How to Clean a Couch

Fabric, Leather or Secondhand

By David A.

Here's how to clean a couch without ruining it: find the cleaning code on the tag, vacuum every seam, spot clean stains with the right cleaner for that code, deep clean only the way the tag allows, and let it dry all the way before anyone sits on it. That covers most fabric couches. Leather needs a gentler hand, and if you've just brought home a secondhand couch, we've got a few tips for that too. We'll walk through all of it below.

Find the cleaning code first

Before you spray a single thing, flip up a seat cushion or tip the couch back and look for the care tag. It's usually stitched under a cushion or along the bottom of the frame. Most manufacturers use the same four letters, and that one letter tells you exactly what your fabric can handle.

Why does this matter so much? Water on an S fabric can shrink it, leave water rings, or pull the color, and any cleaner at all can do the same to an X fabric. If there's no tag (it happens, especially on older pieces), treat the couch like an S until you've tested a hidden spot.

One more thing the tag decides: whether a steam cleaner or a rental carpet machine is even an option. Bassett, for one, says hot water extraction and steam aren't recommended even on its W/S fabrics, while the companies that make those machines say W and W/S fabrics are fine. When the maker of your couch and the maker of a machine disagree, go with the couch.

What you need to clean a couch

You probably have most of this already. Nothing here is fancy, and that's the point: gentle tools do less damage.

• A vacuum with an upholstery tool and a crevice tool
• Several white microfiber cloths (white, so no dye transfers onto your fabric)
• An empty spray bottle
• Mild dish soap for W fabrics, or rubbing alcohol or a dry-cleaning solvent for S fabrics
• A soft-bristled upholstery brush
• Distilled water and a mild soap if you're cleaning leather
• A fan, or a day nice enough to open the windows

Step 1: Vacuum everything

Every good couch cleaning starts with the vacuum, because rubbing a cleaner into crumbs, grit and pet hair just grinds them deeper. Pull off every cushion you can. Run the crevice tool along the seams, down the sides, and into the gap where the back meets the seat, which is where coins, crumbs and the TV remote go to hide.

Then switch to the upholstery tool and go over the arms, the back, the skirt, and both sides of every cushion. Bassett points out that regular vacuuming does more than tidy up: the dust you're removing is abrasive, and left in place it wears fabric down faster. On velvet and other pile fabrics, go with the direction of the nap.

Step 2: Spot clean stains

Now the stains. The method changes with the code, but a few rules hold for every fabric: test first, use as little liquid as you can, and blot instead of rubbing. Rubbing spreads a stain and roughs up the fibers, and you'll see that fuzzy patch long after the stain is gone.

For a W or W/S couch

Mix a few drops of mild dish soap into warm water in your spray bottle. Mist the stain lightly, just enough to dampen it, then blot with a clean white cloth, working from the outside of the stain toward the middle so it doesn't spread. Rinse with a cloth dampened in plain water, then blot dry.

For an S couch

Skip the water completely. Use a water-free dry-cleaning solvent, following its label. On S-coded microfiber, plain rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle is the go-to: spray lightly, blot, and let it evaporate. A soft brush afterward lifts the fibers back up so the spot doesn't look flat.

For an X couch

Vacuum and brush, and that's it. For a stain on an X fabric, an upholstery cleaning pro is the safe call.

Whatever the code, test your cleaner on a hidden spot first, like the back of the skirt or under a cushion, and let it dry fully before you judge it. Stanley Steemer suggests a hair dryer to speed that test along. If the color shifts or the fabric changes texture, stop there.

Step 3: Deep clean the whole couch

Spot cleaning handles the obvious stuff. A deep clean takes care of the gray film, body oils and the general "lived on" smell that builds up over months.

Wash the covers, if the tag says you can

If your cushion covers zip off, check the care tag on the cover itself. Some are made to go in the washer and some aren't, and a cover that shrinks won't go back on. If they're washable, wash them on cold and gentle, and dry them the way that same tag says.

Clean the body of the couch

For W and W/S fabrics, work in sections. Mist your mild soap solution or apply an upholstery shampoo as foam, brush it in gently with a soft brush, then blot with a damp white cloth to lift the dirt and the soap. Overlap your sections a little so you don't leave clean squares with dingy edges. Keep it damp, never soaked: water that soaks through to the cushion foam and frame is what causes rings, mildew smells and slow drying.

If your tag allows it and you want to go further, a portable upholstery extractor pulls dirt and water back out of the fabric. Just check the tag again first, since some furniture makers say no extraction or steam on their fabrics at all. For S and X fabrics, a deep clean is a job for an upholstery cleaning pro.

Step 4: Let it dry all the way

This is the step people rush, and it's where water rings and musty smells come from. Bissell recommends giving a deep-cleaned couch at least four to six hours to air dry. Speed it up with a fan, an open window, or the AC or heat running. Stand loose cushions on their edges so air reaches both sides.

