How to Clean your Microfiber Sofa in 7 Easy Steps

We understand that accidents happen. At one time or another, everyone will experience a spill or stain in their living room. One of the greatest aspects to microfiber fabric is how easily it can be cleaned. If you have a spill on your microfiber sofa, follow the instructions below to ease the cleaning process!

1. Vacuum your sofa. Make sure you vacuum thoroughly to remove dust, loose debris and any food or loose coins. Use your vacuum extension for this step.

2. Scrub stains with a dry brush. Scrubbing the stains with a clean and dry brush will lift up any loose spills from the fabric.

3. Remove all of the cushions. Remove the back cushions, the seat cushions and any loose accent pillows. Vacuum and brush off all sides of the pillows, even if they haven’t seen daylight in years. You may need to use the backside of the cushion someday so make sure it stays neat and clean.

4. Check the tag for care instructions. On every sofa there will be a tag with care instructions listed on it. There are four codes that indicate what can be used to clean it. They are: W for a water-based cleaning solvent, S for a water-free solvent, S/W for either a water-based or water-free cleaning solvent or X for neither (this means that the fabric is vacuum only). If your sofa is labeled with an X under the care instructions, do not attempt to clean it with anything other than a vacuum. Cleaning solutions on a X care sofa can stain, spot or even shrink the fabric.

5. Find a cleaning solution. The care instructions will lead you in this step. For a good water-based cleaning solution, try gentle soap, mild dish detergent, upholstery shampoo or even carpet cleaner. For a water-free cleaning solution, use rubbing alcohol, clear alcohol (like vodka), dry-cleaning solution, lighter fluid or even baby wipes. Make sure that you test the solution before pouring it all over the sofa. Test it on an area on your sofa that won’t be seen by your guests just in case you choose the wrong cleaning solution.

6. If the area that you cleaned isn't drying quickly enough for your liking, you may use a blow dryer to speed up the drying process. Water-based solutions typically take longer to dry out.

7. Once the area is dry, use a dry brush to go over the area that you had just cleaned. This will wipe away any leftover debris and will also loosen up the fabric. Don’t forget to reassemble your sofa! Put all of the cushions back on and enjoy your brand new looking sofa!

Here are some additional tips that you can use for certain spills and messes.

- Rubbing alcohol will best remove ink stains and watermarks. Put a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a towel or soft washcloth and gently dab over the stain.

- To get wax off of your sofa, place a paper towel over it and quickly run a hot iron over it. This will lift up the wax so you can just scrape it off of your sofa.

- Got gum stuck on your sofa? Freeze the gum by placing an ice cube on top of it until it hardens. Once it is hard, peel it off.

- If your sofa is super smelly from overuse or your pets, apply water and baking soda to your sofa. Let it dry and then vacuum the smell up.

- If your sofa is super dirty and you don’t think you can clean it by hand, throw the removable W or S/W cover into the laundry machine. Make sure the laundry machine is set on a delicate cycle and use a gentle detergent.

- If you cannot find the care instruction tag on your sofa, call the manufacturer of the sofa or a professional cleaner. You do not want to damage your sofa.

Do you have any additional tips for cleaning upholstered sofas? Comment below to join our conversation!