How much does it cost to clean a couch?
The cost to clean a couch or sofa ranges from $100 to $300, depending on the exact size of the furniture piece. If the sofa is made with a specialty fabric, such as leather or wool, customers can expect to pay more than that. Professional couch cleaning cost of a leather sofa can run anywhere from $200 to $500.
It's always worth deep-cleaning upholstery before you consider replacing dull and dirty furniture. Dust and grime build up over time, especially if you have children or pets. A professional deep-clean removes this build-up safely and effectively.
While you wait, mix four parts warm water with one part laundry detergent. Use a rough sponge or a soft bristle brush to apply the cleaning mixture to your upholstery. Scrub along the grain of the fabric until you have lifted the dirt and stains. Use a damp, clean cloth to wipe away any remaining suds or dirt.
In order to maintain a truly healthy home, your upholstery should be professionally cleaned once or twice a year. If you have pets or children, we recommend cleaning your upholstery every 3-4 months.
Create a cleaning solution by combining equal parts water and white vinegar in a small bucket. Dip a microfiber cloth into the solution so that it is damp but not wet, then wipe the couch, rinsing the cloth regularly. Dry the couch with a clean, dry microfiber cloth.
Most professional upholstery cleaning services use a process called hot water extraction. Their machine injects hot water and cleaning solution into the fibers of your upholstery to dislodge particles hiding there.
Upholstery will take 4 - 5 hours to dry on average. Curtains, leather and mattresses can be ready for use almost immediately following the cleaning. Drying times can vary due to soling and staining levels, humidity, ventilation and temperature.
Steam cleaning is one of the best ways to clean upholstery because the warm moisture lifts stains without releasing too much moisture into the fabric and padding. The main elements of steam cleaning that make it so effective are: Moisture.
- Spray your cleaning solution directly onto offending stains. ...
- For serious deep cleaning, you can steam clean or shampoo your couch. ...
- To clean couch cushions, remove them and check the tag.
How do you clean upholstery naturally? For fabric upholstery, combine 1/4 cup white vinegar with 1/2 tablespoon of natural liquid soap and 3/4 cup warm water. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and give it a good shake. Mist the stained area lightly and scrub it gently with a soft cloth.
Can you use a wet vac to clean a couch?
If you have a wet-dry vac or a portable upholstery cleaner, like the Bissell Little Green, you can use it to suck out liquid. For large, wet stains, consider placing an absorbent towel between the fabric and cushion material to absorb excess moisture (if your cushion allows this).
A professional has the tools, supplies, and know-how to have your couch looking good as new. No matter the material, they understand how to lift dust, debris, stains, and more. A deep, intense clean by a professional will reap better results than a DIY job.

Don't scrub upholstered furniture, even when you're dealing with tough, set-in stains. Scrubbing could grind the stain further into the fibers or damage the fabric. It's better to let the stain remover sink in and set, then gently blot it away.
For fabric upholstery: Mix 1/4 cup vinegar, 3/4 warm water and 1 tablespoon of dish soap or Castile soap. Put in a spray bottle. Mist the soiled area. Scrub with a soft cloth until the stain lifts.
Use steam. Another great way to clean the couch cushions is by using steam. Steam cleaning is a highly effective way to wipe off all the dirt and stains from the couch cushions. While you do the steam cleaning, make sure to add soap or cleaning products to the steam cleaner to ensure deep cleaning.
To help remove odors and brighten the fabric, sprinkle the upholstery with dry baking soda. Use a soft-bristled brush to gently work it into the fabric. Allow the baking soda to work for at least one hour or up to overnight. Then, vacuum away the baking soda and the soil it has collected.
Brisk strokes help lift stains from the fibers, and it lessens the amount of water that seeps into the upholstery. For hard tougher stains, pass the steamer over the affected area until it loosens. If the stain won't lift, consider applying a mix of dish soap and water and gently blotting the stain until it is removed.
How long it takes to clean your upholstered furniture varies by the method your professional uses as well as how dirty the fabric is and how much upholstery needs to be cleaned. The average time for upholstery can range from 30-60 minutes or longer in rare cases.
