How To Clean Your Couch So It Looks New Again
This post is all about How You Can Clean Your Couch So It Looks New Again. We recently moved into bigger place and I wanted a fresh start, so I kinda got rid of most everything.
By that I mean most of our furniture. if you’re looking for how to make your fabric couch look new again, then you’ve come to the right place! Let’s get right to it.
You see, our daughter and her husband have this business where they find pieces of furniture for sale for cheap or free, or even things other people have thrown out. Then they clean them up, fix them and then list them on Offerup or Craigslist to resell them.
So, I thought I would have her sell my old stuff and let her use that to get me new stuff.
Well the first thing was a couch. She found this sectional with recliners built in and drink holders, really nice for watching the game with the family or a movie. Then she brought it to my house to “work on it”, because she was out of room at her house. It. was. a-w-f-u-l!
I was in complete shock – I wanted it gone the second I saw it.
I don’t know what these people did but, it looked like their kids lived on it, ate on it, and everything. The couch had food spills, food crumbs, and tough stains all over.
One thing she never messes with, though, is furniture from a home that has pets or smokers, the last thing I want is a couch covered in pet hair, pet stains, pet dander, and cigarette smoke. So, at least it had THAT going for it, but not much else!
So, she got right to work on a very thorough cleaning.
For the first step, she cleaned the entire sofa. It looks great! For the next step, she repaired the leather couch fabric in several places, added foam to the seats – some couch cushions were completely missing foam, sewed up some of the areas that had come undone, and I was shocked!
Plus – there was only 1 timeout issued!
She used a Rug Doctor. Top tip: make sure you get one with a brush attachment or upholstery attachment (you rent get one at pretty much any grocery store ). She used a homemade solution of hot water and alcohol to start the cleaning process.
You may want to use a vacuum cleaner before this step. Don’t forget to vacuum under the cushion covers. If the crumbs aren’t bad or pet owners didn’t let the animals on the couch, you can use a lint roller. Alternatively, if there is a lot of pet hair but you don’t want to carry around a bulky vac, use a handheld vacuum with a pet tool for best results.
Here’s her homemade solution: 1 part alcohol to 2 parts water (easy, huh?). Always color test anything before you try and clean it, you can do this with a spot test on a small area. The solution may react differently depending on the type of fabric that its used on.
She scrubbed the arms and footrests in a circular motion with a plastic bristle scrub brush she got at a dollar store. A stiff brush works the best. She uses this method for microfiber and microsuede couches.
You can see her trick for How To Remove Water Stains From A Wood Table Easily <— here.
For Chenille couches, she uses less alcohol. The best way to repair this type of upholstery is to use Dritz Fray Check around the tear, let it dry and then stitch it on the Fray Check otherwise, it just continues to unravel.
If you have some grease, body oils, or oil stains on the couch, the easiest way to get rid of them is to add 1-2 drops of mild dish soap. She prefers Dawn dishwashing liquid (you can make many homemade solutions with Dawn) with alcohol and hot water as a cleaning solution. You can use this upholstery cleaner on a regular basis or just for spot cleaning any stained area to get rid of any future stains you may encounter.
I couldn’t believe my own eyes, and when I show people the before picture, they can’t believe it, either! The entire couch looks brand new.
Then she found me this great rug to go with it! My living room never looked better.
All in all it cost me a total of $75 for the rug and sectional – but, it didn’t cost me anything really because she sold my other stuff to pay for this.
Amber says
Amazing timing with this post – we recently bought a couch on a yard sale site and it is in desperate need of a cleaning. It is microfiber. Do you happen to know the ratio of alcohol to water that she uses?
Dian says
Amber,
She said the cleaner she uses will allow her to fit in 2 1/2 gallons of water and 1 large bottle of alcohol. I am so happy that this info will be useful for you!
Good Luck!
Dian
lisa says
Hi Dian!
Wow! Your daughter did an awesome job on that sectional couch!
It also looks very similar to the one we have on our home. I do have a question for you.
I’ve noticed some small (inch or inch & a half) straight tears in the microfiber, on the seat area, made either from our dogs or the rivets on jeans. My question is how do I repair these without it looking so obvious? Your help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Lisa
Dian says
Lisa,
She said the best way to repair it is use Dritz Fray Check around the tear, let it dry completely and then stitch it on the Fray Check. Be sure not to put the needle through anywhere other than the fabric treated with the Fray Check.
She also said you can put small pieces of microfiber under the tears and put a dot or two f quick hold fabric glue and that will help it look better than stitching sometimes.
If you sew it make sure to use really thin thread that you can get from the dollar stores’ sewing kits, finally she said throw pillows work well, too! lol
And… (she keeps texting me…)
“The best place to get the microfiber is under the dust cover on the bottom of the couch. That way you know the color will match. There’s always about 2 inches extra that they have stapled to the frame. Just cut a few strips on the other side of the frame and staples, then you can use a regular paper stapler to reattach the dust cover that you detached to get to it. I usually take out about 4-5 staples to reach in to cut the pieces I need.
