How to Remove Grease Stains From Upholstery?

A title

Image Box text

Picture this: You’re sitting at home eating pizza while watching TV, and life couldn’t have been better. Suddenly, you drop a slice on your fabric sofa, leaving a visible grease stain.

Now, you’re freaking out, wondering: “What do I do? Can I remove this? How?” First of all, calm down and take a deep breath.

Second of all, yes, you don’t need to be a professional cleaner to remove that stain. You just need the right tools.

If you’re curious, this guide will teach you how to remove grease stains from upholstery step by step. Let’s get right to it!

Identify Your Upholstery’s Material

When you leave a grease stain on your furniture, you can’t just swipe it with a generic detergent and expect it to disappear into the void. Why not? Isn’t that the purpose of detergents?

Yes, it is, but what type of detergent are you talking about? You see, furniture comes in different fabrics. Just because one detergent works on a certain type of fabric doesn’t mean it’ll work on the other. So, before you start cleaning, you need to understand your fabric.

How to Understand Your Fabric

Simple! Just look for your furniture’s model online. Furniture’s product descriptions usually include the materials they’re made of. You can also look at the care tag under the cushions or on the back of your furniture.

You’ll see the letters X, W, S, or WS. No, these are not secret messages that can lead you to an ancient treasure. These letters tell you how you can clean your furniture:

X

It means you can only clean your furniture through vacuuming or light brushing (a bad match for grease stains).

S

It means you should only use water-free solvents, like rubbing alcohol or dry-cleaning solvents.

W

It means you can use water-based solutions, including foam upholstery cleaners and water-based shampoos.

WS

That indicates you can use any of

W or S methods.

Read also: How to Restore the Look of Your Sofa: A Detailed Guide

A title

Image Box text

X

It means you can only clean your furniture through vacuuming or light brushing (a bad match for grease stains).

S

It means you should only use water-free solvents, like rubbing alcohol or dry-cleaning solvents.

W

It means you can use water-based solutions, including foam upholstery cleaners and water-based shampoos.

WS

That indicates you can use any of

W or S methods.

Now, you’re ready to start the cleaning process. Luckily, there are plenty of methods for removing grease stains from your upholstery, and we’ll cover all of them here.

Baking Soda and Dry-Cleaning Solution 

Yes, your eyes are fine. Baking soda isn’t just a popular baking ingredient. It’s an effective stain remover. Before you apply it, though, you need to take care of excess crusted grease.

You don’t have to use any special tools for that. Scraping it with a plastic utensil would do the trick.

A title

Image Box text

Now, it’s time to turn Salt Bae mode on and sprinkle baking soda on your furniture. You might be tempted to go crazy with it to get better results, but don’t.

Not only will it not make that much of a difference, but it’ll be a hassle to clean. Just sprinkle enough to cover the stain completely.

Leave the baking soda for 15-20 minutes. It will absorb some grease and eliminate the undesired odour it leaves. Then, vacuum the baking soda with a brush attachment.

Now, it’s time for the finishing touch: Applying the detergent. Look, you can make a dry-cleaning detergent at home, but we can’t recommend buying premade ones enough.

Dampen your cloth in the detergent and press it on the grease spot firmly. If the spot doesn’t disappear, repeat all the previous steps until it does.

Baby Powder and Dish Soap Liquid

If you don’t have baking soda in your house, baby powder might be the next best option. It’s as effective in dealing with oil/grease stains, and the application method isn’t that different.

Start by removing the crusted grease stains, then generously sprinkle baby powder over the stain. Yes, don’t hesitate to go crazy with this one. You want to cover all the stains completely.

Let the powder work its magic for 10-15 minutes, then brush it off. Now, you might think it’s time to apply the detergent, but no. We recommend reapplying baby powder again for optimal results.

Once you brush it off, is it time to apply the detergent? No, there’s still one step you need to take first. Grab your favourite upholstery cleaner, use it with a scrub brush, and start scrubbing.

That should help break down the grease stain, making it easier for the detergent to remove. Yes, you’re finally applying the detergent. There’s no need to buy fancy products.

The classic dish soap liquid would do the trick, but go for one with grease-cutting properties. Keep dabbing the grease stain with your cloth until it disappears. Et voila!

Combining Different Components

The previous two methods depended on two or three components to get the job done. This one, however, is all over the place. Despite that, it might be our favourite one.

Apply Detergent

We’re skipping the baby powder/baking soda phase and starting with the detergent. You should apply some liquid soap to the grease stain and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Don’t go crazy with it. A small amount would do the trick. Next, grab a clean piece of cloth, dab it in warm water, and rinse the affected areas.

Apply a Water-Ammonia Mixture

Now, it’s time to mix a few chemicals, and by “chemicals,” we mean water and ammonia.

That mixture cuts through grime, stains, and grease, making them easier to clean. Dab a cleaning sponge in your solution and start scrubbing your upholstery.

Use Baby Wipes

This step is a bit unconventional, but trust us, it’ll give you the results you’re looking for. Grab a baby wipe and swipe the stain with it.

Why use baby wipes? Because the alcohol content in them is grease’s worst enemy.

Mix Water and Hydrogen Peroxide

At this point, the grease stain should have been eliminated. However, some stains are stubborn and require overpowering force.

That’s when you can bring out the big gun, water and 3% hydrogen peroxide mixture.

You can use it as a spray or dip a piece of cloth in it, then swipe the affected areas of your furniture. That should eliminate the stains once and for all.

Final Thoughts

There you go—a detailed guide on how to remove grease stains from upholstery. The next time one of your friends says they’re having trouble removing stains from their furniture, you can help them with your infinite wisdom.

However in some cases it is better to contact a professional upholstery cleaners such as Everyday Clean – you don’t want to ruin an expensive carpet by experimenting on it.