How to Clean a Polyester Couch Without Ruining Its Aesthetic

Are Polyester Couches Easy to Clean?

Polyester is not only a durable material but practical and functional. It is a versatile material commonly used in industries and homes. It is mostly used at home to make furniture upholstery like couches. Plus, polyester is the easiest material to deal with when it comes to caring for and maintaining it.

Since couches are the most vulnerable type of furniture in many homes as it is the perfect spot where we eat and drink, play games, watch favorite movies, and definitely where our pets find a comfortable spot to relax.

Luckily, polyester couches are very easy to clean whether the stain is mild or tough. To clean, you will fast need to understand the nature of the fabric if it can be cleaned with water and solvent cleaners, or neither of these. This will help you identify the best cleaner, or find the best upholstery cleaning services if it has an “x” tag.

Regularly cleaning your polyester couch will prevent dust and dirt from accumulating. Most cleaners used for cleaning it are affordable and can be bought at a store near you. However, when using heavy-duty cleaners, you might need to test it in a small area of your couch to make sure the cleaner doesn’t end up ruining or discoloring it.

The best thing about polyester couches is that they clean very fast. Plus, they are easy to clean especially if the mess is cleaned immediately. Leaving stains for long may ruin the couch further and would even make it difficult to clean the couch later.

How to Clean a Polyester Couch In 5 Steps

The process of cleaning a polyester couch is simple and fast. Read on for tips and steps to take when cleaning a polyester couch

Step 1: Check Manufacturers Tag

This step is very important as it will affect the outcome of the cleaning process. Checking for the “S’, ‘SW’, and ‘X’ signs which usually advise you on what you should use to clean your fabric matters a lot. This is what these signs mean:

The ‘S’ sign means – use only solvent-based cleaners to clean the fabric

The ‘SW’ sign means-  You can use both solvent and water-based cleaners

The ‘X’ sign means- No use of a solvent or water-based cleaners and thus requires professional cleaning

Step 2: Find the Best Cleaner

After knowing the kind of cleaning your polyester couch requires, the next step is to find the best cleaner there is in a store near you. If the tag on your couch indicated ‘X’, you will need to identify the best professional upholstery cleaning service and have them clean your couch professionally.

Although this could be expensive, professional cleaning is the safest and effective cleaning method for couches especially polyester couches. However, if you are not ready to commit to paying for professional cleaning services, it’s always important to check on the tag on your couch before purchasing one.

You see, couches are very vulnerable to all sorts of dirt regardless of how practical they are. Therefore, knowing what care and maintenance measure your couch requires will prepare you psychologically especially when it’s time to clean it.

Step 3: Vacuum your Polyester Couch Thoroughly

Vacuuming helps with getting rid of crumbs, dust, dirt, and pet hairs which will, in turn, make the cleaning process easier.

Make sure you vacuum all the parts of the sofa including the back and the crevices. And if your couch has removable cushions, make sure you remove them to make the vacuuming process fast and effective.

The back and sides of your couch are usually vulnerable to dust, make sure you pay attention to it and you will be excited about the results.

If you can’t access a vacuum cleaner, you can use a handheld brush like this Bissell brush available on amazon which is also effective at getting rid of all forms of dirt on your couch.

Step 4: Spray the Cleaner of your Choice On the Couch

If you are spot cleaning you will need to spray the cleaner on the area that is stained only then be careful to rub the area with a sponge gently to prevent the stain from spreading to the clean part of the couch.

If you are cleaning the whole sofa, spray a generous amount of your cleaner on every part of the couch until it is damp.

Take a clean white cloth or a sponge and rub every part gently for the cleaner to go further into the couch. You will need to repeat this until all the stain comes out.

Dampen another white cloth with clean water then blot dry your couch to get rid of the excess cleaner. However, if the cleaner you are using doesn’t have a strong smell, there is absolutely no need to rinse it.

Step 5: Let the Couch Dry

The polyester fabric takes less time to dry compared to other fabrics. After rinsing off the cleaner, keep the windows open to fasten the drying process of your couch.

The couch will, however, dry depending on the state of the weather on the day you decide to wash the couch. Make sure it is dry enough before you start using your couch to prevent molds and odor from accumulating.

Read also: the difference between polyester and leather

Precautions When Cleaning your Polyester Couch

• Make sure you test the cleaner of your choice in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won’t discolor your entire couch.
• If the first process of cleaning your couch doesn’t get rid of all the stain, you can always repeat the process. You should however, avoid using excess cleaner at once as this may ruin the aesthetic of your couch.
• When using commercial cleaners, make sure your house is well ventilated as heavy duty cleaners are usually acidic with very strong smell.

