How to Clean Your Couch (All Common Materials)

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You spend a lot of time on your couch. After getting home from work, you want to be able to put your feet up and relax.

Sometimes you might even eat meals while sitting on your couch. Your pets might get on the couch with you while you’re lounging in the evening.

All of these things can cause your couch to get dirty over time. You’re going to need to clean it every so often to keep it in good shape.

Below, you’ll learn everything you need to know so you can get the best results.

How to Clean a Leather Couch

Cleaning a leather couch regularly can help to keep it in great shape. You can easily clean these couches every six months to one year and get good results.

Of course, you’ll need to clean them more often if they get very dirty. Sometimes spills will happen, or other things will occur that will make the couch dirty.

Thankfully, cleaning leather couches isn’t as hard as you might think. Typically, cleaning a leather couch will just involve using a few cleaning materials and a vacuum.

Whenever you clean the leather couch, it’s recommended to start by vacuuming it. This removes any debris, crumbs, and other things that might be in the way.

You can then dust the couch if necessary and take the cushions off (if they’re removable) to make things easier. Next, you want to clean the couch using a bit of warm water and dish soap.

Mix warm water and dish soap together in a bucket. Dip a cleaning cloth in the bucket and then wring it out.

You then just clean the couch gently by dabbing it. This can help to remove any stains that are present on the couch.

If you have any grease stains, those can be removed with baking soda. When you’re done, dry the couch using a dry cloth.

Apply leather cleaner to the couch to protect it. Often, people buy leather cleaners that double as leather conditioners.

You spray the cleaner on a cloth and then apply it to the couch using the cloth. Gently wipe the couch with the cloth.

Let the leather dry for an hour once you’re finished. This is how you should approach cleaning a leather couch each time.

How to Clean a Leather Couch Naturally

You can use natural products to clean leather couches as well. Instead of using dish soap, you can use two parts white vinegar and one part olive oil.

Mix this together in a bottle and then use it as a cleaning spray. The same principles that you learned about above apply when you’re cleaning a leather couch naturally.

You’re just avoiding using commercial products that contain chemicals. Always use soft cloths when cleaning leather couches and be careful not to damage anything.

Can I Use Shoe Polish On a Leather Couch?

No, shoe polish shouldn’t be used on leather couches. You might think that it’d be safe since you use the polish on leather shoes, but this isn’t the case.

The leather that’s used for couches and other types of furniture is different from the leather that’s used for shoes. The tanning process is different and thus the polish won’t work properly for upholstery leather.

Never use shoe polish on leather couches. You need to use a leather cleaner and leather conditioner that is meant for upholstery.

How to Clean a Fabric Couch

Cleaning a fabric couch is very straightforward. You just need to use standard cleaning methods to get the couch clean.

These couches are less sensitive than most other types of couches. Even so, it’s best to check the tag on the sofa so you can follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

This is true no matter what type of couch you own. You always want to err on the side of caution.

Some couches can’t be treated with water-based cleaners, while others can. You need to refer to the information about your specific couch to know what’s safe.

Generally, you’ll start cleaning a fabric couch by brushing it or vacuuming it. You want to remove dry debris and make sure that it’s ready to be scrubbed.

When this is finished, you can sprinkle baking soda on the couch to remove odors. This is excellent for getting rid of pet stains.

Let the baking soda sit for fifteen minutes, and then vacuum it up. When you’re ready, you can use a cleaning solution on the couch to clean it the rest of the way.

Use a cleaning cloth and whatever cleaning mixture is safe for your couch. Many fabric couches are safe to be cleaned using water-based cleaning solutions, but you need to check first.

Wipe the couch down and then dry it with a dry cloth. Your couch can air dry overnight, so it’ll be nice and fresh in the morning.

How to Clean a Microfiber Couch

Microfiber couches are cleaned in a very similar fashion to the fabric couches mentioned above. You want to start by vacuuming the couch to get rid of crumbs and other debris.

Next, mix up a cleaning solution that you can use on the couch. As always, you need to check to see what types of cleaning solutions are appropriate for the couch that you own.

It’s common for people to use warm water and dish soap to clean microfiber couches. This cleaning mixture can work well and should be safe for most microfiber couches.

Dip a scrubbing brush in the cleaning mixture, and then start scrubbing your couch. Be sure to get the entire couch so you can clean it as thoroughly as possible.

After you’re done, rinse the couch with a damp cloth and then pat it dry with a dry cloth. It’ll then take some time for the fabric to air dry.

How to Clean a Microfiber Couch with Vinegar

Vinegar is another cleaning option for microfiber couches. Cleaning microfiber couches with vinegar will be just as simple as using dish soap.

You should check to make sure that vinegar is safe first. Test it on a hidden portion of the couch to ensure that it doesn’t negatively impact the couch in any way.

You can mix vinegar and some warm water together in a bottle. Equal parts white vinegar and water will do the trick.

Apply the vinegar mixture to a scrub brush and then scrub your couch. The cleaning process is the same as mentioned above, except you’ll use vinegar instead of dish soap.

How to Clean a Suede Couch

Suede couches are a little bit different. You might already know that suede couches are very susceptible to water damage.

So you have to be very careful how you approach cleaning these couches. It’s best to vacuum suede couches regularly to keep things safe.

You can easily vacuum the couch weekly to remove crumbs and other types of debris. If any stains appear on the couch, you’ll want to act fast to clean them up.

What cleaning product you use will depend on what your couch can handle. You need to be careful to check the sofa tag to see what you can and cannot do.

