Life is messy, that's part of the fun of it! But when it comes to expensive furniture, we all want to ensure our investment pieces stay clean, tidy and stain-free.
To help you tackle the potential spills life causes, we’re going to share our top tips and preventative tricks to keeping your home stain-free. We’re focusing on perhaps the most used piece of furniture throughout the year – your sofa!
Keep reading to learn how to remove stains from a sofa, and better yet, how to prevent them from happening in the first place.
Your guide to keeping your sofa stain-free
How to remove stains from a sofa: Wine, Water, Oil, Food & Coffee
Alas, even if you take all the preventive measures in the world, stains still find their way in.
We’ve picked five of the most common stains and paired them with five solutions so you can keep your home spick and span.
Wine stains
Life is all about delicious beverages and sometimes, when things get a bit too merry, spillages happen. Never fear! Here’s how to remove wine stains from a sofa.
How to remove red wine from a sofa
For red wine, it’s important to act quickly. Grab plain, absorbent paper towels and cold water.
Apply a tiny amount of cold water to your paper towel and gently dab the stain. Do not scrub! Just keep dabbing with moderate pressure until the majority of the wine is absorbed into your paper towel.
Sparkling soda water can be used in place of cold water as its carbonated content helps bring the stain to the surface. Pour a little soda water onto the stain, leave for a few minutes, then continue dabbing with a paper towel.
If your paper towel starts to get full, swap it for a fresh one. Otherwise, using the same red wine-covered paper towel could lead to more staining or smearing.
Leave the area to air dry naturally. Do not use heat as this could set the stain in further.
How to remove white wine stains from a sofa
For white wine, you can use the same technique. However, in place of the cold water, you can use a water-liquid detergent mix.
Mix one tablespoon of liquid handwash detergent with two cups of cold water.
Once you’ve blotted as much of the white wine from the sofa as possible (using just the paper towel) apply a small amount of the mix to the stain.
Continue blotting until the stain is gone.
Water stains
Water may seem like a harmless substance but it can leave big stains. Like wine, it’s important to act quickly.
How to remove water stains from a sofa
Once you’ve identified the stain, absorb as much of the water with a paper towel.
Next, sprinkle or spray the area with distilled white wine vinegar. Leave to sit for 5 minutes then start blotting with a paper towel again.
Keep repeating this method until you start to see the stain fade. Leave to air dry and your sofa will be as good as new.
Oil stains
Oil stains are common, especially when deliciously greasy food and little fingers are involved! Baking soda will be your sofa’s best friend for removing oil stains.
How to remove oil stains from a sofa
First, blot as much of the oil up with an absorbent paper towel (for all these methods you can use an absorbent cloth in replacement of a paper towel). Be gentle, keep dabbing and use a new towel as soon as it begins to look oily.
Next, sprinkle baking soda/bicarbonate soda over the stain and let it sit for around an hour. The baking soda should start to absorb your oil.
Once an hour has passed, vacuum up the baking soda on a low suction setting.
Oil stain still there? Try covering the stain with a liquid dish soap/lukewarm water mix. Use a small amount and then start dabbing the area again with your paper towel. Leave to air dry.
Food stains
Christmas is all about sofa snacking making it the prime spot for food stains! Remember, sofa covers, mats and blankets are great for protecting your sofa from food smears.
How to remove food stains from a sofa
For food stains you can use all the methods mentioned above; soda water, baking soda and the soap/water mix.
However, you can also try using vinegar. Make sure the stain is crumb-free by brushing and removing any leftover food scraps.
Next, mix ½ a cup of white wine vinegar with 1 cup of warm water. Apply a small amount of this mix to the stain (a spray bottle works brilliantly) ensuring it’s damp, not wet.
As the solution starts to dry on the stain, dab with a paper towel or cloth. Keep dabbing and leave to air dry.
Coffee stains
Finally, a busy life makes for late nights and early mornings, meaning coffee is necessary for many. Here’s how to remove coffee stains from a sofa – a must-know hack for tired parents!
How to remove coffee stains from sofa
First, use your trusty paper towel to blot up as much of the coffee liquid as possible. Remember, no rubbing, only dabbing!
Next, pour a few drops (or use your spray bottle) of white wine vinegar onto your stain and leave it to settle for a minute. Continue to dab at the stain until it disappears.
Alternatively, if your stain only goes surface deep (it’s just soaked through your sofa cover,
mat or blanket) you can remove the cover and leave it to pre-soak.
Soak in a ⅓ vinegar to ⅔ warm water ratio for 30 minutes before popping it in the wash.
For coffee stains, you can use all the stain removal methods mentioned in our previous tips too.
Prevent those stains from taking place
We all know applying preventative measures into your life is the best way to create a stress-free cleaning. Preventing potential problems from occurring is the best way to go and when it comes to stains and spills, this couldn’t be more true.
Before we get on to the stain removal tips, we’ve got three easy ways of preventing those pesky sofa stains from happening in the first place. Plus, these methods do a lot more than just prevent stains… they look great too!
Sofa Covers
Nolan Interiors Magic Sofa Cover - Classic
Changeable sofa covers are a wonderful way of keeping your sofa fresh throughout the year. Affordable and easy to install, they’re a great preventative measure when it comes to keeping your sofa spick and span.
Nolan Interiors Magic Sofa Cover - Seersucker
Nolan Interiors sell a range of stylish sofa covers that are perfect all year round. There’s multiple styles and colours to choose from, all designed to protect your original sofa or give it a modern update.
Starting from just £13, all their Magic Sofa Covers are simple to attach, dog-proof and most importantly, machinable-washable.
These sofa covers will make late night snacking guilt-free since you can whip off the covers and chuck them in the washing machine if any stains occur. A shiny clean sofa for the New Year? Yes, please!
Nolan Interiors Magic Sofa Cover - Leaf
Explore Nolan Interior’s full range of magic covers and give yourself the gift of a stain-free Christmas.
Sofa mats
Want some of your original sofa to shine through? Sofa mats may be your best option. Easy to pop on and off, they protect your sofa from stains while also giving it a more elevated look.
Plus, we think this white fluffy sofa mat (pictured above) doubles up as Christmas decor!
Nolan Interior’s sofa mats are available in three unique designs and are ideal for protecting your sofa this Christmas.
Crafted from 100% polyester linen, all their mats are water-resistant, meaning festive spills will be absorbed straight into the mats, creating a barrier to your original sofa.
They’re also anti-slip and anti-scratch which is great for pet owners with claw-happy cats.
Sofa blankets
Magic Sofa Blanket - Ember Mono
Our final preventive stain solution is blankets. Sofa blankets are not only protective but they also give your living space a homely, warm feeling.
Whether you go bold like the Ember Mono blanket or opt for a more subtle look, we definitely recommend picking up some sofa blankets for the new season.
Just like their sofa covers and mats, Nolan Interiors ensures all their blankets are machine washable. Unlike other blankets which need to be laundered, these blankets can be washed and tumble-dried at home making them ideal for busy families.
Magic Sofa Blanket - Luca Knit
Enjoy a stress and stain-free year
Now you’re equipped with all the preventative and practical knowledge you need for stain removal, you can relax into your sofa.
Spend time on the sofa with your loved ones doing what we humans do best – eating, drinking and having fun!
Fancy giving your living space a refresh this year?
Sofa covers, mats and blankets aren’t just stain preventers, they’re also cost-effective ways of giving your room a pick-me-up.
Head over to Nolan Interiors and give your sofa a modern makeover or use our tips and tricks to keep your sofa sparkling clean.
