How to Clean Your Sofa Bed Just in Time for the Holiday Season

Sofa beds are very versatile furniture, especially if you live in a small place. It can fold to a comfy couch or extend and turn into a bed. That’s why it’s a must-have piece for any household this Christmas when your relatives and friends come visit. If you already have one in the storage or use it daily, you might want to start thinking of cleaning it before your relatives and friends visit during the holiday season. Sadly, sofa bed cleaning services can cost a lot. In case you don’t want to blow your Christmas budget or simply don’t have a clue on how to clean a sofa bed, then you absolutely need to check out this handy DIY guide. You’ll be surprised that you can still make it look like brand new in time for your Christmas reunion.

Bring out the tools of the trade

cleaning tools Before starting, you need to have the right tools to properly clean the sofa bed. This will make it easier to clean a sofa bed in time for the holiday season with all the necessary items at the ready. You’ll need a piece of cloth to wipe the foam, mild soap solution, a spot stain remover, and a vacuum cleaner for the sofa bed itself. You can also use baking soda or vinegar for tough stains. As for the bed sheet or cover, it would be best to include it in your laundry or send it to the dry cleaners for thorough cleaning.

Undress that sofa bed

sofa bed mattress You need to remove the covers so you’ll know how to clean sofa upholstery at home. Locate the zipper of the sofa bed cover and gently remove it. You wouldn’t want to tear the cover apart, right? When that’s done, you’ll be able to send the main cover to the laundry for cleaning and find out if there are other stains on the foam that need to be dealt with. Don’t worry, chances are you’ll probably get it done before Christmas time.

Send it to the dry cleaners

dry cleaners laundry After you’ve removed the covers, you can choose to wash it at home or send it off to the dry cleaners. But honestly, with the prices of laundry services nowadays, it could be wiser to do the latter instead. The time you save from cleaning big bed sheets can be used for more important things like planning the Christmas party.

Suck it clean

vacuum suck dirt Before you start pouring any soap or cleaning agent on the foam, you need to vacuum it first. Using a vacuum will suck any specs of dirt and other foreign objects that may have sunk in the sofa bed. You might be surprised to see stuff from last year’s Christmas party! Make sure to use the proper type of vacuum or set it at the right power so that it doesn’t destroy the foam.

Remove any evidence (of stain)

spray bottle for cleaning For whatever reason it may be, there’s a high probability that your sofa bed has some nasty stains on it. Maybe it could be from the previous Christmas party you hosted. And did you know you can remove it without having to buy those expensive stain removers? All you need is vinegar. Here are a few sure-fire solution mixes you can try for each kind of fabric. For fabric upholstery, mix ¼ cup of vinegar with ¾ cup of warm water and a tablespoon of your favorite dishwashing soap. Meanwhile, if your sofa bed is covered with leather, you can add ½ cup of olive oil and ¼ cup of vinegar. As for synthetic upholstery, you can add ½ cup of vinegar in your spray bottle and mix it with 1 cup of warm water and half a tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap. Castile soap can be used to replace dish washing soap in case you run out. Always remember to test your home-made solution out on a piece of fabric before you get too excited and try it on your sofa bed.

Cleaning the arms of a sofa bed

Some sofa beds have arms to support, well, your arms. This may pose a challenge on how to clean sofa arms for some, especially if it has its own cover. The good news is that the solution for this is quite easy and affordable. Just sprinkle baking soda on the arms of your sofa bed and let it sit for at least twenty minutes. You can add a dash of dry carpet cleaner to really penetrate the foam. Use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to suck in the baking soda afterwards.

Wipe it dry

towel tissue to dry After spraying the stains, it would be best to quickly wipe it away with a different piece of cloth. That will prevent your solution from seeping into the foam and absorbing the smell of the solution. Remember that your mix includes vinegar. You wouldn’t want your guests to smell that when they sleep over on Christmas.

Time to go sunbathing

laundry clip hang If you choose to do the laundry yourself, don’t forget to bring the sheets out to dry under the sun. This will make the drying process quicker as the outdoor breeze and the hot sun dry the sheets faster. The sunshine can also kill mildew and other fungal-related dirt.

Dress it up

After all that cleaning, you can finally put it all back together as soon as the sheets and sofa bed dries up. But given that this will be used during the holidays to cater to your guests, some people opt to wrap the sofa bed first with plastic cover so that it can be protected against stains and unwanted smells. The downside to this is that it makes a lot of noise and it traps in the scent of your work. So you’ll have to weigh this in properly first. You’ll also want to cover this with a bed sheet that matches the season. Do you now know how to clean your sofa bed with these DIY tips? We sure hope so. If you still don’t have your own sofa bed for the holiday season, take a look at the Uratex Classic collection. You never know when you’ll need a Uratex sofa bed, especially during this Christmas season when reunions and parties are aplenty.