How to Clean a Couch, Carpet and Upholstery

How to Clean a Couch, Carpet and Upholstery

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A clean couch makes a comfortable home

Carpet and Upholstery

Old and worn or new, a clean couch makes your home happy.

Whether you have a few crumbs or the toughest of stains, cleaning your couch can brighten up your home.

Everyone loves to be a couch potato from time to time. It's much more fun and rewarding when your couch is clean. Follow these simple couch cleaning tips, so you can enjoy a nice cup of tea and a movie.

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Do you have a good vacuum?

Couch Cleaning tips

1. Remove all blankets and pillows, and shake them outside. Throw blankets in the washing machine. Click here for our plastic free laundry soap recipe.

2. Vacuum: with a hand vacuum or brush or furniture attachment on your vacuum, vacuum all cushions and pillows. If the cushions can be removed, vacuum both sides. If the couch can be flipped up on its side, vacuum the bottom.

Make sure to get in all of the crevices to remove crumbs and debris.

Laundry Soap Recipe

Make your cleaning solution from soap and water

Sturdy Dust Cloth

3. Get out your mop bucket, and fill it with a gallon of warm water. Add an 1/8th cup Instant Liquid Soap diluted to Go Soap (Click the link below)

4. With a linen (or any tightly woven fabric) dust cloth, submerge it in your mop buck soap solution and squeeze it out so it's damp. Wipe down all wood and metal parts. No need to rinse this solution off, since it will evaporate. Make sure your dust cloth is barely damp.

Note: do not add vinegar to this solution. It will separate out the soap into small particles and neutralize any cleaning properties.

Instant Liquid Soap dilute instructions

You'll be surprised at the dust and debris

Clean Your Dust Cloth

5. Remove any dust and debris from your linen cloth in your mop bucket, and squeeze out again.

Wipe down the upholstery fabric. If there are any stains, the best carpet and upholstery cleaner is the Go Soap in a spray bottle. Spray the soap directly on the stains, gently scrub, and let it sit for a minute or so, while you wipe down the rest of the couch with the soap solution in your mop bucket.

6. If the soap in the mop bucket gets too dirty and cloudy, dump it in your toilet (minus any large particles that you will throw in your compost, recycling, garbage), flush, and make a new soap solution.

Cats and Dogs leave stains

Melted Candy Stains

7. With clean warm water, and a clean linen cloth, go over the stained area and scrub gently to remove the stain and soap. I have done this on my lovely wool Turkish rugs, to remove cat puke stains. They clean and brighten up beautifully. For leather, lightly oil afterwards by putting a few drops of olive oil on a dry dust rag and buffing it in.

8. If your couch tag says use a steam cleaner, use a clothes iron on the steam setting. Slowly hold it 2 inches above the fabric and slowly move it over your couch while it gently steams the fabric.

9. Let the couch air dry before putting the cushion, pillows, and any blankets back on it. If necessary, set up a fan to help dry the fabric.

Instant Liquid soap