Next to carpets and area rugs, sofa is the most susceptible area for dirt and stains. If you do not take appropriate care of it, you will soon see pest and mildew infestation accompanied with bad odours. Before you clean the sofa, check the following:
 
* For some types of sofas, cleaning with water will ruin it. Hence, know the perfect method that best suits your sofa fabric.
 
* Check if the sofa fabric loses colour very easily. In such cases, it is essential to use the cleaners recommended in the manufacturer's manual.
 
* Check the effectiveness of the cleaner on a small area of the sofa.  If the results are satisfactory, use it to clean else select another cleaner.
 
Sofa cleaning is a simple four step process as given below:
 
1. Eliminate the loose dirt by vacuuming.
 
2. Apply the cleaner all over the sofa. It is recommended to clean the entire sofa at once to prevent water marks. If it is possible to remove the cushions, clean one cushion at a time.
 
3. Wash it with water thoroughly to remove the cleaner.
 
4. Allow the cushions to dry well before replacing.
 
The above process works well for sofas with normal fabric, but cleaning leather sofas is very tough. Especially, it is very hard to eliminate stains. If you spill anything on your leather couch, first thing you have to do is wring out the excess liquid with a dry cloth to eliminate the menace of staining. It is advised to avoid use of hard soaps, as most of the leathers are sensitive to hard soaps.
 
Microfiber sofas with stain resistance feature are becoming highly popular. These need mild cleaners free of bleach and fabric softeners that breakdown the microfibers after repeated washing. Dish washing soap or a laundry detergent diluted with water will clean the microfiber sofa very easily. It is even very easy to get rid of pet odours. Sprinkling of baking soda followed by vacuuming will eliminate the odours. It is recommended to steam clean microfiber sofas occasionally.
 
One best suggestion is to read the manufacturer's instructions before purchasing the sofa to know its stain resistance ability and the ease of cleaning.
 
 

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