Need help with cleaning upholstered couch?

**lovestoread** · 07-26-2009, 09:57 AM

I have a 12 yro couch that needs cleaned terribly...we have dogs and its really starting to get that doggy smell....I don't have a shampooer, and don't want to rent one....does anyone have a recipe or anything that could help me? I wondered about Oxyclean, but it is a navy blue, burgundy , and tan plaid ....would that hurt it????

Thanks for any help,

Sheri

**savvy_sniper** · 07-26-2009, 10:30 AM

Shop around and hire a carpet cleaning company to professionally clean your couch. I have older furniture and it had been in climatized storage for several years. I had it professionally cleaned and it really made a difference.

We have a carpet cleaner of our own now (we have THREE dogs) and steam clean the carpet and furniture on a regular basis. BUT having it professionally done first was the best thing I ever did!

**Contrary Housewife** · 07-26-2009, 11:43 AM

I'll 2nd a carpet cleaning place. Do they still send people out who do 3 rooms for $39 or such? I had a couch done when I was in college and sharing a place with a lot of housemates. It really made a difference.

**madhen** · 07-26-2009, 11:48 AM

If you are trying to get the smell out, one thing that helps is to haul it out into the sunshine and sprinkle baking soda all over it. Let it sit all day, then vacuum the baking soda off. It won't get the dirt out, but it will help with the smell.

You can always try some plain old laundry detergent in hot water and a rag. Just squeeze the rag out well so you don't soak the upholstery, and keep rinsing it out betweeen scrubs, so you aren't putting the dirt right back in.

**Momto2Boyz** · 07-27-2009, 09:32 AM

Don't hire anyone to do it. Cleaning couches is actually really easy. I owned a used furniture shop for a while and we cleaned some NASTY looking furniture that people brought in.

Here is what you can use: in a 1 gallon bucket mix 1/4 cup oxy clean, 1/4 cup vinegar, 3 TBS baking soda, and fill the rest with warm water. Mix the baking soda and vinegar first, because the baking soda helps get rid of the vinegar smell.

Of course, test it on the back of the couch (or underneath) to make sure it isn't going to cause color fading. It will leave a white powder on the furniture, but that can be vaccuumed off.

Or a better solution...if you have a shop vac, you can use that as a "shampooer" Put solution above (or commercially bought shampoo solution) into a spray bottle and completely saturate a small section of the couch (work on small sections at a time, but try to do the whole couch before it all dries so you don't end up seeing water marks). Then take your shop vac, and suck the water out of the upholstery.

I use my shop vac to clean the floors in my car all the time...it actually works better than my carpet steamer!

**MaryCarney** · 07-27-2009, 01:13 PM

THANK YOU POSTERS!!! My couch does't have doggy smell, but rather teenage-boy-who-falls-asleep-after-baseball-practice smell!!!

**madhen** · 07-27-2009, 01:33 PM

Eww. I think I'd prefer the dog smell.

**frugalfranny** · 07-28-2009, 01:13 AM

I think I will use the shop vac idea in my car.

Thanks for posting this.......

**lovestoread** · 07-28-2009, 12:49 PM

Thank you, Sarah....this was what I was looking for...I thought I had heard something with Oxyclean in the recipe....I am looking forward to trying this....Thank you, thank you.....and to all the others also who responded....