What is microfiber any way? This fabric has been around for over 70 years but most believe it is the newest thing to the sofa industry. To be classified as a microfiber the fiber has to be less than 1 Decitex per filament. The material is made out of both polyester and polyamide. These are very synthetic products which gives the sofa durability and clean-ability.
How to clean Microfiber – If you do a search for microfiber cleaning products your going to find a whole lot of nothing. What you will find are questions on how to, and answers from the general public. Most of the answers are correct but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. If the tag on the cushion has a “W” on it the fabric should be cleaned with a water based chemical. An “S” lets you know the sofa needs to be cleaned with a solvent based chemical. An “SW”, well you can figure that one out. A good example of a water based cleaning solution would be a drop of dish soap in a gallon bucket of water.
Now that you know which chemical to use, you are going to need a couple other tools for the task.
- Bucket
- 1 Wet Terry cloth (white)
- 1 Dry Terry cloth (white)
- Chemical “S” or “W”
- Vacuum
- Soft Brush
Step 1 – Vacuum the sofa to remove loose dirt and pet hair. Use a brush attachment to agitate dirt free from the fabric.
Step 2 – Mist on “W” or “S” cleaning solution.
Step 3 – Work the cleaning solution into the fabric with the soft brush.
Step 4 – Soak and ring out a white terry cloth. Rub the terry cloth across the fabric to transfer the dirt from the sofa to the terry cloth. Do this until the cleaning solution has been fully removed. Note: Do not over wet the fabric.
Step 5 – Rub the dry white terry cloth across the cleaned fabric to remove swirl marks and to remove additional dirt from the fabric.
Step 6 – Direct a fan towards the cleaned area to dry quickly.
*Note* Use distilled water and do not over wet the furniture. Taking these precautions will lessen the chances of water rings on the furniture.