5 Tips for Getting Rid of the Most Difficult Upholstery Stains

AD It Yourself 5 Tips for Getting Rid of the Most Difficult Furniture StainsTap into your upholstery savior complex

By Bridget Reed Morawski

December 16, 2021

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A red wine stain on the arm of a white sofa.Photo: Adam Gault via Getty Images

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Most of us probably didn’t understand our parents’ obsessions with keeping food and drinks off the couch until we eventually had our own prized possessions to worry about. Furniture stains and splotches are usually the last thing anyone wants to think about when trying to curate the perfect domestic space, but there’s nothing remotely enjoyable about discolored blobs on upholstered furniture.

Even the most carefully positioned glasses of red wine can be tipped over, and anyone with a pet or young child knows that messes are unpredictable. So, when bad luck strikes, how exactly should you go about cleaning stained upholstery?

Keep the tags

You won’t go to jail for taking the tag off your furniture, but you should definitely keep it either on the item itself or somewhere you can easily reference it. According to Peter He, the cofounder and chief scientist of Dirty Labs, a biodegradable cleaning solution company, there are three general types of fabrics. Although technological innovation means there are now often multiple types of fibers in a single product, fabrics can be plant-based (cotton), synthetic (plastic fibers), or protein-based (leather).

But specialty fabrics, regardless of the general fabric type, may require specific care, says Mallory Micetich, a home expert and communications specialist with Angi, a home services company. She’s also a homeowner and “very reluctant landlord” with several short- and long-term rental properties, so she has dealt with upholstery stains for years.

Saving those tags means that you can consult any common care designations listed on the tag. According to Micetich, the following are common fabric cleaning codes you may find on tags and the associated general cleaning advice:

• W: Water-based cleansers, as well as fabric steamers, are safe for your sofa upholstery.
• S: Spot clean with fabric-safe solvents or dry clean the fabric.
• S/W: Solvent- and water-based cleansers are safe to treat spots on the fabric.
• WASH: If the fabric is removable from the stained sofa or cushion, you can safely pop it into the washing machine. Use cold-water delicate settings, then air-dry or tumble-dry with low heat.
• X: Only use a vacuum cleaner on this material.

Keep calm and dab on

There are two main strategies for handling upholstery stains: a wet method and a dry method. Both are similar, but there are important distinctions to bear in mind, according to Micetich. Regardless of the type of mess, you’ll want to immediately sop up any excess liquid with clean rags or towels with gentle dabbing and blotting motions. Using aggressive or rough motions could push the unwanted liquid or solid into the material, which will make removal much harder. Vacuum the spot to remove any excess gunk to make any further treatment more effective and prevent as much muck from actually leaving a stain in the first place.

Here’s where the techniques diverge. With the wet method, you’ll begin applying a cleaning solution, which will vary depending on the fabric and type of stain, gently to the spot in a dabbing and blotting motion. With the dry method, you essentially skip this step and wait for the area to dry before using a bristly brush to carefully sweep the area.

The latter method works better on fabrics with a grain, like velvet, and with spills that aren’t entirely liquid, according to Micetich. But, even if you’re attempting this method, it’s important to gently sop up as much as possible, so that it dries quickly.

“I have accidentally spilled a little bit of queso dip on my velvet couch, and the dry method worked perfectly for that,” she explains. “I dabbed up the excess and because it was [a semi-solid] cheese, it rose and I was able to use a toothbrush [reserved for cleaning] and very lightly get it up without impacting the grain of the velvet that much.”

With either method, completely drying out the area is necessary. Get creative: place the cushion next to a sunny window and break out some fans. A mix of warmth and air flow will help dry the area. Be careful not to leave the upholstery to dry in a humid or damp area, as that might just introduce mold or a stale water smell, Micetich says.

Proceed with caution with specialty chemicals

Tackling some kinds of stains, like pet urine or feces, may require a specific pretreatment to help break down the stain and also sanitize the area. Let any stain-specific pretreatments sit on the spot for a while to do its job. Certain products that focus on breaking down the enzymes in protein-based stains may be necessary to get rid of not only the visual problem but any associated odors.

“Sometimes you don’t see the spot, but it smells,” Dirty Lab’s He explains. “Pet urine will not necessarily give you a color, but will leave a smell because of the release of bad bacteria that festers.” Dirty Labs sells cleaning products with “enzyme-driven cleaning technology” that the company promotes as “nontoxic, readily biodegradable, [and] free of known pollutants.”

“The really good news is that there’s a lot of [stain removal] you can do with things like white vinegar and rubbing alcohol that are super easy, and that are not necessarily toxic, that can clean so many different areas,” says Tonya Harris, an environmental toxin and cleaning expert.

Harris believes that harsh or specialty chemicals are rarely if ever necessary to get the job done. “I like to use the least toxic thing possible,” she says. She adds that products like white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and baking soda are less likely to be too harsh and ruin certain materials unless used exactly as directed.

Get professional help

If you’ve tried to do it yourself once or twice, but you still haven’t quite rid your sofa of the splotch, it might be time to call in an upholstery cleaning service.

“There are professional cleaners out there that just do upholstery cleaning,” said Micetich, whose employer, Angi, helps arrange such cleaning services. “Find a good pro and have them do it.” She adds that, at a typical cost of between $150–$200, hiring a professional is the way to go for investment or sentimental upholstery. Any fabric that you would likely dry-clean if it were a shirt instead of a piece of furniture, like wool or silk, is a prime candidate for professional cleaning.

Think long-term when buying upholstered furniture

If the mere possibility of stains on your upholstered furniture gives you hives, opt for removable cushion covers that you can throw in the washing machine the moment a splotch strikes. That way, any spills can be immediately handled with a cycle of suds, while you get back to what’s important, like demolishing a pizza with friends while screaming at the latest Bachelor episode.

It’s also critical to think about whether that touchy fabric you love is appropriate for the space you’re looking to fill. White velvet chairs around where your family eats? That’s a bold design choice, and not in a forward-thinking way. But investing in pieces that age gracefully will save you stress as the years go by. Micetich has a camel-colored leather chair that has endured multiple tenants and pets alike.

“If you want something to really live with in the long-run, think about something where that occasional spill or accident is going to add character” to the fabric, she explains.

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