How-To Clean Microsuede Furniture

I have longed for a red couch my entire life. When my husband and I (FINALLY) got our own apartment (sorry mother-in-law, we couldn't live with you forever!) the first piece of furniture we bought was that couch.

And I immediately regretted it.

Whoops.

You see... as a first-time furniture buyer/long-time window-shopper I was intricately prepared to negotiate a good deal, find the best quality furniture for the lowest price, and figure out how to score free delivery.

What I was not prepared for was taking care of the actual furniture, and it somehow completely slipped my mind that my husband and I were not the only two human beings that were about to sit on this lovely, red, microsuede couch.

Let me just spell it out: Microsuede and preschoolers do NOT mix.

My couch made it an entire day before my 2-year spilled something all down in the cushions, and before the week was out my couch reminded me of a Dr. Seuss poem. (One spot, two spot, red spot, blue spot. Old spot, new spot, spot shaped like a tree. Milk spot, splat spot, spot I think is pee...)

To make things worse, my couch cushions are not removable. *facepalm*

How do you clean microsuede?

I had no idea that trying to clean a couch made of this material would be so difficult. And because my kids are little monsters I was needing to clean it frequently. I finally came up with a method that doesn't destroy all those little fibers, returns the material to its previous texture, and actually gets rid of all the stains & spots.

Fair warning, as with most fabric-related cleaning, please make sure you test this method out on a small spot before you do your whole couch.

You'll need:

All of the below stuff can be purchased at the Dollar Tree (or another dollar-type store). I highly suggest you purchase it there, not only because it is inexpensive (only a dollar!) but because each of the items is just right for this type of cleaning job. (And no, I'm not being paid by Dollar Tree.)

• kitchen-towel or rag in a color similar to your furniture
• bristle-brush
• carpet/fabric cleaner

Instructions:

1. Sparingly spray the fabric cleaner onto the spot that you need to clean. (A little will go a long way, so make sure you only spray once or twice!) The reason I suggest this item be purchased at Dollar Tree is because the formula is not so strong that it will destroy your fabric.
2. Quickly (but gently) use the bristle brush to swipe over the fabric before the cleaner can soak in deeply. Lightly swipe over the stain in different directions to avoid breaking down the fibers. Again, this item should be of the dollar-variety so that the bristles are not so stiff & strong that they are ruining your fabric.
3. Lastly, use the towel or rag to soak up any excess wetness. Make sure the towel is the same color as your furniture so that if there is any transfer of color it won't be noticeable (and it will actually help to cover up any previous stains).

Do you have a piece of furniture that is difficult to clean? What tricks have you tried?

Chat with me in the comments below, I love hearing from my readers!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for writing this post and, as always, my opinions are my own.