Skip to main content

Are you cleaning your living room couches enough?

Our couches see a lot of action throughout the day. Between eating takeout, binging Netflix, recovering during sick days, and hours spent lounging around, our sofas become a playground for dirt, food, and other debris. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for this piece of furniture to be neglected during cleaning time. While we are all aware that our beds harbor dead skin, dirt, and grime, we often forget that so do our couches.

Today we’ll be looking at the best methods of cleaning your living room couch. Knowing how to deep clean couches is critical for maintaining a healthy, allergen-free home environment. Below are our tips for cleaning your sofa no matter what material it’s made of or how often you put it to use.

Why you need to clean your couches often

Have you ever lifted your couch cushions to find a complex time capsule of all of the activities you’ve embarked on in the prior months? Food crumbs, pencils, hair, dirt, and maybe even a toy or two had somehow weaseled their way into the heart of your living room couch.

Like beds, couches also collect debris and small particles over time. Humans and animals shed skin cells and hair daily, so it’s no wonder that the couch would collect some of these fallen fragments.

Cleaning your couch often will prevent these particles from gathering too greatly and causing an allergic reaction. After all, no matter who you are, enough dirt and dust will make you sneeze. And if you spend your sick days on the couch, that’s all the more reason to invest in a deeper cleaning routine to prevent the spreading of germs.

person with their pet on the leather couch
Samson Katt/Pexels

How often should you clean your couch?

According to many experts, vacuuming your couch once a week is sufficient to maintain a clean space. While it’s always encouraged to do a seasonal deep clean for your larger furniture, doing a weekly cleanse is great for preventing allergens.

Vacuum up any loose debris once a week, and your space will feel much more refreshing. If you choose to take longer naps on your couch, it’s recommended that you use a sheet over the cushions to protect your furniture from any small particles further.

How to clean your couch

If you’re unsure how to clean your couch properly, don’t fret. It’s important to clean your couch based on the type of material that it’s made of to ensure a proper cleanse. Below are our best tips for deep cleaning couches.

If it’s made of fabric

If your couch is made of fabric, you can opt for a small fabric cleaner like Lysol or Febreze to help disinfect and refresh your cushions. Lift the cushions and vacuum up any loose material that had fallen beneath. Follow up with a spray of your choice and allow the cushions to air dry.

If it’s made of leather

After vacuuming any loose material beneath the cushions, leather couches are best cleaned with specialized leather cleaning wipes. Gently use the wipes to disinfect the couch surface. A specialized leather cleaning solution will protect your furniture during the cleaning process.

If it’s made of pleather

Pleather couches are fairly easy to clean due to their material makeup. After vacuuming, you can opt for any disinfectant spray or wipe to help clean the cushions. If you prefer to make a spray formula of your own, a little bit of gentle dish soap, rubbing alcohol, water, and essential oils for a fresh scent can go a long way.

If it’s made of velvet

Couches made of velvet will require additional care. Before vacuuming, use a sturdy bristle brush to brush the velvet surface to loosen any debris. If you want to do a deeper clean or remove unwanted stains, opt for a wet cloth and gentle dish soap. Blot the stained area and move the cloth in gentle, circular strokes. Allow the solution to rest on the stain and dry for an hour. Once dry, use a brush and vacuum to clean up the rest of the debris.

woman sitting on white couch with a laptop
Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

Best tips for cleaning a couch

When cleaning a couch, it’s best to remove the cushions fully from the couch frame to ensure that every item is properly sanitized and vacuumed. Additionally, when performing a deep clean, it can be beneficial to move the couch away from its normal resting place and sweep or vacuum up any dirt or dust accumulated underneath the furniture.

If you have any pillows or blankets on the couch, be sure to wash and dry them as per their instructions tags. This will keep the entire area smelling and feeling refreshed and dust-free.

Cleaning your couch is an easy process that requires little time and effort. While many people often neglect cleaning this piece of furniture, doing so can greatly enhance the appeal of your home, making it a safe and healthy place to sit back and relax.

Editors' Recommendations

Amelia Wilson
Amelia Wilson (pen name Amelia J. Wilson) is a content writer in Greenwood, IN. She enjoys topics on productivity…
This incredible app helps you find furniture that looks like it’s from premium brands – for a fraction of the cost
Trying to save money on furniture in your next redesign? This app can help you find name-brand lookalikes
Living room with multiple types of lighting

When searching for new and affordable furniture to spruce up your interior, it can be frustrating to find the right items for your design. Of course, you want quality pieces that look stunning, but sometimes the name brand isn’t always best for you or your situation. While luxury and name brands often have what seem to be the perfect items, the prices aren’t always suitable for your home furnishing budget. That’s why apps like Craftle have come to your aid.

Craftle is a unique app that may be a game changer in your next redesign. If you’re looking for ways to save money while still creating a luxe look in your space, then this could be just what you need.
What is Craftle?
Craftle is an app that works to find similar or lookalike products for a fraction of the price of the original name-brand item. For example, if you love a West Elm sofa but don’t love the high price tag, Craftle’s lookalike finder can search for a similar sofa design for a cheaper price. If you’re looking to save money in your next redesign or are working with a limited budget, Craftle’s lookalike search finder could save you hundreds.

Read more
Cellar advice: The many creative ways to store your wine at home
Need a clever way to store your wine without breaking the bank? Here are some fine ideas
Wine bottles in a wine rack

We've heard the story before. You've got a bunch of wine, but you're not sure how to store it. Renting a wine locker is expensive, building a proper European-style cave system is unrealistic (for most), and simply keeping bottles upright in boxes takes up space and isn't the proper way to store your liquid assets. Don't worry, we've got some great ideas.

Perhaps you've already improved your home bar or put some wine barrels to work as great home decor. Now, it's time to organize those bottles in a way that will allow you to show them off to friends and age them to perfection. And while we all wish we could afford this, let's work on more realistic ways to cellar those bottles of merlot and chardonnay.

Read more
This TikTok hack for getting gross smells out of thrift store furniture is genius
We love this cheap and easy trick for removing old smells from secondhand furniture
antique furniture store

If you love weekends spent scouring vintage stores for furniture pieces you can either refurbish or find a place for in your home but don't love the smells that come with them, you're not alone. Antique stores have a certain smell because, well, the items in them are old. With years of well-worn love and, oftentimes, storage, comes a smell that many want to get rid of. One TikToker called onceuponabungalow heard about the perfect (and super easy) way to get old smells out of pre-loved furniture from gocleanco, and you'll be happy she's shared her knowledge.

https://www.tiktok.com/@onceuponabungalow/video/7207897968496676102
All you need is newspaper
The trick is simple. Just crumple up old newspapers and fill the shelves of old bookcases, cabinets, and vintage dinettes, and leave them in for up to a week. When you're done, simply take the paper out, throw it away, and you'll be rid of the aging smell that used to come from the shelves. Many agreed in the comments saying it's the only trick they've used that's helped get bad smells out of furniture. Of course, if it's fabric, you can have it cleaned professionally as long as you know what type of fabric you're working with, but for old wood pieces, newspaper will do the trick.
Other tips and tricks
Some of the other commenters on the post had a few other options that may get old smells out of furniture. One said to spray the furniture with vodka because "vodka kills all smells." Another suggested charcoal briskets, and while that may work, it's probably a messier alternative to newspaper. Still another recommended vinegar in a bowl placed inside a unit, but again, you may have to deal with spills, so make sure you have a dedicated space so your furniture is out of the way and it doesn't get bumped.

Read more