A velvet sofa is the pinnacle of opulence, with a shimmering appearance and an ultra-soft feel - this sofa is the go-to for any living room that boldly chooses style above all else.
Now, if you’ve done a bit of shopping around for your sofa, then you’re likely au fait with the practical cleaning measures that come with a velvet sofa. For example, stubborn stains and fidgety fabric patterns are amongst the more typical sofa cleaning woes.
But cleaning your velvet sofa is not quite the sweat-slicked, back-breaking task you may think! In fact, with a simple vacuum, a splash of sofa cleaner, and a spot of TLC, you’ll have a clean velvet sofa in no time at all!
To get started on cleaning your velvet sofa, continue reading below.
1. Place your sofa away from sunlight
Before we get down to cleaning the velvet fabric, we thought you might like a tip that keeps your sofa looking pristine, without having to raid the cleaning cupboard for supplies.
So, our first top tip for maintaining your velvet sofa’s stunning good looks is actually just to place it out of direct sunlight. Too much sun can cause the colour of your sofa to fade over time, and this can ruin its luxurious appeal, especially if you’ve chosen a more vibrant colour for your velvet sofa.
If you’ve gone for a velvet corner sofa, then these are designed (as the name suggests!) to fit nice and snug in the corner of your room. Alternatively, for a 2 seater or 3 seater sofa, try placing them nearer the walls, avoiding the middle of the room where that direct sunlight may be streaming in.
2. Use a vacuum with a soft bristle head
A brew and a biscuit (or two) is the perfect way to unwind, but those pesky crumbs have a habit of sticking around, don’t they? Well, let’s clean the velvet with a quick vacuum!
Before you begin, make sure to grab the soft bristle brush attachment for your vacuum first. Velvet fabric is super soft (we imagine that’s why you chose it!), and the regular vacuum head is likely a bit too rough for such delicate upholstery.
Then when it comes to cleaning your velvet upholstery, you’ll want to use a lower power setting on your vacuum for a more gentle clean. Move your vacuum in light, soft strokes along the surface of your velvet sofa, following the direction the fabric naturally takes.
3. Take care of stains quickly
We’re all guilty of trading dining tables for sofas to slurp our saucy pasta lunch or nosh on our noodle dinner, there’s no shame in it! But it does mean we need to be prepped for stains.
If you notice the splash of sauce straight away, then place an absorbent cloth over the spillage to soak up the liquid. Next, create a simple soap and lukewarm water mix to wash the velvet fabric, and gently dab at the stain to prevent a lasting mark forming. Make sure to press lightly and don’t rub the spillage, as this can push the stain deeper into the fabric!
But if you don’t spot the remnants of your dinner on the sofa until the next morning, then don’t panic – you can clean velvet of dry stains too! All you need is a dash of lemon juice and baking soda. Pop a bit of this mixture onto a dry cloth, before gently scrubbing out the stain. Dab the area with a damp cloth to remove the mixture, and let it air dry. All done!
4. Pick up a velvet sofa brush
With the biscuit crumbs gone and accidental spillages taken care of, it’s time to give our velvet sofa the TLC it deserves with a delicate brush.
Now, we don’t mean going at it with your hair brush, as you can actually find brushes specifically designed for cleaning up a velvet sofa. We recommend you go for a soft bristle brush here to avoid damaging your gorgeous velvet sofa.
Just take the brush and gently glide it along the velvet upholstery, making sure to follow the direction the fibres take. And just like magic, you’ve got a clean velvet sofa! All you need to do is grab the throw, curl up, and get cosy – has anyone popped the kettle on?
How to clean a crushed velvet sofa
While we love the funky fabric of a crushed velvet sofa, they are a bit more fiddly to keep clean, as too much liquid from cleaning mixtures can harm the fabric. However, it is not an impossible task!
If you do happen to spill something on crushed velvet, take the same soap and water mix we used before, but dip the soft cloth into the suds at the top of the mixture only. This avoids too much liquid getting onto that delicate upholstery. Then, go about lightly dabbing the stain to avoid it leaving a lasting mark.
But the good news is that brushing and vacuuming your crushed velvet sofa is exactly the same as cleaning a velvet sofa! You’ll want to use a soft bristle head on your vacuum to clean up crumbs and dirt, as well as a soft bristle brush to tidy up the surface at the end.
And it’s as easy as that – you’ve now got a lovely, clean velvet sofa to binge watch to your heart’s content on! Why not complete your living room set-up with a coffee table for snacks and a cosy pouffe to rest your feet on? You can explore our full living room collection online!
Alternatively, if you’re looking for ways to style your sofa with the likes of cushions and throws, or you’re wondering which luxurious colour to choose for your sofa, then head over to our inspiration page!