Upholstery Spot Cleaning Tips For An Unknown Stain

by Chris
(NY, NY)

Chris asked a question about upholstery spot cleaning when you have a mystery stain.

Chris's Question:

I got a small stain on our brand new linen/cotton upholstered ottoman. I don't know what the stain is...some sort of liquid dripped on it...could be grease or coffee or baby formula or sweat...I'm not sure!


Anyway, the care instructions for the fabric are "dry clean only." But obviously I can't dry clean an upholstered piece of furniture- the fabric isn't removable. The fabric is 70% linen 30% cotton.

Do you have any advice on how to handle this? Do I need to contact a professional cleaning company? Is there something I can do at home?

I already blotted the stain with a damp cloth but it did nothing. Thanks!

Taylor's Answer:

Chris, I hate mystery stains! Unfortunately they are very common.

I would first start by reading my article on how to remove stains when you don't know what they are.

Of course, you've already done the first step, which is to look at the care tags for your upholstery to determine how it should be cleaned. I am assuming it provided a "S" code based on your description that you said it should be dry cleaned only.

I understand your confusion when it says this, since you are imagining taking it to a dry cleaners like you would a dirty shirt. However, what that terms means is that you should not use a water-based solvent to clean it, unless the tag has the code "WS" which means you can use either water-based or solvent-based cleaners on the upholstery. If it is dry clean only, then you should only use dry cleaning solvent, or some non-water based solvent which may still be in liquid form, but is "dry" because it does not contain water.


I've given more detailed directions for upholstery dry cleaning here, including suggested dry upholstery cleaners you can use (my favorite of which is Guardsman Dry Cleaning Fluid.)

Basically, to answer your question, you can try using a dry upholstery cleaner on the spot, but always test first in an inconspicuous location to make sure it does not harm the upholstery. My motto is that if it is too precious to ruin don't try it on your own, but instead call a professional!

Upholstery spot cleaning is actually a lot easier when you are allowed to use water-based solvents, because then you can use a more readily found upholstery cleaner, or even make your own homemade upholstery cleaner.

With either dry cleaning or water based methods make sure you get the upholstery only as wet as possible to remove the spot or stain, and not wetter, blot, not rub the spot, and let it dry thoroughly!

I hope these tips help you with your small upholstery stain!

I answered this question as part of the site where I provide stain removal help. You can ask your own questions, or check out what I've already answered!

In addition, you can share your own upholstery cleaning tips here, or read even more tips already submitted.

Related Links At Stain-Removal-101.com

How To Clean Upholstery

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