Simple Furniture Stain Removal Tips

June 19, 2024

Accidents happen. One minute you’re enjoying a relaxing glass of wine on your new sofa and the next you’ve got a rather noticeable red stain on the armrest. Whether it’s wine, coffee, ketchup or ink, stains on your sofa or dining chair seat pads are something you’ll probably need to face at some point. As it’s English Wine Week, we figured there’s no better time to put together a handy guide to help you deal with stain-related mishaps. The methods we’re mentioning here can be used for removing stains from fabric sofas, leather sofas and upholstered seat pads.

Act Fast The key with tackling any stain is to act quickly and deal it with it as soon as possible.

This is especially important when contending with stained furniture – unlike carpet stains they’re a little more difficult to hide! It’s best to spring into action immediately so the spilled liquid or food will have less of a chance to penetrate the upholstery fibres.

DAB,DON'T RUB If the stain is the result of something more solid (like spaghetti bolognaise, a very common staining culprit), remove anyn solid pieces first then start dabbing!

Take a clean, dry white cloth and soak up as much as of the liquid as possible. Keep in mind that it’s important to never rub the fabric with a cloth as this can embed the stain further. Make a solution of one part dishwashing liquid and two parts of cool water. This simple mixture can be a lot more effective than you might think! Take a microfibre cloth, dip it into the solution then use it to gently dab and blot the stain, working inwards. Working inwards will help stop the stain spreading. Next, blot the area with a dry cloth, taking care not to rub at it. The dry cloth will absorb the moisture from both the fresh stain and the cleaning solution, so keep at it until your cloth has absorbed as much as possible.

STUBBORN STAINS If the washing up liquid method hasn’t quite worked, it’s worth trying something a little stronger.

If you don’t already own a dedicated upholstery cleaner, try a solution of baking soda and vinegar. Simply sprinkle the baking soda on the stained area and dilute some vinegar in water in a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar/water solution onto the baking soda and leave to sit for around ten minutes, before gently brushing off. *Be sure to check your furniture for any specific cleaning or maintenance instructions beforehand.