One most certainly can use a carpet cleaner to clean a couch. Carpet cleaners usually come with an upholstery attachment that is gentle enough to clean the sofa and get into all the nicks and folds. The same cleaning solution can be used; the only determining factor is the sofa's material.
Give It Time. Initially after a couch cleaning, it may feel stiff or smell like cleaning products. Soft bristle brushes can help unstiffen the couch, and just airing out the room will help with the smell. If you have been scarred from the couch's previous condition prior to cleaning, forget the old and enjoy the new!
How often should upholstered furniture be vacuumed?
No matter what your couch is made of, you should be vacuuming it regularly. (Every week or two is ideal.) Use your vacuum cleaner's crevice tool to get into tight corners, and the upholstery attachment or soft brush attachment for the couch's surfaces. Lift each cushion up to reveal the dust and crumbs underneath.
Upholstery steam cleaning
This process uses pressurized steam in cleaning the furniture. The average price per piece of furniture using this method is $15 to $80 per piece. Steam cleaning is done for upholstered furniture with delicate fabrics.
The best upholstery cleaner for typical upholstery is a steam cleaner. This is a very special tool that uses steam to get down deep into the fibers of upholstery without getting the material too wet.
Step 1: To remove sofa stains at home, blot the fabric with equal parts water and white vinegar. Step 2: After a few minutes, wipe the stain away gently with a clean micro-fibre cloth.
- Vacuum the Chair. Always begin your thorough cleaning session by vacuuming the chair. ...
- Treat Stains and Heavily Soiled Areas. ...
- Create a Stain-Removing Solution and Tackle Stains. ...
- Prepare an Overall Cleaning Solution. ...
- Clean, Rinse, and Dry the Upholstery.
Upholstery cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of fabric furniture, while steam cleaning can refer to the cleaning of many different surfaces such as curtains as well. Upholstery cleaning typically uses a detergent or solvent to clean the surface, while steam cleaning uses heat and water to clean the surface.
Tips & Tricks for Successful Steaming
Ideal fabrics for steaming? Wool, wool blends, synthetic wool-like fabrics, cashmere, silk, silk blends, and other delicates. Fabrics to avoid: suede, waxed jackets, and anything plastic—it might melt. Steam any sort of lining first, and always steam items from top to bottom.
So, where does the dirt go when you steam clean? Actually, it doesn't go anywhere. Instead, the heat and vapour of steam cleaning ensure that all the unwanted substances or stains are fully broken down and easy to get rid of.
But did you know that the power of Dawn® can also be used as a pretreatment for laundry stains, including oil, ink, grass, and practically anything else in between? You can trust Dawn® to clean your greasiest, dirtiest dishes—which is the same reason it works so well to pretreat dirty or grease-stained clothes.
Even water can leave unsightly spots on microfiber upholstery! But a spritz of Windex can work wonders. Simply spray the surface lightly—careful not to soak the fibers—then brush very gently with a soft-bristled scrub brush, working in the same direction. Tough stains might require a second application.
Can you use hydrogen peroxide to clean upholstery?
Upholstery Cleaner #8
Spray fabric with soap water until lightly saturated, spray evenly with hydrogen peroxide, and sprinkle with baking soda. Use your hand or cloth to spread baking soda evenly across the surface. Allow to dry overnight. Vacuum clean.
Unfinished leather and certain types of upholstery: Vinegar's acidity can be bad news for natural materials, so always check the manufacturer instructions before applying a vinegar cleaning solution to you soft furnishings.
White vinegar is on our list of "stain busters," but other vinegars, such as red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, have dyes, additives, and so on that can cause stains. Remember, however, that white vinegar is acidic. If you splash it on your clothing, carpet, or upholstery, don't leave it there undiluted.
Benefits of using baking soda or vinegar in laundry
Baking soda also helps brighten faded clothing, while the acetic acid in vinegar Is strong enough to dissolve soap and detergent residues which can leave clothes feeling softer—but don't worry, it's still mild enough that it won't harm your fabrics.
