I recently got this couch used. I had heard many great things about microfiber furniture, and decided to try it out. We needed couches, and these were free. I expected they would be easy to clean. But that is not the case. The couches have huge huge stains on them.
It's as if she never once took the time to make sure they were clean. She says her children would just play on them all the time and she was tired of the mess. She says it has to be steam cleaned.
Well I found some tips and made a solution of 50/50 dish soap to water, sprayed it on, and wiped it off. I was scrubbing a little with the paper towels, I could see that the dirt was coming off. But, there are so many places on these couches to clean and I can't afford to have it professionally done.
I need to know exactly what to do. Exactly what should work. It looks like juice stains, and piled on dirt from shoes, a lot of the marks are big and black. I'm not sure all is dirt, maybe some is just grease or something. So, what can I do? What home products can clean these things? And if I get a steamer, the one I can rent is a carpet cleaner with an upholstery attachment. What cleaner do I put in it to make sure it doesn't destroy these things? I think I will be renting my cleaner tomorrow; I just don't know what to put in it.
By Elicea from Salt Lake City, UT
I just use a windex type cleaner and a coarse wash cloth. Just scrub 'em clean. No rinsing or other needed.
You absolutely can use a steam cleaner on microfiber couches; we bought a clearance Bissell a few years back that really had been marked down and was a deal too good to pass up.
Would strongly recommend using whatever the machine manufacturer says to use in the way of steam cleaning detergent or, read labels carefully if buying generic "all machine" equivalents. Making your own homemade remedies may not be a good idea when renting a steam machine; if your "experiment" goes terribly wrong and gums up the machine, you're liable for the condition of it when it's returned after use.
For general maintenance afterward (we have one large and messy dog, so it's ongoing upkeep here)what we generally do is spot cleaning on the couches every couple of days with mild detergent . We have used Dawn and warm water, even hair shampoo! and spot rinse. Less is more: if you're doing this regularly, no need to saturate the couch. Dipping a washcloth or sponge in either the soapy or clear solutions and wringing them out well still gets the job done and dries faster.
When I rent a steam cleaner, I just use hot water and vinegar. Works pretty well and is much cheaper. Pretreating individual spots will help a lot as well.
Can I clean a microfiber sofa with a steam cleaner?
