How to Clean a Suede Sofa at Home

Posted by Go Cleaners London on March 9, 2018 in Cleaning Tips

Suede is a delicate material that makes your room look luxurious and warm. A suede couch is a beautiful addition to every home and it should be an essential element of your cosy place.

Credits: Title: “England “Peyton” Couch”. Author: Mark Baylor. Used under license: CC BY 2.0

Suede gets dirty and shabby easily and suede furniture will lose its charm and attractiveness if you do not know how to take care of it properly. Suede has a bit of a bad reputation for being difficult to maintain. The instructions below will show you simple ways to clean a suede sofa and keep it as pristine as brand new without much effort.

What you have to do first

Before you start cleaning your suede couch, follow these good practices:

1. Learn more about the suede and read the care instructions on the label;
2. Test the stain solutions over an invisible area to check if it will damage your sofa;
3. Prepare the room where you will clean – open the windows to provide fresh air in it;
4. Use a painter’s respirator mask, if it is necessary;

To clean a suede couch with household products, you should prepare all necessary things, such as:

How to maintain your suede sofa

Are you disturbed by how to keep your suede furniture looking magnificent year after year? The key to making them seem brand new is to clean them on a regular basis. That will prevent the dirt and dust from setting into the fabric (learn more about where dust usually settles in your home). If you leave a stain to set in, your couch will not look the same anymore. The stained areas will be darker and spotty.

Follow this simple step-by-step guide for cleaning suede sofa:

1. Remove the cushions and collect all debris that you see – paper, hair, crumbs.
2. Thoroughly vacuum each cushion using the upholstery attachment of your vacuum cleaner. To learn more about how to clean your sofa cushions DIY, please see the best way you can clean them with household products.
3. Use a criss-cross vacuuming motion to remove any accumulated dust and pet hair from the rest of the sofa.
4. Wipe gently on both sides of the cushions with the soft suede brush. This will help removing the rest of the dirt and will restore the lustre of the couch.
5. Flip and rotate the cushions throughout different positions to reveal fresh fabric, for instance, if one cushion gets more amounts of wear than the other.
6. Brush the nap of the sofa at least once a week using a nap rubbing cloth. Brushing removes the accumulated dust and restores the shine of the couch.

Note: Remember that good microfibre recliners or sofas with a suede feel will be slightly different to maintain and clean.

How to brush your suede upholstery sofa

After you have cleaned the spills and removed the stains, it is time to recover the attractive and luxurious look of your suede couch.

You should gently rub it with a soft suede brush. An appropriate way to do that is with small circular motions. You can apply a little bit more pressure on the stained areas.

We recommend you brush your suede sofa on a regular basis. That will remove the surface dirt and dust and will raise the nap on your suede furniture.

How to remove stains from your suede couch

Even if you follow our advice and maintain your suede sofa every week, you can not protect it from accidents at all times. They just happen. But if you act at the moment you can minimize the damage. That important rule applies when it comes to removing stains from a mattress as well.

Follow our instructions below to learn how to clean different kinds of stains out of a suede couch with household products.

How to clean greasy stains

Do you enjoy a bowl of buttered popcorn during a movie? Or maybe you prefer a greasy slice of pizza while watching television, leaning on your suede sofa? Shortly the oily spots will attract your attention. Do not panic! If you treat them in the right way, you will remove the greasy stains in no time:

1. Splash the stain with some baby powder to soak up the oil.
2. Let the powder for an hour to make its magic.
3. You will notice that the powder changes its colour and texture. That is a sign it has absorbed the oil.
4. Brush away with the soft suede brush.

How to remove wet stains

If there is a spill on the sofa, you should treat it as soon as possible because suede is very sensitive to moisture. The longer you leave the liquid to soak, the harder it will be to remove it.

To avoid any unpleasant surprises, here is how you can remove wet stains from the suede sofa:

1. Wipe the spot down with a dry cloth to absorb as much liquid as it can. Do not rub.
2. Let the area dry or use your hair dryer on the cool settings for faster results.
3. Use a clean cloth and an upholstery cleaner for suede. Gently brush the affected area.

If you still see the spot after it is dry, you should use the method below for dry stains.

How to get rid of dry stains

Old stains are more difficult to clean but you can deal with them successfully. The following method shows you the best way to clean them:

1. Gently rub the suede eraser over the spot.
2. Brush off the stain using the soft suede brush to remove the excess dirt.
3. If you fail to remove the stain with the eraser, you can use some white vinegar. Apply it on a dry towel, rub the area gently and let it dry.
4. Rub the stained area with the suede brush to restore and smooth the nap.

Final words…

Now you have it, your guide to removing stains from suede at home. These tips will help you to keep your suede sofa looking great and gorgeous.

There are three things you can do to keep your sofa clean and neat — to clean it regularly, to remove stains ASAP and to brush the nap every week.

If you are having trouble to remove stubborn stains from your suede sofa, you can always call a professional sofa cleaning service.

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