Regular cleaning and maintenance are absolutely essential to maintaining the comfort and appearance of your sofa, but there may be some cases when you’ll need a stronger cleaning method. That’s why it’s also important to deep clean your sofa every now and then, which can help remove dust, dirt, and allergens that general cleaning may not be able to handle. Here’s how you can deep clean your sofa!
How to Deep Clean Your Sofa
Step 1: Prepare the Sofa
Start by removing all items, cushions, and covers from your sofa. Then, use your vacuum cleaner with either a soft brush or upholstery attachment and use it to remove all the surface-level dirt and debris that may have accumulated. When doing this, make sure to use several passes over each area, also paying attention to tight corners and crevices.
Step 2: Address Any Stains
It’s important to deal with any stains that your sofa may have, and you can do this with either cleaner:
- Commercial Product: You can use an upholstery stain remover or cleaner to remove any stains, but make sure to read through and follow the instructions carefully.
- Homemade Cleaner: To create a homemade stain remover, add a few drops of dish soap to a bowl of water.
After choosing your cleaner, dampen a microfiber cloth with the solution and use this to blot the stain. Start from the outside and work your way towards the center to prevent the stain from spreading. It’s also important that you don’t use any harsh rubbing motions, which will only worsen the stain.
Step 3: Create a Cleaning Solution
You can create a deep cleaning solution by combining one part of white vinegar with three parts of warm water in a bucket or container. You can also add a small amount of mild detergent to the mixture, but this is optional.
Step 4: Start Cleaning
After spot-testing this cleaning solution on an inconspicuous area, dampen a clean microfiber cloth with this cleaner and start wiping down your entire sofa, including the arms, back, front, and feet. Feel free to wash your microfiber cloth out as often as needed, but remember to wring out the excess liquid before applying it to your sofa to prevent oversaturation.
Step 5: Rinse and Dry
Once you’ve finished going over your whole sofa, dampen another clean cloth with some water and wipe down your sofa once again to remove any residue that the cleaning solution may have left behind. Similarly to the previous step, rinse out the cloth when needed, but make sure that it’s not dripping with water when you use it to wipe your sofa. Then, leave your sofa to air-dry completely. You can open some windows or use an electric fan to help with this process.
How Often Should You Deep Clean Sofa?
With the proper sofa cleaning routine in place, you’ll only need to deep clean your sofa once every six months. However, it’s also important to assess your situation at home. If you have children, pets, or a family member with certain health conditions, you may need to increase this frequency.
Additional Cleaning Tips
There are other cleaning habits and lifestyle changes that you can incorporate into your routine to help your sofa stay as clean as possible:
- Regular Cleaning: Vacuuming your sofa weekly with the right attachment will prevent impurities from accumulating and penetrating your sofa’s materials.
- Address Spills Immediately: Dealing with spills and messes as soon as possible will not only give you an easier cleaning experience but also lessen the chances of a nasty stain being left behind. Always start by blotting away as much as you can with a cloth.
- Keep Pets Away from Your Sofa: Your pet could be bringing dust and dirt to your sofa, so it’s best to keep them off the upholstery. Alternatively, you can make sure that they’re always lying on a pad or towel to prevent any unwanted transfer.
- Consider Professional Cleaning: Booking a professional sofa deep cleaning service will help keep your sofa effortlessly clean after each session, all at an affordable price. Aside from that, your sofa is also more likely to stay consistently clean when sofa cleaning is as easy as scheduling a cleaning appointment.
Your sofa can tie a room together and make it feel much more welcoming, but only if it’s properly maintained. With this deep cleaning guide and a few other cleaning tips and tricks, you’ll be able to keep your sofa looking and feeling its best!