Don't use OxiClean on wool, silk, or other off-limits fabrics. OxiClean's manufacturer suggests that it should not be used on the following fabrics: wool, wool blends, silk, silk blends, leather, or on fabrics labeled dry clean only.
Remove as much of the dirt or liquid as possible. Squirt OxiClean on spot and let stand 5-10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly by pouring fresh water over spot, soak up with a clean cloth or towel and vacuum thoroughly when completely dry. Always test for colorfastness before applying OxiClean.
If the fabric is coded "WS" or "W", it's safe to clean. If your tag is coded "X" or "S", it is not safe to clean, due to the type of fabric the couch is made from. Once you see that it's okay to be cleaned, test a small hidden area of your couch for colorfastness.
Take a teaspoon of washing-up liquid, white vinegar, baking soda and warm water and mix together into a lather (the mixture should froth up as the baking soda and vinegar react with one another). Then, apply directly to any stains or smudges that you can spot on your fabric sofa. Leave to dry out for around 10 minutes.
- Use a firm-bristled brush to remove any crumbs or loose dirt.
- Vacuum the couch using the brush attachment.
- Spot treat stubborn stains with a suitable cleaning solution.
- Allow the couch to air dry.
- Step 1: Vacuum up dust and dirt particles. ...
- Step 2: Blast out hidden dust with compressed air. ...
- Step 3: Soap suds are your upholstery's friend. ...
- Step 4: Leave it to dry. ...
- Step 5: If it's still not clean, try steam.
Can you use OxiClean on couch cushions?
Have no fear, OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover will help remove stains from upholstery and fabric furniture.
Upholstery will take 4 - 5 hours to dry on average. Curtains, leather and mattresses can be ready for use almost immediately following the cleaning. Drying times can vary due to soling and staining levels, humidity, ventilation and temperature.
Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can spot-clean stains or even work in an upholstery or carpet cleaning machine to deep clean your couch, ottoman, cushions, or upholstered chairs. Simple Green powers out stains from dirt and dust, to pet stains and spilled food, odors, and beyond.
– You can clean this material using water. You can also use a water-based shampoo or upholstery foam cleaner. Do not over wet the furniture and use a professional cleaning service for larger, non-spot cleanable stains. Use a professional cleaning service to prevent overall soiling.
For fabric upholstery: Mix 1/4 cup vinegar, 3/4 warm water and 1 tablespoon of dish soap or Castile soap. Put in a spray bottle. Mist the soiled area. Scrub with a soft cloth until the stain lifts.
Upholstery cleaning requires special equipment and know-how. First, upholstery is inspected to make note of any tears or other damage. Then, the fabric is vacuumed, conditioned, rinsed, and vacuum dried. Another method is with hot-water extraction, also known as “steam cleaning.”
Annoyingly, dirt and general muck have a way of sticking and clinging to furniture. Their adhesive nature can make them difficult to scrub away. To steam clean a sofa, the temperature of the steam weakens the stickiness of the dirt and makes it much easier to wipe away.
Steam cleaning is one of the best ways to clean upholstery because the warm moisture lifts stains without releasing too much moisture into the fabric and padding. The main elements of steam cleaning that make it so effective are: Moisture.
Mix 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, and about 1 cup of water. Make sure to give it a good shake before applying it to your upholstery. If you're dealing with tough stains, you can add a little less water to your mixture.
There are a few factors that speed up or slow down dry time, so each case is different, but we recommend waiting 4-6 hours before sitting on your couch. You can also point a fan at the couch to help speed up the drying time or consider moving a dehumidifier into the room until the sofa is dry.
How long does it take a couch to dry after you steam clean it?
Depending on the type of fabric, after your upholstery steam cleaning your furniture will be dry within 2 to 6 hours.
If you have a wet-dry vac or a portable upholstery cleaner, like the Bissell Little Green, you can use it to suck out liquid. For large, wet stains, consider placing an absorbent towel between the fabric and cushion material to absorb excess moisture (if your cushion allows this).
It can handle light or heavy stains on your couch, but it also should be able to clean other fabrics in your home. If you have chairs with stains or even areas of your carpet to clean, the most dependable upholstery cleaner should be able to tackle the job.