How to clean a fabric sofa is not always as simple as spraying a cleaner on the fabric and wiping it off. Before attempting to clean upholstery yourself, the first question I would ask is: What are you actually trying to accomplish?
Is the entire sofa heavily soiled and in need of a complete cleaning? Are only the arms dirty from years of handling? Is there just one or two spots that need attention? Or perhaps there are black shoe marks on the front skirt?
These situations are very different, and the safest approach can be very different as well.
After more than 56 years of cleaning carpet and upholstery, I have learned that successful upholstery cleaning involves much more than simply finding a cleaning product. You have to understand the fabric, the type of soil, the cleaning solution, the amount of moisture being applied, and how that moisture will be removed.
Does Your Sofa Really Need a Complete Cleaning?
If an entire sofa is heavily soiled and needs a thorough cleaning, I would seriously question whether the average homeowner has the proper equipment, cleaning solutions and knowledge to do the job safely.
Even with more than five decades of experience, if I didn’t have the right equipment and cleaning products, I would not attempt to completely clean an upholstered sofa myself.
The equipment is important because upholstery should not simply be saturated with water or cleaning solution. The cleaning process needs to apply enough moisture to accomplish the cleaning while allowing as much of that moisture as possible to be removed afterward.
The cleaning solution is equally important. It needs to be strong enough to break down the soil, but it also needs to be appropriate for the particular fiber and fabric. The goal is to remove the soil without leaving excessive residue or exposing the upholstery to a pH that could cause damage.
A Small Touch-Up Is a Different Matter
If you’re simply trying to improve the appearance of a pair of dirty arms, or perhaps remove a small amount of general soil from an otherwise clean sofa, it may be reasonable to attempt a very light touch-up.
But even then, first determine what caused the soiling.
Common problems include:
- General dirt and soil
- Perspiration and skin oils from hands and arms
- Food and beverage spills
- Newspaper ink transfer
- Shoe marks on skirts and lower portions of furniture
General soil is often the easiest problem for a homeowner to improve. Perspiration, oils and ink transfer can be considerably more difficult because they may require different chemistry or techniques.
Before Cleaning, Identify the Fabric
Before applying any cleaning solution, determine what type of fabric you’re dealing with.
Synthetic fabrics are generally more forgiving than natural fibers, but that does not mean every synthetic fabric can be cleaned without risk.
Natural fibers such as cotton and linen require considerably more care. Excessive moisture or an inappropriate cleaning solution can create problems such as browning, shrinkage or other changes to the appearance of the fabric.
If the furniture has multiple colors, there is another concern: color bleeding.
One color can migrate into another when the fabric becomes wet.
Always Perform a Colorfastness Test
Before attempting to clean upholstery, I recommend testing the fabric in an inconspicuous area.
Ideally, use the same cleaning solution you intend to use on the upholstery. For testing purposes, I prefer making the test solution somewhat stronger than what I would actually use for cleaning — approximately 20% stronger.
Apply the solution to an area that will not normally be seen and make sure the fabric becomes sufficiently wet to represent the conditions of the intended cleaning.
Then let it dry completely.
This last part is important.
Some dye bleeding may not become obvious while the fabric is still wet. The problem can become apparent as the fabric dries.
If the test dries without a color change or bleeding, you have eliminated one potential problem. However, passing a colorfastness test does not guarantee that there are no other risks associated with cleaning the fabric.
Dark Fabrics Can Have Another Problem: Crocking
If the fabric is a dark color, I also like to consider the possibility of dye transfer from rubbing, commonly referred to in the trade as crocking.
Denim is a good example.
People generally think of denim as a very durable material. The fabric itself can certainly be durable, but the dye isn’t necessarily permanent.
Take a pair of dark blue jeans that have been worn for several months. You may notice that the knees and other high-contact areas have become noticeably lighter.
The same principle can apply to upholstered furniture made from dark denim or other fabrics containing dyes that are susceptible to transfer.
You can test this in an inconspicuous area by using a clean white cotton cloth. Dampen the cloth with water or, preferably, with the cleaning solution you intend to use. Rub the fabric several times with some pressure and examine the white cloth.
If you see the fabric’s dye transferring onto the white cloth, you have identified a potential problem.
One important point: perform this test on an area that is not soiled.
You don’t want to rub soil onto the white cloth and mistakenly interpret the soil as dye transfer.
What Happens When You Wet Upholstery?
This is one of the most important things to understand before attempting to clean a sofa.
When fabric becomes wet, the moisture doesn’t simply remain where you put it.
Some of the moisture evaporates, but moisture can also migrate sideways from wetter fibers into surrounding, drier fibers.
As that moisture moves, it can carry dissolved or suspended material with it.
