Lyndsey Day 6 of “A 30 Day Guide to Spring Cleaning“.
I know sometimes you look at your furniture and it just isn’t what it used to be. It looks dirty, dingy, tired and worn out… wait are we talking about furniture still? Anyways… fight off those impulses to just get new furniture, and clean it up for a wonderful refresh!
Once of the hardest pieces of furniture to clean is a couch, or really any upholstered furniture. I wanted to spend a little time focusing on how to best clean your couch, because this can be a daunting task if you aren’t sure the best way to do it.
Remember to always check your furniture tags to determine the recommended cleaning suggestions for your particular piece of furniture. My post today will cover the different types of cleaning codes, and what they mean, as well as a dive into cleaning a water/solvent friendly couch.
What to clean:
- Couch/Sofa
- Loveseats
- Chairs
- Table and chairs
- Mainly household furniture
- Throw pillows/covers
- Throw blankets
- Furniture pads/covers
Remember to check your furniture cleaning codes!!!
What the different upholstery cleaning codes mean:
- W – wet (water only)
- S – solvent (solvent only, no water, dry clean only)
- WS – wet and solvent (wet cleaning and/or solvent cleaning)
- X – (vacuum only, cannot accept wet or solvent cleaning)
Supplies needed for WS cleaning:
- Recommended: Bissel carpet scrubber with upholstery attachment, Bissel cleaning solution, Shark Vacuum
- These are three of my favorite products! Bissel Carpet Cleaner ‘paid link’, Bissel Cleaning Solution, Shark Rotator Vacuum.
- The Bissel carpet cleaner and Shark vacuum are the two best cleaners I have ever had! Don’t worry if you don’t have pets, you will still love both of these!
- Alternative: Any carpet cleaner or solution with upholstery attachments, or an upholstery spray cleaner and cloth.
Cleaning Your Couch
Step 1: First thing is first, let’s clean off the couch! Get anything off the couch that is currently sitting on it, this would include pillows and blankets. While you have these removed, now is great time to throw them in the wash. Most throw pillows now come with pillow covers, you can find the zipper, unzip them, and throw the covers right in the wash! Be sure to read any washing instructions provided, and don’t shrink your pillow covers!
Getting these in the wash right away will allow you to wash and dry them while they need to be removed from your furniture.
Step 2: Vacuum out your couch!! My Shark vacuum has a lot of very neat attachments that make this part super easy. Unfortunately, my couches cushions do not come off, but if yours do, take them off! Also, if they do come off, you might have the ability to just throw your cushion covers in the wash and call it a day!
The two attachments I use for cleaning my couch are the power fin roller attachment, and the longer thin crevice attachment. I use the power fin roller (you can also use a brush attachment) to clean the larger surfaces of the couch, and the crevice attachment to clean in between the cushions, and down into the back of the couch behind the cushions. Make sure to vacuum as well as you can to avoid dealing with a mess during the wet cleaning!
Not to go on and on, but another thing that I LOVE about this vacuum is the fact that the tank lifts away from the base to be lighter and more compact for non-floor cleaning. Additionally, there are multiple areas where the hose disconnects to give you easier access to using the hose and longer reaches for harder to get to areas.
Step 3: Prepare your carpet cleaner for use on upholstery. Be sure to follow the intended mix and use instructions of whichever upholstery cleaner you choose to use, and whichever cleaner you have selected. For the Bissell carpet cleaner and cleaning solution that I have selected, the instructions are very simple. The hose upholstery attachment simply clips into the front of the carpet cleaner, and has a choice of heads to attach (you will need to use the upholstery head and not the “clean shot” head. The tank has a water fill line and solution fill line for the cleaning level you have selected (I prefer to use the deep clean selection).
Once you have prepared your solution and attached your upholstery attachment, you will clean the couch using back and forth patters to be sure you have cleaned all areas of the couch.
Focus areas:
- Arms of couch
- Heavily used sections
- Headrest area
Be sure to pay close attention to the focus areas, and be sure to scrub them well. Slowly pull back over the areas that you have scrubbed to allow for the water to be sucked up appropriately (please follow the specific instructions on the cleaner you have chosen).
Step 4: Once you have completed scrub cleaning your couch, be sure not to sit on it until completely dry. This takes about 4 hours or a little more for my couch.
Step 5: Enjoy your amazingly fresh smelling and feeling couch! (And take your rental cleaner back if you rented one!)
This doesn’t have to apply just to your couch, this is true for any WS coded upholstered furniture.
Cleaning Furniture with Alternate Cleaning Codes
W – Wet
This code means you can only use water. My recommendation would be to use the envirocloth with water. This cloth is great at pulling stains, oils, and dirt out of furniture with just water! You can wipe down your whole piece of furniture, or you can spot treat as you wish. I have included an image of using this envirocloth prior to scrubbing my couch.
S – Solvent
This type of furniture will only accept solvent cleaning, and water cannot be used. This type of cleaning is often referred to as “dry cleaning”. When cleaning this type of furniture, you will want to select an upholstery solvent cleaner such as this Upholstery Solvent Cleaner ‘paid link’, and test it in an inconspicuous area of your couch to be sure the solvent you have selected does not change the appearance. You will want to do this in a well ventilated area, and follow the specific instructions provided with the solvent you have selected. Be sure, once you have completed this cleaning, that you vacuum very well to clear any residue left over.
X – Vacuum Only
This type of furniture cannot be cleaned with water or solvents. This is definitely something you would want to look out for when shopping for new furniture, as if this specific furniture gets dirty or marked up, the only option would be to replace it entirely.
Leather Furniture
Leather furniture can be wiped clean with an envirocloth and water for regular cleaning. To best care for your leather furniture, you will want to use a specified leather cleaner and conditioner, my recommendation is found here Leather Cleaner and Conditioner ‘paid link’. Leather furniture, if it becomes too dry and unconditioned, can crack and wear over time. Applying the proper conditioner (tested in an inconspicuous spot first) is the most appropriate way to care for this type of furniture.
Cleaning Tables and Non-Upholstered Furniture
There are many different finishes and materials that furniture can be made out of. Common types of materials or finishes for regular household furniture would be paint and veneer.
Many types of all purpose cleaners can be harmful to finishes on paint that is not at least semi-gloss sheen, and to nearly all finishes found on veneer furniture. Laminate can withstand much more use and abuse, and would likely hold up better to an all purpose cleaner.
My recommendation for your non-upholstered furniture would be either an envirocloth and water (as these remove bacteria on their own), or soap and water if you do not have an envirocloth for use. These cleaning agents will allow for regular cleaning, and deeper cleaning, without the risk of destroying the protective finish on your furniture, and therefore destroying your furniture.
Between the regular use from my kids, and my dogs bringing all sorts of dirt and mud into my house, my kitchen table gets very dirty, very quickly. I wipe this whole table down regularly, but provided this for a great example of the envirocloth cleaning below.
Additionally, if you have some harder to get out stains in your furniture, like this leftover red permanent marker spot on my table, the cleaning paste that I had discussed before will take this out nicely. Just be sure not to use much pressure, as it can wear finishes on wood and paint as well.
If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments and I would be happy to get back with you.
Check out Day 5. Clean Doors and Cabinets here.
Check out Day 7. Shampoo Carpets and Rugs here.
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