Spent 6 months cleaning my thrift couch wrong before a comment on here tipped me off

I picked up this really beat up navy blue couch from a Salvation Army in Portland back in March. It had a weird sticky film all along the back cushions that I figured was old soda spills or something. I kept scrubbing with dish soap and water but it never came clean. Then last week someone mentioned here that some thrift stores spray couches with a stain guard that gets tacky over time, and they said rubbing alcohol breaks it down. Tried it on the corner cushion and the sticky stuff just melted off instantly. Why does nobody talk about this cleaning trick? Anybody else run into mystery residue on used furniture?

2 comments

2 Comments

wells.brooke28d ago

Oh totally, that stain guard stuff is real. Found out the hard way on a thrifted armchair from Goodwill. Had this weird slimy layer that dish soap just made worse. Tried rubbing alcohol on a hidden spot first, worked perfect. Fabric was fine, no color loss. Now I always check for that tacky feel before buying anything used.

abbyk1028d ago

Hmm, but doesn't sticking with dish soap actually work for most normal spills? That stain guard stuff sounds like a gimmick, and rubbing alcohol could mess up the fabric's color or texture if you're not super careful. Honestly, maybe the sticky residue is just from years of people sitting on it with sweaty backs, not some fancy spray.