Most look like that and the extra can be used for patches and stuff.”
I hope that helps!
Dian
chelsea p says
Hello! Just gotta say i love this! And her ideas! Wish i could have the time to do this! Very frugal!
Could u ask what she would do for light tan colored microfiber? I have one i purchased cheap off a friend that needs cleaned something fierce. But ive tried using even just alcohol and it leaves a water ring after it dries.. what do i do!?! Help please
Dian says
Chelsea,
Here’s what she said:
“I know exactly what you mean, I do that color all the time. It is a little harder to do, not as forgiving….if it leaves a water ring that means there is so much dirty stuff in the material it needs to be sucked out with a Rug Doctor type machine (rental). You should pretreat the bad areas by spraying the solution that is in the Rug Doctor (water and alcohol) on 1 cushion then scrub it like crazy. Then go over it with the Rug Doctor to suck out all the gross stuff, you would still spray the solution as you go over sucking out the stuff. The trick is to not let it dry before you go over it…. then repeat cushion by cushion or a couple at a time. Once you have done the whole thing you should be able to treat the few spots that may be left after it dries with the alcohol and a rag/scrub brush.
Also check your sofa cushions. …. a lot of people don’t realize that the cushion covers on most couches have a zipper so they can be removed. If that’s the case, unzip them take them off and throw them in your washer wash in hot water with 1 bottle of alcohol for microfiber, use cold water and alcohol if its Chenille. Just DO NOT put them in your dryer, hang them up to dry. I just zip them around a hanger and put them in my closet and they dry in about 3-4 hrs. Or if you’re impatient like me, put a fan in there too, and they will be dry in about 2 hrs.
Wash what can be washed in the washer and use a Rug Doctor on the rest, like the arms.
I know it sounds time consuming, but, I finish an entire sectional in less than an hour with scrubbing each cushion and the steam cleaning part, so it really doesn’t take that long.”
I hope that helps!
Dian
Elizabeth says
My children have had a few accidents of the bodily fluid type…lol Will this work on it too? We have a dark brown microfiber. Otherwise, I’m afraid it’s off to the dump. Thank you.
Dian says
Elizabeth,
She has cleaned bunches of microfiber couches with all sorts of stains and it works for all of them!
Good luck!
Dian
Elizabeth says
Thanks Dian!
Dian says
Elizabeth,
You’re very welcome! Let me know how it works! I hope it comes out as well as mine did!
Dian
kelsey says
That’s awesome, I have an other type question, does she have a home remedy also for getting set in red stains (juice) out of carpet? My carpet is beige.
Dian says
Kelsey,
She said: “91% alcohol and something like a steam cleaner to suck it back out, you can’t just dab it away. Oh, and don’t dilute the alcohol, add 2-3 drops of Dawn”
I hope that helps!
Thanks,
Dian
Donna Weber says
I have a greenish couch, I think microsuede, and it has a couple of dog accidents that soaked in. Any recommendations for cleaning this and removing the odors? It is a sectional.
Dian says
Donna,
You would clean it the same way as described in the post. Being sure to use a steam cleaner, and spray all of the wood and everything under the couch with alcohol to make sure to get the smell out.
I hope that helps!
Dian
Denise says
Hello, I have a tan micro fiber couch and some hot wax got spilt on the arm. Is there anything to get it out?
Dian says
Denise,
Yes, this seems to work for us:
Pick off as much of the wax as possible with a dull knife, then Fold a paper towel in fourths and lay it over the wax spill.
Place a warm iron over the paper towel (with the steam feature off) and move it in small circles for approximately 10 seconds.
The wax should transfer to the paper towel.
Use a clean paper towel for each application and continue until you have removed as much wax as possible.
You will know you cannot get any more when the wax stops transferring.
Then clean the area with alcohol, be sure to keep the iron on a medium setting not high.
I hope that helps!
Dian
Rhonda says
That looks great! Thanks for the tips…
Dian says
Rhonda,
You’re very welcome!
Dian
Connie says
I have a sectional that’s only about two years old it’s still clean. My problem is that the micro suede where the cushion meets in the back the seam has come apart. I can’t remove cushion it’s made onto couch. The piece the suede is sewed to is like silky material. I tried to sew it but it won’t hold on the silky material. Help!!!
Dian says
Connie,
You use Fray Check on the silky material and let it dry completely then sew it back in.
Put a wide line of the fray check on and sew it in the middle of the line so it will hold.
I hope that helps!
