How I Cleaned My Microfiber Couch

I had no idea how to clean my old microfiber couch. When I bought this furniture 7 years ago I was 21 years old with a very young child. The salesman told me this would be the easiest furniture to clean for his dirty little fingers.

"Just take a rag and dish detergent and wipe it right up!"

SOLD! That was all I needed to hear. So I bought a loveseat and chaise lounge in a beige color.
These things have had spills, markers, dirty feet, Cheeto hands (all you mom's out there know about those) and the list goes on.
I did exactly as I was instructed by the so called knowledgeable salesman and simply wiped it up.

WRONG! All I managed to accomplish was stain the couches even more with these large water rings. Over the years I have tried carpet cleaner and homemade solutions, but nothing worked. I only made it look worse.

Until now. Let's all celebrate. For anyone who already knew this trick, good on you, and for anyone one who didn't, your life is going to change.

It's so simple and you only need one common household ingredient. Rubbing alcohol. Yes, that's right. If you prefer, you could use a clear alcohol such as vodka too.

I found this  on Pinterest of course and it led me to a site called One Good Thing. If you click the link it will take you to the post and it actually has a lot of useful info on microfiber furniture. I didn't realize that there were different types that you clean differently.

I want to start by saying that you should test a small area first to make sure it does not leave any marks or stains behind. I wouldn't want anyone to ruin their furniture.

I simply vacuumed any loose dirt and debris from the couch to start clean.

Then I added my alcohol to a spray bottle and spritzed the stained area really well. I personally used a washrag to clean, but you could also use a cleaning pad. Just make sure that if you are using a rag that it is white. The alcohol could make some color from a rag rub off onto your furniture and make a bigger mess.
You have to really get in there and scrub. My hands and wrist were sore after I was done. Of course, I had an entire couch to clean and not just one stain. I only did little sections at a time so that I didn't miss any spots.
Once the area is dry, check your furniture. Run your hands over the areas you have cleaned. If it feels stiff you could use a soft scrub brush and gently rub it over the area to fluff it up. I personally used an extra brush out of my manicure set that I don't use.

That's it your done! It's that simple. I hope you get as much use out of this post as I did doing it.

 

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