This is one reason that simply spraying a stain on the middle of a seat cushion can sometimes produce an even bigger problem: a dark ring surrounding the area you were trying to clean.
That ring can potentially be caused by soil, dye or, with certain natural fibers, cellulose browning.
Why Spot Cleaning Can Create a Ring
Suppose you have a stain in the middle of a seat cushion.
If you wet only the stained area, you have created a very wet area surrounded by dry fabric.
As the cushion begins to dry, moisture can move outward from the wet area into the surrounding dry fibers.
That movement can carry soil or other materials toward the edge of the wet area.
The result can be a noticeable darker ring around the original stain.
This is one reason that professional upholstery cleaning is not simply a matter of spraying the dirty spot and wiping it with a towel.
If You Have Proper Extraction Equipment
If you have appropriate upholstery extraction equipment and are going to attempt to clean a stained area of a seat cushion, I would approach it differently.
First, I would wet the entire surface of the cushion evenly, rather than creating one isolated wet spot.
Then I would give additional attention to the stained area.
After cleaning, I would make several additional extraction passes, concentrating on removing as much moisture as possible.
The purpose of wetting the entire cushion is to reduce the extreme difference between the very wet area and the surrounding dry fabric. This can help minimize unwanted moisture migration as the cushion dries.
The extraction step is equally important. The more moisture you can properly remove, the less moisture there is available to migrate or create other drying-related problems.
Less Is Often Better When You’re Doing a Small Touch-Up
If you don’t have extraction equipment and you’re only trying to freshen up a small area, such as a dirty arm, don’t saturate the fabric.
For example, a properly diluted cleaning solution can be applied to a clean white cloth or microfiber cloth. Wring out the excess moisture so the cloth is damp rather than dripping wet, and gently wipe the surface.
Don’t keep going over the same area again and again.
You can always clean a little more tomorrow. You cannot always undo what happens when you overwet upholstery today.
Allow the fabric to dry completely and then evaluate the result.
If necessary, you can make another light pass the following day.
Natural Fibers Require Even More Care
If the upholstery contains natural cellulosic fibers such as cotton or linen, I would be considerably more cautious.
These fibers can be susceptible to browning, particularly when they are excessively wetted or exposed to an inappropriate cleaning solution.
This is one reason professional upholstery cleaners may use a higher-pH cleaning solution to break down difficult soil and then follow the cleaning process with an acidic rinse.
The cleaning solution helps accomplish the soil-removal task, while the rinse helps leave the fabric in a more appropriate acidic condition as it dries.
The exact chemistry and process depend on the fabric and the conditions of the job.
Equipment Matters More Than Many Homeowners Realize
Another important consideration is the equipment itself.
Does it apply the cleaning solution properly without excessively wetting the fabric?
More importantly, does it have enough extraction capability to remove a substantial amount of the moisture after cleaning?
A homeowner may have an excellent cleaning product, but if the fabric becomes excessively wet and there is no effective way to remove that moisture, the cleaning process can create problems rather than solve them.
Potential problems include:
- Browning
- Shrinkage
- Dye migration
- Dye transfer
- Water rings
- Excessive drying time
- Residue left behind in the fabric
So, Should You Clean Your Own Sofa?
My answer is: it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish and what you’re working with.
If you have a heavily soiled sofa that needs a complete cleaning, I would strongly recommend considering professional upholstery cleaning rather than experimenting with household products and methods.
If you have a small amount of general soil on an otherwise clean synthetic fabric, a careful light touch-up may be reasonable.
But before doing anything, take the time to:
- Identify the fabric.
- Determine what caused the soiling.
- Test for colorfastness.
- Consider the possibility of dye transfer or crocking.
- Avoid excessive moisture.
- Understand the risk of migration.
- Consider whether the equipment you have can properly extract the moisture.
The Bottom Line From Alec
The biggest mistake I see people make with upholstery cleaning is assuming that the fabric is simply something that can be made wet, scrubbed and wiped dry.
Upholstery is much more complicated than that.
The right cleaning method depends on the fiber, the dye, the construction of the furniture, the type of soil, the cleaning chemistry and the equipment being used.
Sometimes a careful homeowner can successfully improve a small area.
But when an entire sofa needs cleaning, especially when the fabric is natural, multicolored, heavily soiled or otherwise questionable, this is one job where experience, proper chemistry and professional extraction equipment can make a very big difference.
After more than 56 years in the carpet and upholstery cleaning business, that’s the approach I would recommend: understand what you’re dealing with first, and then decide how — or whether — to clean it.
Have an upholstery-cleaning question for Alec? Contact Alec’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning LLC at 781-871-1415.