Fabric sofas are fantastic. Upholstery on a fabric sofa is soft, comfortable and available in a stunning range of colours. The downside is that they can get dirty and stain easily. Thankfully, they are also fairly easy to clean.

As a very popular seller of fabric sofas in the UK, we at AbakusDirect want to give you must-know tips that will help you keep your fabric sofas looking clean and spotless, for a long time.

HOW TO CLEAN FABRIC SOFAS? WHAT NOT TO DO!

Before we get into how to clean fabric sofas, we fist want to tell you about what you shouldn’t do.

• Don’t panic with spills and stains! Cleaning needs technique, not brute force from a brush!
• Don’t clean anything without knowing your sofa manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations first
• Don’t clean without spot testing a solution or technique on a small discreet test area first

READ YOUR SOFA MANUFACTURER’S CLEANING RECOMMENDATION LABEL

Before you do any cleaning, look for the little manufacture’s tag on your sofa. The tag will give you specific cleaning instructions and will also list a letter code. You will see one of the 4 letters shown below. Please follow the guidelines carefully. Otherwise, you risk damaging your sofa while trying to clean it. Also, using the wrong cleaning agent will void your manufacturer’s warranty. You don’t want to use a 2 year warranty just because you were in a hurry to clean up a little stain!

If your sofa is marked X, you can only vacuum it. If the stains won’t go away, call your manufacturer or a sofa cleaning professional for ideas. Don’t attempt anything else on your own.

If your sofa is marked S, use the recommended solvent to clean your sofa. Even if a solvent is recommended, it is highly advisable that you first try the solvent on a discreet test patch on the sofa, like on a square patch on the back of the sofa that sits against the wall. If all goes well, use the solvent on the entire sofa or wherever stains or spots are.

For sofas marked W or WS, go on to the next section.

STEPS TO CLEAN A FABRIC SOFA MARKED W OR WS

First of all, you want to check if your fabric sofa’s covers are machine washable. If they are, simply remove all the covers and throw them into the washing machine. Use the recommended machine wash settings and you might just have a clean sofa that needs no further cleaning! If your fabric sofa’s covers aren’t machine washable, follow the steps below.

1. Vacuum your sofa to remove dry dirt, crumbs and debris that might be entangled in the fabric
2. Create a natural sofa cleaning solution - 2 Cups Distilled Water + 1 Tablespoon Dishwashing Liquid + 1 Tablespoon Vinegar
3. Use a clean microfiber cloth (that doesn’t bleed colour) to soak up the cleaning solution (Tip – Have a few microfiber towels on hand for large sofas)
4. Test a small discreet surface area by gently dabbing and scrubbing to see if cleaning solution produces any adverse effects (Tip – It pays to both scrub and let the test patch dry, to see if the cleaning is OK to continue)
5. If there are no hiccups with your cleaning solution, dab, scrub and clean your entire fabric sofa’s surface area. Remember, be gentle!
6. For stubborn stains, use a soft bristled brush to gently work away the stain. Again, don’t muscle it! If stains won’t come off, try using a good brand carpet cleaner, after spot testing it of course
7. Once done, stack the seat and scatter cushions out vertically, so they air dry, turning them over from time to time
8. Once completely dry, vacuum again to remove debris that might have come loose during the wet cleaning
9. Enjoy a nice clean fabric sofa!

HOW TO DEODORIZE OR REMOVE ODOURS FROM A FABRIC SOFA?

Has your fabric sofa begun to smell a little funky? There’s nothing to worry! Good old baking soda can come to your rescue. Sprinkle baking soda all over your dry sofa, covering the entire surface. Wait 20 minutes and vacuum dry. Odours magically vanish. You are left with a neutral smelling, clean and fresh fabric sofa.