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Living Well Mom

I help moms with simple, natural ways to look after their families. Find recipes, fun stuff for kids, and simple DIY ideas. Plus natural solutions made easy peasy!

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How to Remove Tough Stains from a Microfiber Couch

By Erika in Home

cleaning featured your homeThis post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you have a microfiber couch, you know that they are oh-so-comfy, but there is one serious downside: they can stain easily.

If you have found yourself frantically googling how to get stains out of a couch, don’t worry—I’ve got the solution for you! This post will show you exactly how to clean a microfiber couch, even if it’s a really tough stain. The best part is this solution is chemical-free and safe to use around children and pets.

A brown sofa in a living room this idea now...

How to Get Stains Out of a Couch

Last week I shared how to clean a microfiber couch and even remove pen and marker from microfiber (thanks to our helpful kiddos.)

But what happens when the usual method doesn’t work? If you have kids and a microfiber couch, you’ve probably seen some tough stains that refuse to leave no matter how hard you scrub them with the usual method. What do you do then?

I discovered an awesome solution that effectively removes really tough set-in stains from microfiber. The awesome part is this tough stain-removing method has no harsh chemicals – so you can safely clean your microfiber fabric around your children and pets.

microfiber couch clean before after

How to Get Stains Out of Couch with Baking Soda

Are you ready to learn the secret to removing tough stains from microfiber?

The secret formula isn’t that secret. I mean, the heading above kind of gives it away. 😉 It’s really simple and you’re almost sure to already have the ingredients.

It’s baking soda and water.

small glass bowl with baking soda and water on tan carpet for cleaning microfiber couch stain

All you need to do is make a paste using more baking soda than water. It should be on the thicker side.

Test Out on a Small Inconspicuous Area

Note: Just like when cleaning any material, you should test this on an inconspicuous area before trying it on a large section, just to make sure it won’t discolor or damage it.

I had absolutely no issues on my light brown couch and the material is perfectly fine or I wouldn’t recommend this method. I also felt that my couch was already somewhat ruined and if my little baking soda trick discolored it slightly, it was still an improvement over the previous yucky stains. But thankfully there was no discoloration or issue at all.

How to Get Stains Out of a Couch

Here are a couple of nasty stains on our couch – I don’t know how/why/what it is (and I really don’t want to know) but I did know that no amount of normal cleaning helped.

{Naturally, my youngest decided to mark up the stains further with a marker. Why not just make it more obvious, you know?}

stain on brown microfiber couch

Rub the Paste on the Stain

Once you’ve spot-tested the area and made sure the baking soda paste won’t permanently stain your sofa, let’s tackle the stains. All you need to do is rub the baking soda paste in a circular motion on the stain.

removing stain from tan microfiber couch

Keep rubbing and rubbing and gradually the mark will disappear.

cleaning tan microfiber couch

I just use my finger to do it, but you could use a toothbrush or a rag if you would like. See how it’s coming off?

scrubbing tough stain on microfiber couch

I think the grit in the baking soda helps release the stain in a way that usual cleaning methods don’t.

Remove the Paste

Once the stain is removed, you’ll want to dab a clean cleaning rag in some water. Then use it to scrub the area and remove any of the baking soda that was left behind.

water on microfiber couch during cleaning

Let the Couch Dry

At this point, you’ll notice that the spot is noticeably darker than the rest of the couch. With any luck, this is just from being damp. As it dries, the spot should fade and disappear.

The area may feel a bit stiff compared to the rest of the couch. To fix this, all you need to do is brush the area with circular motions to bring the softness back. It sounds odd, but It really does work!

cleaning stain off microfiber couch with brush

The stain should be completely gone by now.

tan microfiber couch cleaned after stain removal

Repeat if Necessary

If it’s not – don’t panic. It doesn’t mean this trick hasn’t worked. Sometimes it’s hard to see when you’re cleaning microfiber, so just try another round of baking soda/water paste.

I can’t make any guarantees that this method of cleaning stains off a microfiber couch will work for absolutely everything, but I will say it’s worked for everything I’ve personally tried. So give it a shot, what have you got to lose?

photos showing removal of stain from microfiber couch

Pin the image below to find the instructions for cleaning your couch later.

cleaning stains off brown microfiber couch before and after pictures

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    Filed Under: Home, Tips and Hacks Tagged With: cleaning, featured your homePublished on July 6, 2020

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    About Erika

    Erika Bragdon is a flower essence practitioner and a second-generation homeschooling mom with 3 kids at home and 1 in college. She enjoys her chickens, goats, and gardening on a small farm in New Hampshire, and is passionate about sharing flower essences and more ways to renew body, mind, and soul with moms.

