Whether it be food and drink spills or scuff marks, removing sofa stains can often be a chore in itself. And since our sofa is the centerpiece of any living or entertaining room, stains can make it look unsightly — especially if you have guests over.
After years of trying to keep my light, gray sofa clean and spotless (by literally banning my son from eating on it), it had fallen victim to an ugly stain. Much to my dismay, using soapy water — and every cleaning product in my cabinet, failed to remove the stain.
While such marks seem impossible to shift, I discovered a simple hack that doesn’t even involve water. In fact, all you’ll need is this one common household ingredient that you’ll already have in your kitchen cupboard.
With that in mind, I decided to get to work on my stubborn sofa stain — here’s what happened.
1. Give your sofa a quick clean
First, I gave the sofa a quick once-over with my vacuum cleaner to remove any surface dust or dirt on the fabric. Alternatively, you could wipe the area with a clean microfiber cloth or use a soft-bristled brush to remove small debris.
In any case, always check the care label of your particular sofa first, to avoid damaging the fabric.
2. Sprinkle baking soda over stain
Next, I lightly sprinkled baking soda evenly over the stain, and let it sit for about an hour. This will give it time to absorb into the fabric, and get to work in lifting the stain.
3. Vacuum the baking soda
Finally, I used my vacuum cleaner to remove all traces of the baking soda, using the upholstery brush attachment.
While I had my initial doubts that this simple hack would work, I was surprised to see that the small stain had disappeared from the fabric. What’s more, it didn’t involve any liquid solutions and was easy to do in three steps.
However, if you're dealing with a tough stain, another method is to create a baking soda paste. Simply mix one teaspoon of baking soda with a few drops of water to form a paste. Then apply to the stain directly and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Once dried, vacuum away the baking soda residue until all traces are gone. This should have removed the stain.
Why is baking soda so good at cleaning?
Traditionally, baking soda has been a staple ingredient for cakes and baking treats. But there are so many other uses and things you didn't know you could clean with baking soda.
This is because sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda, has a mild alkaline pH, making it a perfect cleaning agent that works quickly to break down dirt, grease and stains easily when mixed with water. Best of all, when combined with the acidity of white distilled vinegar or lemon, the chemical reaction works wonders on the toughest of cleaning jobs.
Plus, baking soda is completely natural, non-toxic and odor-free, which makes it ideal for households with children and pets. If you want to know more, find out what makes baking soda and white vinegar so good at cleaning.
Also, check out our guide on vinegar vs baking soda — which is best at cleaning?
More from Tom's Guide
- You might need to know how to clean a leather couch
- 5 easy hacks to remove coffee stains fast
- Plus, here’s how to remove red wine stains from carpet, clothes and more
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