How to Clean Your Velvet Sofa and Soft Upholstery Correctly?

We all want to perfect the interior of our homes and create an amalgamation of classic and modern environments that feel comfortable and pleasant. Velvet upholstery is one of the key items to have at home. Upholstery like a velvet sofa perfectly combines comfort and aesthetics and allows us to achieve the design we’re looking for when furnishing our homes. But velvet sofas aren’t like any other furniture. They are more delicate and require proper cleaning and maintenance every now and then similar to regularly vacuuming carpets to reduce the amount of dust.

In this article, we’ll explore how to correctly clean velvet sofas, furniture and upholstery without damaging the fabric and velvet naps.

Tips for Cleaning & Caring for Velvet Furniture

Before diving deep into cleaning velvet sofas, including cleaning different types of stains, let’s go through some of the cleaning and caring tips for velvet furniture.

Place your velvet upholstery away from direct sunlight as it fades the fabric and naps away over time.
Use a clothes steamer or steam on the cloth iron to keep the naps up and in one direction.
Regularly vacuum velvet upholstery with upholstery or soft brush attachment.
Regularly brush the surface of velvet upholstery with a soft bristle brush to keep away dust and debris. This will also help you maintain the velvet naps.
Keep velvet furniture in a room with humidity control as humid air can flatten the naps on the surface of the fabric.
When cleaning velvet, don’t rub the cleaning solution to avoid spreading the stain.
Before cleaning velvet with a new cleaning solution, always test clean a small area to ensure it doesn’t damage the fabric.

Brushing Velvet Upholstery to Restore Nap and Texture

General Cleaning

General cleaning of velvet upholstery involves routine cleaning tasks similar to vacuuming a carpet. Whenever you’re cleaning the home, use a soft bristle brush to get rid of dust and debris on the velvet. Also, after vacuuming the carpets, swap to the upholstery attachment and vacuum the surface of the velvet sofa as well.

In addition to general cleaning, use a clothes steamer or iron with the steam capability to maintain the nap and keep them up in one direction. This not only improves the furniture’s lifespan but also keeps the sofa aesthetically pleasing.

Cleaning Different Stains Off Velvet Upholstery

While general cleaning is required for maintaining velvet upholstery, there are instances in which you need to clean stains off the fabric velvet. Accidents may happen and you should know how to correctly clean them to prevent damaging the velvet upholstery.

Here’s a full guide on how to clean different stains off the surface of velvet sofas, furniture and upholstery.

Liquid Stains

Liquid stains include coffee, wine, juice, soda or other drinks. To clean these stains off velvet upholstery, you should act fast if possible. Start by blotting the stain away using a dry cloth. Don’t rub as it may push the liquid deeper into the velvet fabric.

Afterwards, prepare a solution of warm water and a few drops of mild soap. Dip a clean microfibre cloth into the solution and wring it. Then, dap the stained area on the velvet gently until the stain fades away. Next, dampen another cloth with water and blot the stained area to remove soap residues.

Dabbing The Surface of Velvet Upholstery for Cleaning

If the stain persists, repeat this process. Otherwise, allow the sofa to air dry completely. After it is dried, use a soft bristle brush to restore naps and texture.

Oil & Grease

Cleaning oily and greasy stains is always tricky regardless it is on the velvet sofa or garage. But it’s not impossible. To clean greasy stains like butter, food oil, makeup or vape e-liquid juice, sprinkle some cornstarch on the oily stain to absorb as much oil as possible. Leave it for a few hours or overnight. You can also use baking soda or baby powder to achieve the same result.

Afterwards, remove the sprinkled cornstarch with a vacuum cleaner or soft bristle brush. If the stain is still there, repeat the process once or twice. If the stain persists even after repeating this process, prepare a solution of mild soap and warm water. Then, dip a clean microfibre cloth in it, wring it and start dabbing the stains away. When properly cleaned, let the sofa air dry. Afterwards, brush the surface to restore flattened naps.

Read More: How to Clean an Oven?

Ink Stains

To clean ink stains, you need some rubbing alcohol and a few cotton balls. Dampen a cotton ball with alcohol and start lightly dabbing the stained area. Repeat this until the stain completely vanishes.

Remember not to rub the area to avoid spreading the ink over a larger area. Also, don’t forget to test for alcohol in a small, hidden area on the velvet sofa. This is because certain velvet types react to alcohol and may change colour. If this happens, it’s best to ask an upholstery cleaning specialist for help.

Wax Residues

To remove wax residues off velvet surfaces, let the wax harden first. You can place a few ice cubes in a plastic bag and rub it on the wax residue to accelerate the hardening. Then, use a plastic credit card or a very dull knife to scrape the wax residues off the velvet sofa. Scape as much wax as possible to make the next step easier.

To remove the remaining wax, you should absorb them in paper towels. To do this, please a few paper towels on top of the stained area. Then, press an iron on low heat setting on top to slowly soften the residues and allow paper towels to absorb them.

If any spot remains after this procedure, use a mild soap solution and dab the spot clean. afterwards, let the sofa air dry completely and use a soft-bristle brush to restore the velvet naps and texture.

Mud or Dirt

Cleaning wet mud and dirt is not recommended as it will spread the stain further. The best way to clean mud stains on a velvet sofa is to first let it dry and harden completely. Afterwards, brush the mud stain with a soft bristle brush. You can also use the vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to remove dried dirt and mud.

Next, if there are still mud stains on the surface of the velvet, dampen a microfibre cloth with a mild soap solution and gently dab the remaining stain away. Then, blot it clean with a clean cloth and let the upholstery air dry before restoring velvet naps and texture with a soft bristle brush.

Urine Stains

Whether you’re a parent of an infant or a baby or the velvet upholstery is in a pet-friendly office space, accidents like urine are inevitable. When they happen, it’s best to act immediately to avoid damaging the velvet. To clean urine and get rid of the bad smell, blot the area with a microfibre cloth or paper towel. Gently press the towel on the spot to absorb as much moisture as possible.

Then, to prevent malodour, prepare a solution of vinegar and water (equal parts). Dampen a clean microfibre cloth in the solution and gently dab the stained area on the velvet upholstery. Don’t over-saturate the velvet to prevent damaging the fabric’s nap and texture.

How to Clean Urine Accident Stains on Velvet?

Next, prepare a solution of warm water and a few drops of dish soap. Dampen a microfibre cloth with it and start dabbing the stained area to lift any remaining residue. After a few rounds of dabbing, dampen a clean cloth with plain water and blot the stained area to remove soap residues.

To finish the job, absorb as much moisture as you can with a dry towel and allow the upholstery to air dry completely. Brush the velvet with a soft bristle brush to restore the nap and texture.

If there is a lingering four after the upholstery has dried, you can sprinkle some baking soda over the stained area and leave it overnight to absorb the smell. To clean baking soda, just use a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery attachment.

Conclusion

Velvet upholstery is one of the key pieces of furniture to use when furnishing our house to resemble a modern and classic design. But velvet is a sensitive and delicate fabric and upholstery made with it requires proper cleaning and maintenance. In this article, we explore how to clean and dust velvet upholstery as well as how to clean common stains off the surface of velvet fabric without damaging it.

The information provided by this article can help you properly and correctly clean your velvet upholstery without damaging it. Also, this information helps you maintain a velvet sofa and expand its lifespan.

How to Clean Velvet Sofa, Furniture and Soft Upholstery?