How To Remove Water Stains From Fabric Sofa? (2023 Updated)

Fabric couch is more prone to stain, and even water can stain fabric couch. And as compared to the leather couch, fabric couch needs more effort to get rid of stain. 

Although if water spills on a fabric couch, it doesn’t stain at all, minerals in water can cause a stain. Most of the time, such hard water can cause yellow or brownish stains on fabric sofas. 

If your fabric sofa is stained with water, you must take immediate action; otherwise, stubborn becomes more stubborn with time. And secondly, don’t steam clean the water stain immediately as it can leave a permanent stain on the fabric sofa.

Here are a few tips to help remove water stains from fabric sofas. So keep on reading. 

How I Can Remove Water Stain From Fabric Sofa?

Remove Water Stain From Fabric Sofa

Once dirty water or water from an air conditioner spills on a fabric sofa, you don’t need to worry about it; rather, take immediate action. Below are some steps to remove permanent water stains on fabric couches. 

1- Use White Vinegar 

White vinegar works well for stains, especially on fabric sofas. This handy cleaning solution is found in every household.

You can use white vinegar to remove water stains from fabric sofas, no matter how stubborn, but white vinegar will effectively remove them. 

Using distilled white vinegar on your fabric sofa is recommended because the concentrated white vinegar has a very low PH that can fade the sofa color. The distilled white vinegar contains acetic acid that removes iron and magnesium stains. 

Here is the whole process of using White vinegar

clean stains from fabric sofa

Step 1: The first thing that you have to do is clear the mess up from the fabric couch. Remove all the cushions and other stuff. 

Step 2: Take a clean microfiber cloth and dampen it in distilled white vinegar. But before applying it to the stained area, test it on a small area of your fabric couch. If it doesn’t fade color, apply it to an effective area. 

Step 3: Now gently rub the stained area with a vinegar-damped microfiber cloth. Once done, leave it for a few minutes so the white vinegar will break the stains. 

Step 4: After 15 to 20 minutes, take a dry and clean cloth and damp it in warm water. And again, rub the effective place with it. 

Step 5: Now, use a hairdryer to dry the place. This will completely remove the stubborn water stains from the fabric couch. And don’t need to worry about the vinegar smells; it will also disappear with the use of a hairdryer. 

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2- Use Glass Cleaner

use glass cleaner for fabric couch

Glass cleaner effectively removes stains from fabric couches and makes them look new. Windex glass cleaner can remove water stains from the fabric couch. 

Glass cleaner is safe for fabric couches; it will not damage or fade the color of the fabric couch.   

Before beginning the process, you need a glass cleaner, a sponge, and a soft bristle brush. 

Here are the steps to follow: 

Step 1: Remove all the cousins and other messes from the sofa. 

Step 2: Lightly mist the effective area with glass cleaner and gently rub the area with scrub. First, start rubbing from outside the water stain and gently move to the middle. And leave the couch for 2 hours. 

Step 3: After two hours, take a bristle brush and scrub it on a stain until it disappears. 

Step 4: Once a stain disappears, scrub the area with a clean damp cloth, and you will get your stained-free sofa back. 

3- Use Lemon Juice

Use Lemon Juice

If you don’t like the smell of white vinegar or you don’t have glass cleaner, then you can use fresh lemon juice.

Lemon contains acid that breaks down the bad water stains and eliminates them from fabric couches. 

Here are the steps to follow;

Step 1: First, take two lemons, and squeeze them into a hot cup of water. Mix the solution well and leave it for a few minutes for better results. 

Step 2: Now apply the solution to the stain with the help of a microfiber cloth. After rinsing with the solution, sprinkle a minute of salt on the affected area. Salt has strong dehydration properties and will lift the water stains more quickly. Give it some time to break down the water stains. 

Step 3: For stubborn stains, again apply lemon solution and then use a soft bristle brush or toothbrush to scrub it. 

Step 4: Take a clean cloth, damp it in clean water, and scrub the area. Lastly, use dry cleaner to dry the area effectively and prevent it from mold attack. 

4- Expose Your Sofa To Sunlight

An easy and convenient way to dry out water stains from fabric couches is sunlight. Just place your couch under direct sunlight, and water stain will disappear within a few hours. 

Few fabrics can fade under sunlight, so you must keep this in mind. But most sofa fabrics like linen, cotton, or suede will not fade after 2 hours of sunlight exposure. 

If the sunlight doesn’t eliminate water stains, it means the mineral stained your sofa, and then you have to apply above mention methods to get rid of stains. 

Unlike any leather couch, fabric sofas are more prone to stains. Especially if your couch is made of synthetic fabric, you have to take extra care of it. 

It’s important to get water stains out of fabric couches immediately because different minerals in water can react with the fabric and cause permanent discoloring. 

Similarly, these water stains in fabric couches can also lead to mildew and mold growth which is a big problem. And the affected place is also a host of different bacteria. Using such a stain is not only wired but risky for you. 

I have personally experienced that the stained couch cause itching on my skin because it contains different types of bacteria. 

So it’s your responsibility to keep yourself and your family safe from bacterial infections. 

Also, it looks so wired when some guest sits on such a stained couch, which automatically devalues your home and your personality. 

Can I Use Steam Cleaner To Get Water Stain Out Of the Fabric Couch?

In most cases, it’s not recommended to use a steam cleaner to remove water stains from fabric couches because steam can make stains more stubborn, especially if your water contains minerals; steam cleaning can make water stains more permanent. 

But in the case of distilled and clean water, you can use fabric steam cleaners to remove water stains. And these steam cleaners will eliminate the water from fabric couches. 

Steam cleaning will also kill mold and other hidden bacteria on couch fabric. 

Wrap Up

It’s a frustrating experience to see water stains on your fabric couch, and the sofa looks so wired. But you can eliminate water stains using white vinegar, glass cleaner, or lemon juice. 

All the above mention methods are effective for water stain removal. Still, if you ask me which one is more effective, I recommend you use white vinegar solution because it has strong acidic nature that immediately breaks down water stains. 

FAQs

Can Bleach Remove Water Stains From Fabric Sofas?

Although bleach can remove water stains from fabric sofas, it’s not recommended to use it on fabric sofas. Bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, which can fade the color of your fabric couch. 

Why water stains the fabric sofa?

Water itself will never stain a fabric couch, except if it contains minerals or hard water, it may stain your fabric sofa. Similarly, water leakage from the air condoner and spills from the roof (because of condensation) can cause stains on fabric sofas.

How to remove odor from fabric couches?

With time dirt and food crumbs accumulate on fabric couches and spread bad odor. You can remove such odor from fabric couches using glass cleaners. Spray glass cleaner on your fabric sofa, leave it for a few hours, then use a bristle brush and scrub the entire couch. Lastly, use dampened microfiber cloth to clean the risen and a hair dryer to dry the couch. 

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