I’m sure most of us would agree that our sofas are the most important piece of furniture in our homes. It is where we relax, eat and often sleep on, not to mention it’s an endless source of entertainment for the kids.  Although the sofa is arguably one of the best things about living at home, there can be no denying that it does get dirty quickly. All those spills from milk bottles, chocolate smears courtesy of your children, grease marks from greasy hands – you catch my drift! In this blog, you’ll get 14 Couch Cleaning Tips

14 Couch Cleaning Tips

Needless to say this makes many people think they need to buy a new couch every few months since their current one doesn’t seem “complete” without some form of stain or tear. Thankfully this isn’t true, and there are loads of tips and tricks to prolong the life of your couches. To help get you started, here are some amazing stain removal and couch cleaning Perth techniques:

1) Protect Your Sofa

One of the best things you can do is invest in a couple of sofa protectors before anything happens to the couch at all. If you already have stains on your sofa, simply place one of these covers over it while it’s still wet which means you’ll be able to remove any excess (and avoid leaving rings or patches). You can then take them off when they’ve dried and replace them as needed.

2) Rubbing Alcohol for Coffee Stains

When dealing with annoying coffee stains, nothing works better than a little bit of household rubbing alcohol. Simply spray a paper towel or cloth with the substance and blot over the stain, wait a few minutes and then wipe away as normal.

3) Baby Wipes for More Stubborn Stains

In most cases, you’ll be able to remove stains from your sofa using simple home products such as baking soda or club soda – but there are some that require a little more help. If this is the case, try out baby wipes! They’re designed to work even on tough dirt, so they should do a pretty good job at getting rid of whatever’s staining your couch. Just make sure you read the instructions first to make sure they won’t damage the material!

4) Hydrogen Peroxide for Stubborn Stains

If you’ve tried everything else but can’t seem to find a way of removing an especially stubborn stain, it might be time to bring out the big guns! For this type of situation, nothing works better than hydrogen peroxide. The downside is that while it’s incredibly effective at getting rid of tough stains, it does have a strong odor and may not be suitable for some couches. It can also bleach certain materials so make sure you test in an area that will not show.

5) Club Soda for Coffee Stains & Red Wine Spills

If you already have coffee or wine stains on your sofa then club soda should do the trick! Simply place a few drops onto the affected area and scrub away with a sponge. If you’re dealing with red wine, it’s best to use cold soda as the heat from the sponges can cause the colour to set in.

6) WD-40 for Butter Stains & Lipstick Smears

In most cases butter stains will come out of your sofa with ease, but there are those nasty little smudges that tend to disappear before you even make it home from the supermarket. Where lipsticks are concerned, they leave a horrible pink stain that is often very tough to remove – not anymore! Simply spray some WD-40 onto a paper towel and blot over the lipstick mark until it comes off. When it comes to butter though, simply spray some cooking spray onto a paper towel and rub until gone.

7) Ammonia for Coffee Stains, Blood & Ink Stains

If you spill coffee or ink on your sofa then this method should be used immediately! Take some household ammonia (about 10 parts water to 1 part ammonia) and pour it directly onto the stain without rinsing off. Once it has dried, brush away with a toothbrush before applying club soda instead of regular water to remove any last traces. When dealing with blood stains though, make sure you rinse the area with cold water first since hot water will chemically change the composition of hemoglobin in your blood which could set the stain!

8) Club Soda for Red Wine Stains & Grass Stains

Those nasty red wine stains are definitely the worst, but there are simple ways of removing them. The main reason they’re so difficult to remove is because they continue to oxidise even after being removed from your clothes – club soda will combat this process! Simply pour some directly onto the affected area and allow it to dry naturally before brushing away any residue with a toothbrush. If you have grass stains on your sofa, simply sprinkle baking soda over the area and scrub until gone followed by a water rinse for best results.

9) Baking Soda for Blood Stains & Scuff Marks

It can be incredibly annoying when scuff marks start appearing all over your once pristine couch but thankfully there are simple ways of getting rid of them. One of the best and most inexpensive is to use baking soda! Just pour a liberal amount over the affected area and scrub away with a toothbrush or cloth before rinsing thoroughly. If you have blood stains then it’s important that you rinse the area first with cold water since hot water will change the composition of hemoglobin in your blood which could set the stain more effectively.

10) Baby Wipes for Red Wine Stains & Lipstick Marks

No, I’m not referring to baby wipes here – try using actual baby wipes! They’re designed to get rid of tough dirt so they should work on some stubborn stains, plus they won’t damage your couch like some other methods may. Simply spray on some Windex and use the wipe to scrub away before rinsing with cold water and drying by brushing with a toothbrush. Lipstick marks can be removed in much the same way as long as you spray on some cooking oil beforehand to help break down the wax!

11) Baking Soda & Water Paste for Crayon Marks

Kids can sometimes leave those ugly crayon marks all over your carefully polished sofa and if this happens, you’ll probably work yourself into a frenzy trying to scrub them off. Well, stop making it worse and make your own paste first – simply combine baking soda, water and dishwashing liquid (the latter two should be added until you have enough of a paste consistency – approximately 1 tbsp each). Apply directly to the stain before scrubbing with a toothbrush and setting with cold water.

12) Vaseline for Water Stains & Pet Stains

Regular old petroleum jelly or Vaseline for short is not just useful in the bedroom – it can be used to remove all sorts of stains! If your couch has watermarks on it, simply rub some onto them before sprinkling over some talcum powder to absorb any moisture. Once done, brush off the residue along with the stain. Pet owners will know that pet stains can seriously ruin your sofa so fight back by applying some petroleum jelly directly onto the area followed by a generous sprinkle of baking soda. Allow drying naturally before brushing away all residue.

13) Sunshine for Blood Stains & Coffee Stains

Remember that sunlight is your best friend when it comes to removing stains! If you have blood or coffee stains on your sofa, simply leave the sun to do all the hard work for you – it will weaken any oxidisation which means more stain removal power. Just make sure you dry the area first with a towel before facing the sunshine if it’s damp or else you’ll end up making matters worse.

14) Light Scrubbing with Soap & Water for All Other Stains

That’s right, I’m basically confirming what I said at the start of this article – water and soap are your best friends when fighting against stains! You don’t always need expensive products or highly toxic chemicals to remove marks from your couch – sometimes a light scrub with some water and soap is enough to do the trick. Just make sure you don’t scrub too hard because this could damage any delicate material surrounding your couch!