Five ways to clean your sofa

Even if your sofa looks clean it’s likely hiding plenty of dirt, dust and grime as well as crumbs and hair.
In an ideal world we’d at least be cleaning it regularly with a vacuum but some of us are guilty of skipping this (myself included).
So to give the sofa a complete refresh and hopefully get us in the habit of more frequent cleans, it’s time for a deep clean.
Watch the video above.
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Before doing anything to your sofa, check the label to see what cleaning method is best for your couch.
According to Fantastic Furniture, if the tag has an upholstery cleaning code label on it you’ll see one of about four letters or letter combinations.
Another thing you might like to try before using any cleaning method or product is to patch test an area that can’t be easily seen. This way you’ll know if it’s safe to use on the rest of the sofa.
Here are all the options for cleaning a sofa.
This is an easy option if you have a clothes steamer on hand. Before you get started though, make sure to vacuum first to collect all the debris.
Then turn on your steam cleaner and run it all over your sofa as you would your clothes.
“Instead of starting from anywhere, it is good to be systematic,” Bond Cleaning in Gold Coast instructs.
“The ideal way to steam upholstered furniture is by cleaning it in small portions. This allows the surface to dry quickly and also prevents the chance of over-saturation. Set the steam pressure, release the steam and get rid of stubborn stains, grime, grease, germs and unpleasant odours.”
Allow the sofa to dry before sitting on it again.
For those who have machine washable fabric covers, the task of cleaning a sofa is so much easier.
These days you can select sofas based on whether the fabric is removable and machine washable, but if you’re not sure whether this is possible check the care label.
Generally, the type of fabric will determine whether sofa cushion covers are machine washable with cotton, polyester and velvet OK in cold temperatures and on a delicate cycle.
You could also hand wash the covers if preferred, but whichever option you choose spot treat stains first.
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In case you missed it, one of the most popular cleaning hacks on TikTok in recent years has been using a pot lid to make it easier to clean your sofa.
The hack requires a large cloth and a saucepan or pot lid (you can just use a cloth to wipe your sofa without the pot lid though if you prefer).
Before tying the cloth on, submerge it in a bowl with water and some sort of cleaning agent like laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, castille soap or even bicarb/baking soda.
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After wringing the cloth out so it’s damp and not soaking. Put the cloth over the pot lid and start scrubbing the couch from the section closest to you and push it away from you in a long stroke.
You might need to change over the cloth and water from time to time as it will soon start looking dirty.
Do this across the whole sofa and then you’re done. Leave to dry before sitting on it again.
Professional organiser Anita Birges tried this hack, along with several others in a Today Extra segment and gave it the thumbs up. Watch how she did it below.
Portable spot cleaners are having a big moment right now, especially after Kmart brought out one that costs just $99.
They can be used for stains on upholstery, carpets and the car but many who have purchased the Kmart one seem to be using it for a full couch clean.
A shopper named Sue tried out the product when it first launched and showed the gross results in an Instagram reel.
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“I have wanted one of these for ages and this is less than half the price of its competitors. I’m expecting this to be absolutely putrid so don’t judge me,” she said.
But based on all the images and videos shared by other people who have used the spot cleaner since, it’s safe to say all of our couches are filthier than they look.
The spot cleaner requires some sort of low-foaming cleaning agent, so Sue used a mixture of warm water, a squirt of dishwashing liquid and a tablespoon of vinegar.
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Leather couches require a similar yet slightly different approach but are actually much easier to clean than fabric sofas.
The first thing you’ll need to do is dust the sofa with a microfibre cloth and then vacuum to remove dust and debris.
You can use a specific leather couch cleaner which you can apply by first adding to a cleaning cloth rather than the sofa.
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If using a leather conditioner afterwards, wipe the couch first to remove any residue from the cleaning product.
Alternatively, you can clean a leather sofa with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water.
Dampen a cloth with the DIY solution and apply to the sofa using in circular motions. You might need to rinse the cloth a few times as the dirt starts coming off onto the fabric.
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