Don't sit on it, put the cushions back, or toss a throw over it until it's dry all the way through. Press a dry paper towel into the deepest spot you cleaned. If it comes up damp, give it more time.

How to clean a leather couch

Leather is a different animal. It doesn't have a W or S code, and most of the cleaners that are fine on fabric are hard on leather.

1. Dust it first. Wipe it down with a soft cloth or the soft brush on your vacuum. La-Z-Boy suggests a weekly wipe with a cloth barely dampened with distilled water.
2. Clean with a gentle mix. La-Z-Boy's leather care method is half mild soap and half distilled water, whipped into a light foam on a slightly damp cloth. Wipe gently and don't scrub hard.
3. Rinse. Wipe again with a cloth dampened in distilled water to lift the soap.
4. Let it dry naturally. No hair dryer and no heater. Ethan Allen notes that heat ages leather early and can make it crack.

What to keep off leather: Bassett lists polishes, oils, ammonia, solvents and detergents as harmful, and Ethan Allen warns that household cleaners and wet wipes wear away the protective top coat most leather has. If your leather couch came with care instructions, they win. Faux leather is a different material again, so check its own care tag before you use any of the above.

How to clean a secondhand couch

We're big believers in a great used couch. A well-made sofa with plenty of life left in it saves you money and keeps a good piece out of the landfill. Here's how to clean a used couch and give it a fresh start in your home.

Start with the tag and the covers

Before you clean anything, take a few minutes to get to know your new couch. Find the cleaning code tag so you know exactly what the fabric can handle, see which cushion covers zip off, and pull the cushions so you can reach every seam. Most good secondhand couches just need a fresh start, and that's what the next few steps give it.

Vacuum like you mean it

Give it the full Step 1 treatment: every seam, both sides of every cushion, under the deck, and along the frame.

Wash what can be washed

If the cushion covers are removable and their tag says they're washable, wash them. Dry them the way that same tag says.

Couch cleaning mistakes to skip

• Skipping the tag. It takes ten seconds and tells you everything.
• Soaking the fabric. Damp cleans. Soaked leaves rings, smells and a couch that takes days to dry.
• Rubbing stains. Blot from the outside in.
• Colored cloths and towels. Dye can transfer onto light fabric. Stick with white.
• Steam or a carpet machine on the wrong fabric. Only if the tag allows it, and never on S or X fabrics.
• Baking soda everywhere. It's a popular deodorizing tip, but Stanley Steemer cautions that fabrics react differently to it, so test a hidden spot before you sprinkle a whole couch.
• Heat on leather. Let it dry on its own.
• Putting cushions back too soon. If it's damp, wait.

How often to clean your couch

Bissell's schedule is a good rule of thumb: vacuum your couch weekly or every other week, spot clean spills right away, and plan a deep clean about every two months, more often with pets or kids. Bassett adds two habits that make a couch last: flip, fluff and rotate the cushions regularly so they wear evenly, and keep fabric out of direct sunlight, which fades color and breaks down fibers.

Couch cleaning questions

Can I use Dawn dish soap to clean my couch?

On a W or W/S fabric, yes. A few drops of mild dish soap like Dawn in warm water is one of the most common spot cleaners for fabric couches. Keep it light, blot instead of rubbing, rinse with a damp cloth, and test a hidden spot first. Don't use it on S or X fabrics or on leather.

What is the best homemade couch cleaner?

It depends on the code. For W fabrics, a few drops of dish soap in warm water. For S-coded microfiber, rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. For leather, half mild soap and half distilled water, used as a light foam. There's no single homemade cleaner that's safe on every couch, which is why the tag comes first.

How do I deep clean my sofa?

Vacuum it thoroughly, wash removable covers if their tag allows, then work through the body of the couch in sections with a cleaner that matches its code, blotting with a damp white cloth as you go. Use an extractor only if the tag allows it. Then let it dry for at least four to six hours.

Is it safe to steam clean a fabric couch?

Only if the care tag allows it. Steam and hot water extraction can shrink, water-mark or discolor fabrics that aren't made for them, and some furniture makers don't recommend steam even on W/S fabrics. Check the tag, test a hidden spot, and never steam an S or X fabric or leather.

How long does a couch take to dry after cleaning?

Plan on at least four to six hours after a deep clean, and longer in humid weather. A fan, an open window or the AC speeds it up. Don't sit on it until the deepest spot you cleaned feels dry.

Looking for a couch worth cleaning?

We're BuxMont Thrift, serving Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties with quality secondhand couches and other large pieces in good to like-new condition. Every couch is fairly priced and accurately described, and we photograph any imperfections up close. Browse our couches, or see how pickup and local delivery work. When it's gone, it's gone, so take a look before the next one finds a home.