A couch is usually the heart of the living room, and a place where people will spend a lot of time, chilling, relaxing, watching TV, or even just hanging out with friends or family members.
So it’s super important to keep it well-maintained and in top condition, so that it’s always a comfortable and inviting piece of furniture.
But how do you wash your couch? It’s going to get dirty over time, so it’s important to keep it clean, but could you just wash it with some soap and water?
Well, soap and water tend to work perfectly fine on most things, and it’s the first go-to method for cleaning just about anything. But when it comes to the couch, it mostly depends on the fabric and the type of stain or dirt you’re cleaning up.
Some couches might be made out of a fabric that is best cleaned with specific products, so always check the label and see if it comes with any cleaning instructions.
Otherwise, you could also test out a small hidden area of the couch, and see how the fabric reacts to the soap and water, before committing to the whole thing.
As for what you’re cleaning up, if it’s a tough stain it might not come out with just soap and water, and you might therefore need something a little stronger.
But if you’re just cleaning the couch from regular dirt, and it’s a routine maintenance sort of cleaning, then soap and water should do the trick with ease.
So to clarify, yes, as a general rule you should be able to wash your couch with soap and water, although the results will vary in effectiveness depending on the stains and dirt, and on the material the couch is made out of.
Here is how to wash your couch, using soap and water:
- Start by choosing the soap. Ideally, it should be mild soap or a gentle dishwashing liquid soap. Nothing too aggressive.
- Mix a few drops of the soap with some warm water, to create your cleaning solution.
- Optional: you could also add a few drops of white vinegar to strengthen the solution!
- Apply the cleaning solution onto the couch, without over-soaking it. You can use a sponge to rub it in and remove the dirt, or a wet cloth to be more gentle!
Can I use laundry detergent to clean my couch?
When it comes to cleaning your couch there are many different products and methods that you can use, as there isn’t a single way to get the job done.
We’ve already covered cleaning your couch with soap and water, and how it’s perfectly fine to do so. But what about using laundry detergent? Would that be okay or is it too aggressive?
Once again, it will mostly depend on the type of couch, and whether the material it is made out of is suited to be cleaned with laundry detergent, or something else.
So if you can’t find a label with instructions, or you’re unsure, we recommend you test a small section of the couch beforehand, to see if there are any negative effects on the fabric.
However, if your couch is a microfiber couch, then we can guarantee that laundry detergent is an excellent choice for cleaning it, and it will be incredibly effective! If you think about it, it kind of makes sense.
Laundry detergent is used to clean clothes, and if your couch is made of microfiber, then it’s pretty much the same thing!
Here is how to clean your couch with laundry detergent:
- Start by mixing around half a cup of laundry detergent, with around a gallon of water. (You can adapt and change these measurements depending on how much cleaning solution you need for your entire couch!)
- Dip a cloth into the solution, and use it to scrub off the dirt from your couch. (The cloth will be a lot better than using a sponge, although you could also use a sponge if preferred.)
- Make sure you’re not over soaking the couch. Once it’s clean, leave it to dry naturally!
Can a sofa be washed?
It is often said that you should wash sofas with loose covers, but leave fixed sofas be. This is said because, with loose covers, you can simply unzip them and remove them from the sofa.
You can stick them in the washing machine, leave them to dry, and then place them back on the sofa once they’re nice and clean, without having to touch the sofa itself.
And that’s completely fine, and definitely how you should be washing sofas with loose covers! But what about the fixed sofas? As in, those without removable covers?
Well, despite some people claiming you should just leave them alone, that isn’t going to stop them from the fact that they will get dirty over time, accumulating stains, debris, and foul odors. You can’t just never wash your sofa! Especially if you use it regularly and over many years!
So yes, a sofa can be washed, in fact, a sofa should be washed every now and then, to ensure that it is hygienic and well taken care of. The question, instead, is how to wash each type of sofa, and it’s all about finding the best method that works for your sofa in particular.
That way you can wash it regularly without causing any damage, and hopefully, without having to put too much effort in!
Can you clean a sofa with dish soap?
Yes, you can clean a sofa with dish soap. To do this, you can refer back to our answer for whether you can wash a couch with soap and water, as it’s pretty much the same thing, and we included dish soap amongst the types of soap that could be used!
Dish soap can be pretty effective for cleaning a sofa, and it’s easy to use, mixed with some warm water. However, it might not work for removing tough stains or dirt!
