Maintaining a sofa is never easy, since you have to deal with stains very quickly, which can even include water stains. Despite just being plain water, these stains can be notoriously difficult to remove. So if you happen to find yourself in a similar situation, here is how you can deal with these pesky stains.
How to Get Old Water Stains Out of the Couch?
Removing water stains from a sofa becomes much harder the older it gets. If the stain does not dry properly, it can promote mildew growth inside the foam and padding of your fabric sofa, permanently ruining your couch.
You will have to be a little gentle with the fabric sofa when trying effective methods to remove water stains from a spill, since careless cleaning can permanently damage the stained area. you should always follow the right instructions when cleaning, as to avoid damaging your sofa. But before you can start using effective methods for removing water stains from your couch, removing these spots is important.
Make sure that there are no minerals or residue on your couch, which could react negatively to the mixture. There is also a chance that this residue could damage the upholstery by reacting poorly with the mixture. In that case use a mixture that you usually wash your sofa with, or use a milder solution if the fabric is a little more sensitive.
Step 1: Cleaning the Sofa
The first step to removing water stains off a sofa is by first cleaning the stained area properly. Cleaning that area with a vacuum cleaner is very efficient, getting rid of anything that might have stuck to the stain when it was wet. You should also check if your vacuum cleaner can support liquids, as it is possible for the water stains to still be slightly wet.
Cleaning the area can ensure that any excess liquid in the stains also wrings out. You can also use a damp rag to wipe off the dirt and grime from the upholstery of the sofa. And to wring out the excess liquid, you can use a dry cloth.
Step 2: Create a Cleaning Solution
Certain sofa’s upholstery material can be more delicate than others, which is why you should always start cleaning with a milder solution. Again, water stains are not very heavy, so something like vinegar with more water, or diluted dish soap mixture with more water can be a good choice. Try not to make something too concentrated, as it could react poorly with fabric sofas and their delicate material.
Step 3: Gently Scrub to Remove the Water Stains
Now that you have your cleaning liquid ready and have removed dirt off the furniture, you can now moving onto removing it. Use a dry cloth to gently scrub out the spot from your sofa after you apply the cleaning liquid to the fabric material.
Using a soft bristled brush when removing liquid off the couch is also effective. Gently scrub from the outside edges, slowly moving to the center to avoid the mark from spreading. Be gentle with the fabric material, since you do not want to rip it or damage its feel.
Step 4: Dry the Sofa
Remove the any residue from the sofa after you were able to remove water stains is the final step. Use a rag to wipe down any of your cleaning mixture along with any dirt that might have come off, making the process of drying the sofa much easier. Now you can use a vacuum cleaner to suck any more of the mixture out of your furniture, making it dry. Or if you do not want the noise from vacuuming you can use some napkins and remove the rest of the spots. Not drying the sofa could lead to mildew growth, as well.
Remove Water Stains on the Couch after Cleaning?
Accidents happen so it is possible that someone simply dropped some water leaving a mark on the couch. But if you were just done cleaning your sofa, what should you do next. Will you need to bring out the mixture again, or is there a better alternative to get rid of spots on your sofa now?
Depending on the spill on the couch creating the water spot, you might not have to do much at all. For example, if someone left a fresh water soiled spot on your couch, here is how you can fix it.
Plain Water
Plain water spots are possibly the easiest to remove, since they do not have any smells or colors you have to worry about if you spill it on your sofa. Therefore, to remove the water stain, you can simply iron down the spot, but not before vacuuming it. Vacuuming the blotch is also very important, as it can take off the dirt and dust from the area, and waterproof ones can also be good at taking out excess liquid. You can also use a regular rag to take off the dirt.
Once the area is clean and the excess liquid is out, you can use a steam iron to instantly and easily remove the soiled spot. Fabric steamers are also very effective to remove water stains, so you can use that as well, but only if fabric sofas can handle it.
Not all couches are made the same, so some can have better results than others when using irons and steamers. Be sure to read the instructions that come with your sofa.
Juices or Red Wine
It is easy to remove water stains that do not have any additions to them from a couch. But if someone spills juice or any other colored liquid on your sofa, you will now have to take out the blotch by properly cleaning it.
For red wine specifically, you can start by blotting out the excess wine from the couch to make the spot easier to clean. Now create a mixture with 1 parts dish washing liquid and 3 parts hydrogen peroxide, which you can use on the couch’s soiled spot. Apply the fluid to soiled spot of the sofa, and let it sit for at least an hour. If you follow these instructions accurately, you can greatly improve the longevity of your couch.
Use a cloth to blot out the mixture, which is one of the best techniques to take out most of the color from these spots. Now you can proceed to wash the color and the smell out of the sofa, therefore removing water stains.
Are Water Stains Permanent?
Removing Water stains is fairly easy, rarely requiring anything more than what you already have at home. So just by using what you already have at home, you can remove water stains from a fabric couch before it starts becoming hard.
To remove water stains out of fabric can be very difficult, but it is never impossible. Water stains are not permanent, but they can be much more difficult to take out depending on how long you leave them. You can usually remove water stains that are mild by simply adding clean water and ironing it on low heat. This will usually have your couch looking good as new.
But if ironing does not take out the spot, then you will have to clean it with a dedicated mix that works on upholstery.
Wrap-Up
it can be easy to remove water stains, as long as you have the right equipment. Luckily, you do not need a lot to remove these spots. Vinegar is usually enough to clean off dirt and minerals off upholstery, making the sofa look brand new. But by following the tips above, you can easily get rid of the stains and then quickly move on with your day. Just be careful not to use a rough mixture, and try not to scrub too hard at the surface.