Room Concepts

How to clean sofa stains is one of the many FAQs we hear once you’ve invested your hard-earned money into a piece of furniture. While there are some tried and true methods for cleaning your sofa at home, we share what works best on different materials. But first, here are some common questions we get about products used to clean sofa stains.

Does Vinegar Remove Couch Stains? 

Vinegar can remove stains from sofas when appropriately diluted with water. However, it can only be used on certain sofa materials, such as leather. Keep reading to learn how to clean sofa stains using vinegar.

Do Water and Baking Soda Remove Couch Stains?

A baking soda and water mixture is a common product used for removing sofa stains. But just like with vinegar, it can only be used on certain sofa materials. We cover how to clean sofa stains with baking soda in the next section.

How to Clean Sofa Stains on Different Types of Materials 

Before you clean your sofa, you’ll want to look for the manufacturer’s care tag. They’re usually located under one of the cushions and should give directions on how to handle cleaning your sofa safely. 

The care tag will be labeled with one or two letters: W, S, WS, X. “W” means only use water to clean your sofa. “S” means do not use water. Instead, you’ll need to buy a solvent-based cleanser. “WS” means water or a solvent-based cleanser can be used to clean your sofa. And “X” means you can only vacuum your sofa.

But how do you clean sofa stains when the care tag is no longer there? First, you figure out which type of fabric your sofa is made of. Then, you follow the directions under its section below.

**Disclaimer: While these are all proven options to remove stains, you will still need to follow the manufacturers recommendations on cleaning in order to ensure proper care of your furniture according to those guidelines. 

1. Fabric

To make your own stain remover for fabric sofas, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing soap, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, and 1 cup of warm water in a spray bottle. Then add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and quickly close up the bottle (or else you’ll have bubbles everywhere!). You can use this mixture to spot clean stains by spraying the sofa cleaner solution onto a towel and gently dabbing and rubbing the fabric or by using the towel to wipe down the whole sofa for an all over clean. 

2. Microfiber

Rubbing alcohol is the key ingredient when treating stains on a microfiber sofa. But you’ll want to work in sections because rubbing alcohol dries quickly. Spray an area of your sofa with rubbing alcohol and then immediately scrub it with a white or light-colored sponge. Otherwise, the color of the sponge will transfer to the sofa and you’ll have another stain to work out! Once your sofa is dry, use a dry stiff brush in a circular motion to fluff the fabric. 

3. Leather

Figuring out how to clean sofa stains when your couch is leather can be a bit tricky because of the different finishes available. The most common type of leather used for couches is protected leather, and this is the type of leather we’ll focus on today.

Create your cleaning solution by mixing equal parts water and white vinegar. Dip a clean microfiber cloth into the solution to dampen it. Wipe the sofa with the damp cloth, rinsing the cloth often. Dry the sofa with a microfiber cloth. 

What Stains Cannot be Removed From a Sofa? 

No matter how much you try, there are some stains that just can’t be removed. Some of the hardest stains to remove include water marks, chocolate, bodily fluids, tomato sauce, and red wine. 

1. Water Marks

If you have water marks on your sofa, then you’re probably dealing with more than just the stress of this stain as they’re often caused by flooding or a leaking air conditioner and water being left on the fabric for too long. To try and minimize the damage, dry the water as quickly as possible using towels, fans, or opening the windows. 

If you weren’t able to stop a water mark from forming, you can blot the area with a clean, damp cloth dipped in a mixture of mild detergent that is safe for your sofa’s material and warm water. Continue blotting the area until the stain can no longer be lightened or removed. Immediately dry the area with a fan or hair dryer on cool.

2. Chocolate

You may use chocolate to cure your stress, but if it gets on your sofa, all it does is cause you stress. The color of chocolate makes it easy to stain lighter-colored fabric, and because it’s a mixture of protein, fat, and sugar, it can’t always be removed using water.

You can attempt to remove a chocolate stain by using a stain detergent (if it’s safe for your sofa fabric), and then washing the area with the appropriate sofa cleaner solution. 

3. Bodily Fluids

Whether you have kids or not, there’s a good chance your sofa will come into contact with bodily fluids at some point, such as blood. 

To clean blood stains, remove the fresh blood with a clean cloth and cold water. Then, if safe for the fabric of your sofa, use a stain remover that is enzyme-based or use baking soda to help remove the stain. 

4. Tomato Sauce

Almost all of us have fallen victim to tomato sauce staining our shirt, which is so difficult to remove because of the oil and grease in the sauce. 

While you’re supposed to immediately soak a tomato sauce stain in cool water, this isn’t really an option with a stain on your sofa. Instead, attempt to remove as much of the sauce as you can by dabbing the area with a clean cloth and cool water. Then spot treat the stain with a mixture of cool water and a tablespoon of white vinegar. Wipe with hot water and a rag and allow to dry. 

5. Red Wine

Red wine is a troublesome stain when the spill isn’t cleaned up immediately. With a red wine spill, you want to dab as much of the excess liquid up as possible. Do not rub. Hopefully you also have some white wine on hand, as you can then use this to spot clean the area. 

If the white wine does not remove all of the stain, apply a paste made of baking soda and water and let it dry overnight. Vacuum the sofa thoroughly the next day.

If your sofa is stained with any or multiple of these hard to remove (and yes, sometimes impossible) stains, it might just be time to consider getting a sofa cover, or go sofa shopping again depending on how bad the stains are. If your kids are still young or you have pets or accident-prone loved ones, you may want to consider a leather or fabric sofa. While both are popular materials for a sofa, you’ll want to compare leather vs fabric to decide which material is best for your home. Room Concepts offers customizable sectionals and customizable sofa options in both leather and fabric. 

Room Concepts provides high quality, customizable living room furniture to fit your lifestyle and space, with many configurable options and customized designs to meet your needs. Our Furniture Design experts are happy to help you create the perfect piece to add value and comfort to your home. Get in touch with our team today or stop into one of our Pittsburgh area showrooms in Whitehall or Wexford, PA.