How Do You Wash 100% Polyester Couch Cushions?

Buying a couch is more of an investment as you really need quite a good amount of money to be able to buy a comfortable and durable one. We all need couches in our homes because it’s the only spot we can all cuddle up with our families.

Polyester couches are soft, comfortable, and durable which explains why they are high in demand. Plus, it is very easy to clean polyester couch cushions.

If you have a polyester couch or intend to buy one but wondering how you can wash the couch cushions, then you should read on to find out simple and easy steps to take whenever they get dirty.

How to Wash Polyester Couch Cushions In 2 Ways

Method 1: Machine Washing

Step 1: Remove the cushions from the cover

The first step is to remove the cushions from the covers so that you can just toast the covers inside the washer.

Step 2: Set the machine to cold water

Polyester couch covers are safe for machine washing. However, you will need to avoid washing in hot water as polyester is not heat-resistant.

Step 3: Use gentle Cycle

Make sure to wash in a gentle cycle using cold water and you might want to turn the cushion covers inside out to prevent it from getting ruined.

Step 4: Air dry the covers

Since polyester has low heat resistance, it’s not advisable to machine dry them as this may ruin its aesthetic. Therefore, choose a perfect sunny day to wash them so you can air dry them outside.

Make sure they dry completely dry before returning the cushions inside the covers. This will prevent molds and odor from accumulating.

Method 2: Washing Manually

Washing polyester cushion covers manually is the safest way to prevent them from getting ruined. Follow these steps when washing them manually

Step 1

Put enough water in the bathtub, then add ½ cup vinegar with washing powder soap of your choice. Mix thoroughly so that vinegar and powder soap can combine.

Step 2

Remove the cushions from the covers. Put the cushions in a safe place as you soak the covers in the bathtub. If you are not in a hurry, you can soak this overnight then wash the next day. But 3hours of soaking should be enough

Step 3

After it has soaked enough, use your hands to wash the cushions gently one by one paying attention to the ones that are badly stained. It should be easier washing the stains out since it is soaked.

Step 4

Transfer the cushions to a bathtub with clean water to rinse. You can rinse as many times as possible to get rid of the vinegar smell. 3 to 4 washes should be enough.

Avoid using fabric softeners as they are not safe for polyester fabrics. After rinsing them thoroughly, air dry the cushions outside in an open area where there is enough sunlight so that they can dry as fast as possible.

Make sure they dry completely before putting the cushions covers back on the cushions. This will prevent molds and odor from accumulating.

Do Polyester Couches last?

Because we spend most of our time on the couch when at home, it is reason enough why we need to get those comfortable and durable types of couches that would last for years regardless of the number of times we use them.

If you intend to buy a polyester couch, you are probably wondering if it would stand up to wear and tear. Well, polyester couches are made up of synthetic fibers that are strong and durable. Polyester constitutes a wide range of fabrics that are soft, durable and hard-wearing making polyester couches the most sort after type of couches.

Moreover, polyester couches would be the best option if you have kids and pets as no matter how messy they get, they would withstand wear and tear.

Can I Steam Clean a Polyester Couch?

Steam cleaning a couch can greatly improve its appearance. Couches are subject to pet hair, dust, crumbs, and dead skins that can best be eliminated by steam cleaning which will also aid in their longevity.

The safest way to clean polyester couches is by using a steam cleaner. Steam cleaning doesn’t subject the fabric to too much pressure given the fact that polyester is made of synthetic fibers that make them one of the finest fabrics that should be handled gently.

Can I Use Carpet Cleaner On Polyester Couches?

Since couches are the most vulnerable type of furniture at home, you would want to use the safest cleaning method to clean to prevent ruining its aesthetic.

There are many ways to wash a polyester couch including machine washing, steam cleaning, use of upholstery cleaner, manual cleaning, and vacuuming. However, if you have a carpet cleaner, you are probably wondering if it would be safe to use to clean your polyester couch.

You can use carpet cleaners that are safe on synthetic fibers to clean your polyester couch. You would want to make sure you are using the right upholstery cleaner to prevent ruining the aesthetic of your couch.

Conclusion

Lounging on a couch is very relaxing until an accident happens and all of a sudden your whole couch is covered with wine. Luckily, if you happen to have a polyester couch, you can easily get rid of all the mess that may happen on your couch using the above methods. Plus, polyester couches are basically easy to clean as they are stain and dirt-resistant.