Cleaning Microfiber Furniture

We have a microfiber sofa in our basement and it is a MESS (I will not even take a picture of it for this post because it is just that gross and I refuse to replace it until the kids are older because we are only going to keep on getting it messy)! There are little water spots due to small leaks from juice boxes, greasy spots from food being set down, etc. The sad part is that we paid extra for some sort of stain protection (this was way before we had kids) for the couch and well, we got ripped off.

Our couch has two regular cushions and one long chaise-like side. To clean the cushions, I typically just take the cushion covers off and throw them in the washer. The only problem is that the chaise's cover is impossible to take off and of course, which section do you think tends to look the worst? The arms also get water spots on them from time to time and they are tough to get off.

When I saw this pin, I thought, I HAVE to try this! Here is the pin and description:

How to clean microfiber furniture (please click on the picture to go to the blog).

So I followed the instructions and was hoping for a miracle! First, you really need a well ventilated area because the alcohol is very pungent. I scrubbed and scrubbed at my toughest water spots. While I will say that surface dirt comes off using this method, I did not have any luck with regard to my water spots. My husband and I rented a steam cleaner last year to clean our carpets and he used the attachments on the chaise and arm rests and so far, that has been the only thing to rid our couch of the unsightly water spots. But of course, how often do you rent one of those machines?

Would I try to clean my couches with alcohol again? For me, no. I think putting the cushion covers in the washing machine is still the best option for me. I think if you own a couch where the covers do not come off, this is a great way to get rid of a lot of surface dirt and filth. I don't think it works if you want to rid your couch of water spots.

Good luck and happy pinning!