"Steam Cleaning Microfiber Couches - Which Methods Are Most Effective?"

Microfiber material is a type of polyester and is also known as Microsuede or Ultrasuede. It's made with polyester fiber that is less than one denier - roughly one tenth of the diameter of a human hair. It is tightly woven together to create a soft, supple fabric that can mimic suede or leather. It is both water and dust resistant and breathable at the same time. Spills are going to happen but there's no need to worry them as you would organic material. The material is breathable and durable so dust and even animal fur can be removed easily. It has become a popular house item for someone with asthma or allergies. Make no mistake, anything can get dirty! Oils from our hands or body can leave a residue. Dust buildup or dirt can diminish the quality of the sofa or couch over time. Also, you need to be aware that while microfiber furniture can repel water, still, a big problem would occur should the water seep through the couch. That is why one must act immediately in case of liquid spills on the couch/sofas. The good news is this is easily remedied with a damp cloth, vacuum or light cleaning agent. The Microfiber Sofa or other type of microfiber furniture will commonly come with a tag that has one of the special microfiber codes that tell you how to clean it. If present, the tag will be labeled with one of the following marks: W, S, S-W, or X. Also, some manufacturers include a brief manual in cleaning microfiber couch.


W means you can use water based cleaning solution.

S means you have to use a ""solvent"" based cleaner

S-W means you can use S or W type cleaners

X means you can vacuum only.

Professional cleaners suggest that if you intend to thoroughly clean your microfiber furniture you should first vacuum to remove as much dust and dirt as you can so it's not ground while you attempt to clean the material. Then perhaps (depending on the microfiber code) you can use just water and wipe the couch down or a light cleaning agent which would require you to 'rinse' later with a damp cloth, and or, blow dry with a hair dryer. A mild water free dry cleaning agent"" can be cleaned using a water base cleaner. Some microsuedes you can clean with a steam cleaner, hand-held steam cleaners or spot clean. You may also use ammonia, rubbing alcohol or clear alcohol like voka or something. Be sure to test what ever cleaning method you chose on an area that is not used or seen; perhaps underneath the couch seat pillows. This way you can make sure you don't do more harm than good as water spots or soap rings can occur if you're not careful or unfamiliar with how to clean microfiber materials. As you can see, cleaning and maintaining a microfiber couch can be a snap due to the nature of the synthetic (polyester in most cases) material. As we've mentioned, you can use a damp cloth, light cleaning agents, to name a few, or steam cleaning; thus reducing the amount of allergens and microorganisms.