How to Clean Upholstered Furniture to Keep Your Sofa Looking Spotless

Use these upholstery cleaning tips to easily remove stains, prevent wear, and clear off pet hair on your furniture.

The upholstered furniture in your living areas can take a lot of wear and tear. Even if you and your family are extra careful, spills and accidents, whether it’s a spilled glass of wine or muddy paw prints, are just a part of life. The best way to prevent stains on upholstered furniture, including sofas, chairs, benches, ottomans, and other fabric-covered pieces, isn’t by banning food and pets from the living room altogether. You just need to know what to do when stains happen. When you work fast, clean upholstery regularly, and know your fabric, you can handle spills, stains, and other mishaps with ease. When you’re tackling a tough stain and removing unsightly pet hair, these tips on how to clean upholstered furniture will help keep your sofas and chairs looking pristine for years to come.

Use Baby Wipes to Clean Furniture

Baby wipes are surprisingly effective for quick DIY upholstery cleaning (although you should always test first on an inconspicuous area to make sure they won’t damage the fabric). Great for leather, cotton, or polyester upholstery, these wipes offer a gentle mixture of water and soap that contains very little moisture. Keep a travel pack stashed in the living room for instant spot removal whenever spills happen. Baby wipes are also ideal for spot-cleaning rugs. Act quickly on coffee drips and other spills, and the stain will be out before it even has time to set.

Prevent Stains on Upholstered Furniture

If your furniture doesn’t come pretreated with a fabric protector to repel stains, apply one yourself (or have an expert do it for you). If it’s already treated, ask the manufacturer how long it will last. “Many of the treatments on the market must be reapplied every few years to retain their stain-fighting powers,” says Melissa Homer, chief cleaning officer of MaidPro. Keeping it treated is key in maximizing the life of your furniture, she says.

Remove Pet Hair from Upholstered Furniture

If your furry friends like to cozy up on the couch with you, try these tips for cleaning upholstered furniture. To remove pet hair from furniture, put on a pair of rubber gloves and run them over your furniture, says Leslie Reichert of Green Cleaning Coach. “The gloves create static that pulls the hair off to the edge of the piece, where you can easily vacuum it off,” she says. You can also create a DIY static spray by mixing water and a small amount of fabric softener. Spray the solution on the furniture and wipe off hair with a cloth. Other effective tools for removing fur from upholstery include furniture brushes and hand vacuums designed for pet hair.