning process be? Don’t stress about it. You’ve come to the right place once more.
Before You Begin
First, know that if you don’t check the fabric type and start scrubbing away the sofa with soap and water, you can damage the fabric or the upholstered furniture. Also, if you have a fabric sofa, you already know you can’t use water. So first things first: start by reading the cleaning code on your sofa.
Sofa's Cleaning Codes 101
-
Code W: You can use water based cleaners
-
Code S: You can either use dry cleaning or water free solvent based cleaners to remove stains
-
Code W-S: You can use water-based or solvent based cleaners
-
Code X: Your only resource is the vacuum cleaner. Otherwise, you must call a professional dry cleaner. If not, you risk staining or shrinking your couch.
Now that we’ve taken the cleaning codes out of the way, and you are aware of the type of sofa you own, we will show you how to clean fabric sofa without water.
How to clean fabric sofa without water
Method 1: Vacuum or Steam Cleaner and Baking Soda Mix
The first tactic we will mention is to the clean fabric sofa with a vacuum or steam cleaner. It’s ideal to remove dirt and dust. Use the upholstery attachment and vacuum the sofa. To obtain better results you can use baking soda to absorb scents.
Materials:
Baking soda
A vacuum or steam cleaner with a fabric and brush attachment
Bristle brush
A few clean cloths
Steps:
Wipe the couch so that you remove any dust remnants (you can do this with the vacuum cleaner)
Apply baking soda (just a sprinkle!) to the stained surfaces
Scrub with a soft bristle brush
Let the baking soda rest for at least 1 hour
Clean the fabric sofa with the vacuum cleaner with the brush attachment
Wipe the remaining baking soda with a clean, dry cloth
Method 2: Dry Cleaning Solvent
Firstly, test if the dry cleaning solvent is safe to use. Spray a little bit on a damped cloth and apply to an invisible area, for example underneath a pillow. If the cloth doesn’t change color, the dry cleaning solvent is safe to use and you can apply it to the stained area.
Note: only apply this method if your sofa’s code is W or WS
Materials:
- Dry cleaning solvent
- Microfiber cloth
Steps:
- Apply the dry cleaning solvent in the stained surface
- Dampen a microfiber cloth and gently rub the area
Method 3: Vinegar
After you have dried the sofa (don’t use a blow drier), you can use vinegar to remove the stains. Better yet, add olive oil for an increased dirt removal power!
Note: only apply this method if your sofa’s code is W or WS
Materials:
Vinegar
Olive oil
Microfiber cloth
Steps:
Add equal parts vinegar and olive oil in a spray bottle and shake it.
Spray the solution on the stained surface and scrub for 5-10 minutes with a brush.
Let the surface soak the mixture.
Wipe with a clean microfiber cloth to remove the residual stubborn stains.
Method 4: Alcohol
As with the vinegar solution, firstly dry the sofa and then apply the alcohol. One advantage when using alcohol is that it has a superior cleaning power when compared to the two methods listed previously.
Note: only apply this method if your sofa’s code is W or WS
Materials:
Alcohol
Safety mask
Goggles
Clean cloth
Steps:
Add alcohol to a spray bottle.
Put on the safety mask and goggles
Spray alcohol on the stained surface. Try keeping the bottle 6-8 inches away from the entire surface.
Rub the couch fabric for five minutes or untill the stain dissapears.
Wipe the affected surface with a clean cloth
Conclusion
If you own a fabric sofa, you probably know that in spite of its great advantages, one of the main drawbacks is the difficulty to clean it. However, with this article we hope we helped you deciphre your sofa’s cleaning code and which cleaning method you should apply depending on it.
Nevertheless, we are not professional dry cleaners, so if you have further questions or your sofa has a particular specificity, call your local professional dry cleaner and don’t risk damaging your precious furniture.
If you want to know more about what we do or want to get in touch, please do! Lastly, if you like what we do, please share this poste with your family and friends!
2 thoughts on “How To Clean Fabric Sofa Without Water”
I need to try dry cleaning (method 2). Never thought about microfiber cloths to wipe the couch but it’s a great tip! Thanks!
Hope it works! Thanks for the comment, Susie!