I discovered a great Homemade Upholstery Cleaner!
The other week, I was folding laundry and kept smelling a smell. What is that? It’s kinda stinky.
After checking all the usual culprits: cats, kids, and potentially not fully dried funky clothes (I hate when that happens!) I bent down and smelled the couch. Yep, that’s it!
The Couch
Our couch is fabric and almost 3 years old. It is used all day, every day by both humans and cats alike.
We also tend to eat on it too. Having a Small House, we opted against a “real” dining table in exchange for cartwheeling and handstand room. So a foldable table along the couch is how we roll most of the time.
But all that use and cuddling had created a not-so-pleasant odor.
The Mission
The kids were scheduled to spend the night at grandma’s, so Mr. Bean and I went on a mission to clean the couch while they were gone. (Rather, I had a mission, and being the wonderful husband he is, he “happily” went along with it.)
I’d tried cleaning it before:
- Scrubbing with a wet rag and Oxiclean did not work. It took too long and only cleaned exactly where the Oxiclean touched leaving gross-looking splotches and a crunchy texture.
- Taking off the cushion covers to throw in the washer was a no-go. Unlike grandma’s couch, they are not meant to be taken off. It’s just a bunch of loose stuffing inside.
- In contradiction to the commercials, Fabreeze only “washes” away the smell for so long.
So I looked up upholstery cleaners and how they work. Amazingly, there was a Bissell Little Green in stock at Target. I ordered one for pickup and we grabbed it on the way home from dropping off the kids.
Once home, I did a quick read-through of the directions while Mr. Bean clicked all the bits and pieces together. Then we were ready for business.
Finding The Right Solution
The Bissell Little Green came with a small sample bottle of cleaning solution. “Just mix it with warm water as directed and you’re good to go!”
So we mixed the solution that came with it with water and began cleaning! Yay!
We got half of one cushion done and were out of cleaning solution. Awesome, now what?
Okay, I am way too cheap and “Do It Yourselfy” to leave the house to go buy more cleaning solution if it’s not an absolute must. That would require leaving the house, AGAIN. I don’t wanna.
So, like any normal person, I began Googling homemade upholstery cleaners.
There were all sorts of blogs with lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda combinations. But:
- I don’t have lemon juice and don’t feel like putting any form of juice on the couch that’s not already on there (Spilled Capris and orange juice are quite sufficient, thank you)
- I’ve done the vinegar in laundry thing and no matter what they say, I can still smell it.
- After the Oxiclean cleaning attempt that left the couch spotted and crunchy, I was not about to put more power on it if I was going to make it wet.
That was just my thinking. I’m sure all those ingredients work great for others, but they were a no for me at the time, so I kept looking.
Then I started to see solutions with peroxide. Hmm.
Homemade Upholstery Cleaner with Peroxide?
I have learned over the years that peroxide is actually kinda magical.
- Great for getting rid of sore throats and minor swimmer’s ear
- A decent cleaning solution in the kitchen
- Good for cleaning dentures and mouthguards (Grandma taught me that one)
But, peroxide is also a bleaching agent. Wouldn’t it bleach the couch fabric?
Well, many professional cleaning bloggers assured me it would not due to the amount of water you dilute it with.
Ok, what else should go in?
Dish soap?
I was in the kitchen researching when one person said to mix peroxide with dish soap. Well, it’s right here, might as well try it!
So we mixed peroxide and a Tablespoon of dish soap as one cleaning blogger suggested. Then we put it in the cleaner with hot water and got back to work!
It was all going good and the cushion was even cleaner looking until the foam started building up in the machine and leaking out of the hose connection ports!
Mr. Bean was worried the machine was actually broken and we’d need to return it. But because of my weird experiences with dishwashing soap, I realized it was probably the foam causing the leak, not the machine itself.
So we finished off the 2nd side of the 1st cushion and tried to figure out how to recreate the solution without the foaming issue.
Laundry Soap
I discovered laundry soap was the answer!
Laundry soap is specifically made to not foam up in the washing machine. And it’s made for cleaning fabric! Duh!
So we mixed the peroxide with laundry soap and hot water and tried it again. It worked like a charm!
(We use Dropps Pods for our laundry so we just cut open 1 pod and mixed it in each batch, but I’m sure any liquid laundry detergent would work)
Homemade Upholstery Cleaner
- 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
- 1 Tbsp liquid laundry detergent (we used 1 Dropps Pod squeezed out)
Mix in a separate cup to break down any detergent lumps
Then mix with 6 or so cups of HOT water, or up to the line on the machine
The Results: Comparing Upholstery Cleaners
We cleaned the rest of the couch: cushions, arms, front.
Then set all the cushions out to dry on the balcony for the rest of the day and overnight.
The actual cleaning took about 3 hours of trading off and taking turns because the machine was only technically made for spot cleaning. But we got it done and the couch smells and looks so much better now!
After everything was dry, we were actually able to visually compare the 3 different cleaning solutions:
- The solution that came with the machine– left the cushions streaky. It was visibly not as clean as cushions washed with the other solutions
- Peroxide and Dish Soap– got the cushions clean but foamed up and caused the machine to leak
- Peroxide with Laundry Soap– Worked great and smelled fresh too!
Wrap Up
If your fabric couch is starting to smell a bit funky, it might be time to clean it!
Investing in a small spot cleaner is totally worth it, or borrow it from a tool library if you have one in your town.
But save your money on buying the Bissel Cleaning solution. A good ol’ homemade cleaning solution is so much cheaper and actually works a lot better!
Happy Spring Cleaning!
Are you an annual spring cleaner? Do you have a favorite cleaning solution? Maybe for the kitchen or bathroom?
Leave a comment below to join the conversation and make sure to share the blog with friends.
I use eco sense laundry soap (melaluca product) with the peroxide. I only use 1/2 teaspoon of the soap due to its concentration. It helps a LOT!
I love natural laundry soaps! Especially when they work AND smell good
How Much Is That In Tacos’ new favorite homemade upholstery cleaner is a gem. The personal touch and enthusiasm in sharing a successful cleaning solution add authenticity. It’s a delightful read for anyone looking for tried-and-true DIY cleaning tips.
Thank you, I appreciate the feedback from a professional carpet cleaner 🙂