Dian
Cindy says
Anyway to get rid of the smell of cigarettes? I have a recliner that was brought in that smells. It is microsuede
Dian says
Cindy,
Baking soda and water. The thing with cigarette and pet odor is that it is not just in the material but also in the wood frame of the furniture. It also soaks up the smell. Just spraying the material, most of the time, is not sufficient.
With a recliner it’s a little easier because you can recline it and get to some of the wood and spray it, too.
If it has a cover underneath, you should cut it off and spray all of that too for the best results.
I put about 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda in a spray bottle and fill it up with water. You can’t really use too much baking soda. When it dries vacuum off any excess. Shake the spray bottle periodically as your spraying so the baking soda doesn’t stay in the bottom of the bottle.
I hope that helps!
Dian
Mel says
The springs on my couch are in bad shape, how do I go about fixing
Dian says
Mel,
If the springs are in the cushions you would need to replace the cushions.
If the springs are in the couch, under the cushions you can get a piece of plywood cut to fit the length and width of your couch and put it directly under the cushions.
If you want it firm get a thicker piece of plywood, if you don’t want it firm but where it has a little give you would get a thinner piece of plywood. That’s the easiest way to do it.
The hard way is to flip the couch over, take the dust lining off the bottom, and put the spring back in place. Just do it very CAREFULLY, they are strong and have almost hit my eye on several occasions. so plywood is my suggestion.
I hope that helps!
Dian
dimmie warden says
will try this on my carpets
Monica says
What did she use to repair the leather portion? I have the same type of sofas & would like to repair some wear & tear as they are still good otherwise. Definitely going to try this info to clean them, thank you.
Dian says
Monica,
What kind of leather is it? Real or Faux?
Dian
Monica says
I believe it’s faux
Brenda says
I have white leather furniture the cats have scratched it how do u fix it
Dian says
Brenda,
Is it real leather?
Dian
Shell says
I have this same couch in the family room…. I and recently I noticed the leather is tore on the feet and bottom by the arm. How did she repair hers? I’m at my wits it’s only a year old
Dian says
Shell,
Sorry I missed this question! She said:
“Leather paint with a leather clear gloss top coat. Leather Studio: http://amzn.to/1MAiDzi is a great brand to use. You can mix colors to get the right one to match the leather if need be. If it’s torn, sew it back together then paint over it with color if it need it if not just t a few coats of the clear coat to help protect it.”
I hope that helps!
Thanks!
Dian
Linda says
Such a beautiful transformation. I assume the seats were removable for re-stuffing, but how about the backs. How would you get inside those to add more foam/stuffing? Also does the alcohol cleaning solution kill bed bugs? I’m always so afraid of taking other peoples fabric furniture for fear of bringing bed bugs into my home. Thanks!
Dian says
Linda,
My DD said:
The cushions are not removable, however almost all cushions that are stationary still have a zipper along the back of them if they are seat cushions. On the back pillows it should be underneath the cushion along the bottom where it meets the seat cushion.
Alcohol itself is supposed to kill bed bugs. Although I have never had an issue with that thankfully. I do know of some signs that a piece has bed bugs though. One major sign is bed bugs leave these little brown spots on things. They look like someone dipped their hand in coffee and then flung their fingers out as to splash it onto something (like my kids do tpo one another after they have washed their hands). That’s the best why to describe it. There are also several products on the market for bed bugs – sprays and bombs mostly. Honestly, if you ever happen to get a piece of furniture and find out after the fact there is bed bugs in it just take the loss and haul it out to the trash. It’s not worth the headache and extra money to try and get rid of them, it’s very hard. I would compare it to getting rid of lice. Bedbugs are very, very fast so if they were in a piece you purchase chances are you would not know right away. Always unzip cushion covers and look in between the cushions. I have even flipped couches over upside down before purchasing. That’s where the real dirt and grime is (the dust ruffle). You would be shocked at what I have found under the dust ruffles of furniture, anything from gold jewelry to mice droppings, yes, mice dropping – shocking to me – you would think someone would disclose they had a mouse problem but I guess not. Those pieces I just walk away from, not worth it. I have just done a lot of research on bed bugs thru google. so if you’re looking to purchase used furniture I would do that so you know exactly what they look like at different stages/ages. Other things I have experienced before is furniture with fleas….which is why we only prefer to buy from pet free homes. Just something else to be aware of when purchasing from a pet friendly home.
Having said all of that, I have been doing this for 4 yrs now and only 1 time found a piece with bed bugs and it never even made it into my truck because those brown spots were on it so I new immediately. Fleas I have experienced 3 times and mice droppings 4 times. Last month I bought and sold more than 40 pieces of used furniture mostly living room furniture (sectionals and couches). So in general you should be fine.
Having said all of that as long as you are smart and ask the right questions before, then I like to ask again face to face (a little easier to tell who’s fudging the truth a bit) then you should be fine purchasing used furniture.
I hope that helps,
Dian