Some people even choose to have professionals come and clean their suede couches for them. This can get pricey, and it might not be something you want to do unless absolutely necessary.

How to Clean a Suede Couch with Vinegar

Vinegar is a common cleaning solution that people use to clean suede couches. It can be very helpful, and it works for many types of suede couches.

White vinegar can help you to remove stains. You can apply a few drops of white vinegar and warm water to stained areas of the sofa using a sponge.

Dab the area with the sponge, and you should be able to remove many types of stains. White vinegar will likely be an invaluable cleaning tool when you own a suede couch.

How to Clean a Suede Couch with Household Products

Not all suede couches can be cleaned with household products. Some cleaning products are far too harsh for these couches.

It all depends on what the sofa tag says. You need to figure out the information on the sofa tag to see what you can and cannot do.

Once you’ve determined what your couch can handle, it’ll be easy to proceed. Generally, you want to apply cleaners to rags, sponges, or microfiber cloths.

Then you dab the couch to clean it rather than rubbing the couch. These couches are a bit sensitive and might not be as easy to clean as you’d like.

How to Clean a Velvet Couch

To clean a velvet couch, start by vacuuming it to get rid of dry debris. When this is done, you’re going to want to steam clean the couch.

People generally steam-clean velvet furniture every so often. Velvet is known to become compressed over time, but steam cleaning can help to make it look nice and normal.

You can easily use a handheld steam cleaner to get the job done. If you own a velvet couch, it’s wise to have one of the cleaners that you can use regularly.

Use the lowest heat setting whenever you do this to be safe. You don’t want to allow the steamer to linger in one spot for too long either.

Some people choose to use a stiff lint brush on the couch as they steam it. You should be able to keep your velvet couch looking very presentable so long as you steam clean it semi-regularly.

How to Clean a Polyester Couch

Cleaning a polyester couch is very straightforward. As usual, you start by either brushing the couch off or vacuuming it to remove debris.

After this, you’ll want to use a damp sponge to start cleaning the couch. Wipe the couch thoroughly without over-saturating it.

You may need to use dish soap to remove stains. Polyester couches don’t stain easily, though.

Treat stained areas with a bit of warm water and dish soap. Try to dab the stain out of the couch, and you should get good results.

These couches are durable, and they clean up nicely. You won’t have a hard time cleaning a polyester couch if you own one.

How to Clean a Microsuede Couch

Cleaning a microsuede couch is a little different than cleaning a normal suede couch. You already learned that suede couches are fairly sensitive.

Microsuede couches are less problematic. You can vacuum them to remove loose debris and dirt before scrubbing the couch with a bit of soapy water.

People commonly use cleaning mixtures that contain warm water and dish soap to clean these couches. It’s also normal to use white vinegar for added cleaning power.

You want to scrub the couch using a brush. Scrub thoroughly and then rinse the couch with a damp microfiber cleaning cloth.

If there are any stubborn stains, those can be removed using baking soda. Baking soda and water can make a paste that will effectively remove most stains from these couches.

Rub the stain in a circular motion until you can remove it completely. It’s nice that cleaning a microsuede couch is easier than cleaning a normal suede couch.

If you like the look of suede, you might want to go with a microsuede couch instead. It’ll be much simpler to handle.

How Do You Deep Clean a Couch?

Deep cleaning a couch is simply about cleaning it as thoroughly as you can. Sometimes you might just spot clean the couch by vacuuming it, but you will choose to do a deeper cleaning several times per year.

To deep clean the couch, you’ll want to use some type of cleaner to scrub it. You’ve already learned about how many different types of couches can be cleaned with different cleaning methods.

The exact method that you’ll use to clean the couch will depend on the couch that you have. Some couches can be deep cleaned using water-based cleaners, while others can’t.

Whenever you deep clean a couch you want to remove any stains that you find. Sometimes people steam clean couches as well when they want to get them incredibly clean.

How to Clean a Couch with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Using baking soda and vinegar on your couch will usually work out well. Many types of couches can be cleaned using these common cleaning materials.

Vinegar is often used as a part of a cleaning mixture. You can combine vinegar with warm water to create a powerful cleaner.

Of course, you need to make sure that using vinegar on your couch is safe first. If it is, you can use a cloth to apply the mixture to the couch and clean it off.

Baking soda is also sometimes used as a cleaning agent. You can use warm water and baking soda as a special paste to remove stains on some types of couches.

Also, baking soda can be used to remove odors from couches. It’s common for people to sprinkle baking soda on couches to remove pet odors and other smells.

After sprinkling the baking soda, you simply vacuum it up. Let it sit for fifteen to twenty minutes before removing it from the couch.

Can You Use Carpet Cleaner On a Couch?

It’s common for people to use carpet cleaner on couches. A carpet cleaner can be used to freshen up a couch and make it smell nice.

Of course, not all couches are compatible with carpet cleaners. So you need to check the manufacturer’s information before proceeding.

People usually sprinkle the carpet cleaner on the couch and let it sit for a while before vacuuming it up. It can be used in a similar fashion to baking soda.

Can You Steam Clean a Couch?

Yes, you can steam clean couches, and it’s normal to do so. Not all couches can be steam cleaned, but some of them can.

Earlier, you learned that velvet couches need to be steam cleaned every so often. So this all depends on the type of couch that you own.

Many types of fabric couches can benefit from being steam cleaned. Just look up manufacturer information about your couch before moving forward.

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