How To Deal With Localized Stains On Your Couch

There is probably nothing as frustrating as a home owner as dealing with localized stain. Your couch could be there looking all pristine then boom! Your eyes are drawn to this single spot of imperfection. It could be the ghost of a recent beverage spill. It could be where your furry best friend dropped a potty parcel. Or it could just be that one part of the couch that gets the most use.

Whatever the case, localized stains are neither fun to have nor to deal with. However, with the following upholstery cleaning and maintenance tips, you should be able to handle the situation as best as possible before you get a professional sofa cleaning company on the job. 

Let’s dive right into it. 

How to deal with localized stains

• Mop up as much of it as possible

The more a liquid stain sits on fabric while it is wet, the more of the staining compounds seep into the fibres. This makes them a lot harder to clean especially with strong, pigmented liquids like wine, coffee, and even pet pee.

If you are around when the little accidents happen, try and soak up as much as you possibly can as soon as possible. You could use something like paper towels or an absorbent cloth. Just press on it to soak it up and resist the urge to rub the liquid off. 

• Try mild home remedies

Home remedies are not always the best idea when dealing with couch stains as we will talk more about later on. However, there are a few that will minimize the stain’s size and intensity without causing damage to the upholstery itself. The two best options in this case are baking soda and lemon juice. The former helps soak up moisture and stain pigments while the juice helps mainly by reducing any associated odors. 

• Vacuum the couch

Stains are often made worse by particulate matter that settles on upholstery. This could be dust, dead skin, or even pollen. Over time, it makes what was once a simple stain much harder to deal with. Therefore, try and keep your couch clean by regularly vacuuming it after the stain is first formed. Just ensure that it is dry before you try vacuuming the fabric to avoid making things any worse than they already are. 

• Wipe off with regular soap and water

This works particularly well when it comes to food stains. In fact, if you act fast enough, you could completely prevent permanent stains from happening. This, however, also depends on the specific type of food. Anything with heavily pigmented ingredients like turmeric, beet, or even blueberries may not be as easy to deal with. However, make sure that you do not use too much water as you may leave the couch soaked and cause even more damage than you were trying to fix. 

• Consider rescheduling a professional cleaning session

The final and probably most important tip for dealing with localized stains is by investing in professional upholstery cleaning services. All you have to do is make sure that you find a company that offers good quality cleaning and affordable rates for the type of work that you need done. 

What NOT to do

In addition to all these things that could help you deal with spot stains, here is another list of things you should definitely avoid at all costs. Most will make work a lot harder for you by worsening the stain and may just end up costing you more than you thought you could save. 

To spare you all the drama, here are 4 things you should never do when dealing with localized stains on your upholstery. 

Do not use bleach

Let’s put it this way, bleach will definitely remove the stain and could even stand up to even the toughest of pigments. However, it does not distinguish between the unsightly spots and your couch upholstery’s pigment. You will therefore end up in a discoloured spot where the stain once existed. The worst part is that these are harder to correct than regular stains are to clean. 

Do not try to scrub it off

Different fabrics have different upholstery cleaning needs and limitations. Some are very delicate to abrasive forces and generally do not respond well to scrubbing and could end up frayed or completely ripped. Therefore, it is always best to simply play it safe by avoiding any rough treatment like scrubbing especially if you are using a rough bristle brush. 

Do not leave wet sofa cushions on the seat

This is a common mistake by home owners after spills. Remember that in addition to the pigment forming the stain, there is moisture currently wicking its way through the fibres in the upholstery and the padding of the sofa. So make sure to leave the cushions out to air or exposed to the sun to completely dry it even after mopping up majority of the liquid. 

Do not deep clean the sofa yourself

Finally, do not attempt to deep clean the couch yourself in an attempt to get rid of the stains. More often than not, this just leads to bigger problems due to mistakes like failure to understand the cleaning methods, equipment, or even the fabric itself. Even if you do not damage the couch, it is highly unlikely that you will get rid of all the stain by yourself without the necessary expertise. Just leave it to the pros. 

After all is said and done, it is always best to leave it to a professional sofa cleaning company whether it is a completely dirty sofa or one with a simple, unsightly stain. With the latter, you will actually end up saving money by spending it on quality services. This is as opposed to waiting until the stain gets harder to remove or trying to do it yourself and making things a lot worse. So make sure to try one or all the tips we have provided should you encounter such a scenario as you plan to get a professional on it as soon as possible. 

How To Deal With Localized Stains On Your Couch