As someone obsessed with home decor, my light-grey sofa takes center stage in my living room. Which is why I go to great lengths to keep it clean, stain-free and essentially looking brand new.
So you can imagine my horror when I spotted an oil stain on my sofa (which nobody admitted to), that looked unsightly. In my haste to remove the stain, I rushed to the kitchen and retrieved the one product that I thought would do the trick.
However, little did I know that I’d be making one of the biggest cleaning faux pas around. In fact, this is one of the common stain removal mistakes to avoid at all costs — I just wish I’d known beforehand.
Do not use this kind of multi-purpose cleaner
I had reached for my trusted, multi-purpose cleaning spray that I rely on for pretty much anything around the home. Spraying directly onto the stain, I lightly dabbed it to remove with a cloth.
But while it had got rid of the stain, it also left a white patch on my sofa, making matters worse. Upon looking at the small-print at the back of the bottle, it said it contained "small traces of bleach" — my heart sank.
Generally, bleach is great for killing germs, removing tough stains, and for so many things you never knew you could clean with bleach. However, there are certain things you should never clean with bleach — such as colored materials and delicate surfaces.
This is mainly because bleach is a strong chemical that can strip away and discolor dyed fabrics and clothing. And even if your cleaning product doesn’t explicitly say that it contains bleach, always check the label first (as I discovered the hard way).
Trouble is, once you’ve stripped away the color of fabrics, it’s very difficult to fix, unless you’re prepared to re-dye it again!
Fortunately, I was able to replace the ‘ruined’ removable seat cover by calling in a new one from the manufacturer. And while it had cost me extra money, it was still a small price to pay compared to buying a new sofa.
How to remove stains from a sofa
Since then, I learned never to make the same mistake again. And after looking for top tips from the ‘CleanTok’ community, I tried this easy hack to remove sofa stains — and it actually worked.
Simply sprinkle baking soda evenly over the stain, and let it sit for about an hour. This will give it time to absorb into the fabric, and get to work in lifting the stain.
Then, use a powerful vacuum cleaner to remove all traces of the baking soda, using the upholstery brush attachment. You might need to repeat this until the stain has disappeared, but always do a spot test on a small or discreet area first. The last thing you want is to make your stain look worse!
So if you see a stain or mark on your beloved sofa, don’t make the same cleaning mistake that I did!
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