    Comments

    1. Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says

      May 19, 2015 at 9:17 am

      I tried this and it removed some of the stains, but not all of them sadly. At least they are not as bad as they were 🙂

      Reply
      • Erika says

        May 20, 2015 at 10:21 am

        Did you make a baking soda paste? It has to be mostly baking soda to work- I first tried a little baking soda with more water and that did nothing – there has to be a lot of baking soda for the grit to remove the stain. I haven’t found a stain yet it won’t take out!

        Reply
        • Esbeida Depaz says

          April 14, 2017 at 11:38 pm

          What about possible finger nail polish clear?

          Reply
        • debora says

          June 23, 2018 at 10:25 pm

          I just tried it. Brand new dining room set chair with dye or ink…imma not sure, but it came out right away. Yes you have to make it pasty. Really works! Thank you!!!

          Reply
    2. Nancy @ Whispered Inspirations says

      May 19, 2015 at 11:14 am

      I need this, my couches are looking a different color. Baking soda?? So trying this.

      Reply
    3. Stacey- Travel Blogger says

      May 19, 2015 at 6:22 pm

      Baking soda has so many uses! I have a few stains I should try this on!

      Reply
    4. mykidsguide says

      May 19, 2015 at 8:48 pm

      Baking soda is like magic. I use it everywhere in the house. I am glad you were able to remove stains

      Reply
    5. Marcie W. says

      May 19, 2015 at 9:01 pm

      This is amazing and I can not believe you did it naturally without using a cleaner with harsh chemicals. I will definitely be sharing this amongst friends.

      Reply
    6. Mama to 5 BLessings says

      May 19, 2015 at 9:02 pm

      I need to do this to my couch but it’s not microfiber. Having 5 kids our couch is a wreck!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        May 20, 2015 at 10:56 am

        I’m sure you could try it on a regular couch too. Just try a little on a spot it won’t be noticed and see how it works. Good luck!

        Reply
    7. Shauna says

      May 19, 2015 at 9:07 pm

      This is so super-awesome. I need to do my WHOLE couch in baking soda and water. LOL. Do you know if it works on older stains??

      Reply
      • Erika says

        May 20, 2015 at 10:59 am

        It wouldn’t hurt to try. (And I waited over a month to tackle the nasty stains I showed in this post and it worked!)

        Reply
    8. Liz Mays says

      May 19, 2015 at 9:43 pm

      You know, that’s a really good idea. I need to go do a check on my furniture and see if there is anything I can remove.

      Reply
    9. Aimee SMith says

      May 20, 2015 at 1:04 am

      We have microfiber couches and this is so good to know! Do you have any problems with it leaving water rings behind?

      Reply
      • Erika says

        May 20, 2015 at 11:01 am

        Yes one time when I used too much water as I washed the baking soda off, but I just used the rubbing alcohol trick to clean that.

        Reply
        • Jenny says

          September 9, 2021 at 10:15 pm

          What is the rubbing alcohol trick for water rings?

          Reply
          • Erika says

            September 16, 2021 at 10:37 am

            Hi Jenny, here you go – https://livingwellmom.com/clean-microfiber-couch/

            Reply
    10. elizabeth says

      June 8, 2016 at 10:09 pm

      I know I’m super late to these posts, but, I have two boys, 4 & 2, who love to smear all kinds of junk on our microfiber couch. I’ve been toying with the idea of washing the covers in the washer before going further to spot-clean them. We’ve had this couch almost as long as our oldest child and I haven’t cleaned it once 🙁 I know, I’m a horrid housekeeper. I was thinking of using baking soda and vinegar in the washer to clean the covers first and then spot cleaning, after taking out of the washer. Have you tried anything like that before? I haven’t seen it done anywhere yet. I might just start with one of the throw pillows that came with the couch before moving on to the whole thing

      Reply
    11. Erica Dana says

      July 28, 2016 at 8:36 pm

      My young son chose to use black magic marker to draw circles ALL OVER our light brown microsuede sectional. I figured I had nothing to lose so I took the covers off of the couch cushions and pillows, threw them INSIDE OUT into the wash, set the water for hot and used a Tide pod. When the covers came out of the washing machine, they were perfectly cleaned. I even put them in the dryer on high heat without any problems at all. Microsuede is the way to go! My couch has seen dogs, cats, kids, markers, even red wine and I’ve never had a stain to not come out!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        July 29, 2016 at 10:13 am

        That’s great, Erica! Thanks for the tip, especially about keeping them INSIDE out!

