How To Remove Grease From Upholstery
How to remedy a greasy mess on your upholstery.
Has your child spilt a plate of oily food on the sofa?
Or maybe you accidentally grabbed the seat while working on your car, leaving a greasy handprint.
It happens. What happens? Stains!
The upholstery experts at ServiceMaster Clean have got you covered.
Our experts have put together a few DIY solutions for removing grease stains from upholstery so you can see results like the one below:
Removing Grease Stains from Upholstery
There are a few steps that we would recommend for removing grease stains from your upholstery, and here they are for you:
- Remove any solid materials from the area
- Blot the affected area with a clean, dry cloth
- Gently remove as much of the grease and excess moisture as possible
- Refer to the fabric care label of the stained upholstery item for recommended cleaning practices
A few codes on your upholstery labels or manufacturer paperwork will inform you how to clean your upholstery.
- (W) – Upholstery should be cleaned with a water-based agent
- (S) – Upholstery should be cleaned with a solvent-based dry cleaning agent
- (S/W) – Upholstery can be cleaned with either a dry solvent or a water-based agent
Help! I don’t have a label!
No need to panic!
You can still attempt to clean the grease stain using the below DIY method, but you should test this on an inconspicuous area of your upholstery.
The second option is to call ServiceMaster Clean for professional upholstery cleaning services and recommendations.
The DIY Method for Removing Grease
Once you’ve removed any solids and blotted the grease and excess moisture from the stain, it’s time to start a treatment.
- Sprinkle the stain with baking soda to absorb the last of the excess moisture (allow the baking soda to set for about 15 minutes)
- Vacuum away the remainder of the baking soda.
- For S code, use a dry-cleaning solvent to lift the stain (follow the manufacturing instructions on how to apply it)
- If the care label has a W code, apply a homemade stain solution of one cup of water and two teaspoons of plain liquid dishwashing detergent designed to cut grease.
- If S/W is the code that appears, use either of the techniques above.
- When using a wet cleansing solution, gently blot the solution over the stain using a clean cloth.
- Rinse the cloth out and repeat until the stain begins to lighten.
- To avoid saturating the upholstery or the cushion underneath, blot with a dry, clean cloth after each application of the cleaning solution.
Or, if you don’t have a chemistry degree, you can cut the DIY substances and use the tried and tested ServiceMaster Clean SpotHero to eliminate stains in a flash.
Need professional upholstery cleaning?
Some stains are too stubborn and seem impossible to remove yourself.
If you have any concerns regarding your upholstery, call the professionals.
For help from your local upholstery cleaning experts, find your local ServiceMaster Clean today.
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