        Reply
    12. Angie says

      August 26, 2017 at 8:14 am

      What would be the best way to get red candle wax out of a microfiber couch? I could really use some advice…please???

      Reply
      • DeeJay Gaugh says

        September 24, 2017 at 9:23 pm

        I’ve use Goo Gone on crayon and it worked great!!! I placed the goo gone on a rag vs applying directly to my couch when this happened to me and it left no stain. However, I would still test your furniture before hand on a hidden spot to make certain it didn’t change the color in yours.

        Reply
    13. Corissa says

      November 16, 2017 at 2:08 pm

      I’ve used rubbing alcohol to remove water stains. But, they seem to just come back in a few months. Any suggestions?

      Reply
    14. Merlyn says

      October 13, 2018 at 3:31 am

      I had grease from potato chips on my couch…….this worked…….one whole cusion on my couch was stained from potato chips where they were sat on……thank you so much for sharing an May God richly bless you!!!!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        October 15, 2018 at 12:07 pm

        Thank you, Merlyn! I’m so glad this helped you and may God bless you too. 🙂

        Reply
    15. Helen says

      October 22, 2018 at 12:35 pm

      Melted ice cream and whipped cream fell and splattered on my rocking chair. I tried whipping down with warm water and it didn’t work. Next I tried dawn soap and it seems to have made it worse. I am going to try this solution to save my rocking chair.

      Reply
    16. Annika says

      December 10, 2018 at 11:10 am

      Unfortunately I used this method (though i think I used too much water and did not get the remainder of the baking soda off well enough) and it had a lightening effect so my couch is much worse off than before. I am extremely sad and frustrated. 🙁

      Reply
    17. Edwin Gonzalez says

      January 31, 2019 at 1:20 pm

      Some fire smoke ruin how sofas. We have a furniture a dark chocolate set how do I remove the smoke fire smoke furniture?

      Reply
      • Erika says

        February 1, 2019 at 3:06 pm

        Hi Edwin, I’ve never dealt with smoke damage with furniture. You could try some of the tips I shared here or continue googling for more info. Good luck!

        Reply
    18. Alicia Hursley says

      August 26, 2020 at 10:53 am

      It truly is amazing what baking soda can do. I had some tougher pet stains on my couch and this tip worked remarkably to remove them. Thank you!

      Reply
    19. Carol says

      December 16, 2020 at 2:37 pm

      This method cleaned my 16 year old beige microfibre couches better than any methods I have used over the years. Got rid of spots that I thought were permanent. I used rubber gloves and rubbed the baking soda paste all over the seat cushions. I couldn’t believe how quickly my rinse water got dirty. The best part was brushing it up after it dried and seeing it looking almost new again! I also gave it a good vacuuming in case there was residual paste left on. Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 20, 2020 at 1:27 pm

        I’m glad to hear it, Carol!

        Reply
    20. Dorinda says

      February 7, 2021 at 12:39 am

      My husband just passed away from cancer. Before they inserted a catheter, he had a couple of accidents in the bed. Now there are yellow pee stains all over the mattress. Do you think this would take the stains out? What about the smell? I know you can use baking soda to get smells out of dishes that have had spicy food in them, so i would think it should work.

      Reply
      • Erika says

        March 1, 2021 at 3:43 pm

        I am so sorry for your loss. Baking soda should help get rid of the smell. I have removed animal pee from our couch with this method so it should work.

        Reply
    21. Diane says

      February 15, 2021 at 3:23 pm

      Hi Erika. I have an oil stain on the seat of my microfiber sofa from oily Greek dressing spilling! It dripped on top and over the side of the cushion. (quite a bit!) Do you think this baking soda method would work on this stain? I tried cleaning it with soap and water and now have a ring around the oil stains!

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        March 1, 2021 at 3:45 pm

        It’s worth trying – I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think it would hurt. Good luck!

        Reply
    22. Linda says

      April 27, 2023 at 1:19 pm

      I’m wondering if peroxide with the baking soda would lift the stains out even better?

      Reply

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