Cleaning and Stain Removal - Water Mark on Sofa

Hey there.

I was hoping you guys could help me. Basically I rested a wet glass on the arm of my parents' sofa and it left a pretty hefty ring mark. I tried treating it with vanish oxy action before rinsing it with a spray gun and blotting the left over liquid, letting it finally dry out completely itself and although this got rid of the stain, it created a far bigger water mark stain where I had applied the water. :wall:

Unfortunately, the sofa does not have any removable covering and I would be massively grateful if anyone could tell me the best way to remove such a water mark from a light orange cotton sofa covering.

Any help would be met with squeals of delight from myself.

Thanks,
Hirst.

What it sounds like is..the water and/or chemical you used to remove the stain...spread it out when you rinsed it. Easiest way to remove is to take a spray bottle with warm water mist on the area and gently rub outside to in..then blot up as much as you can. If the ring is gone..take a hair dryer on a low setting holding it 6-8 inches away and dry the area. If spot returns you can also try a mixture of a few ozs of vinegar in the bottle with the water. Alot of times the rings are left due to the area being wet too long and some of the orginal soil is left in there. But the acidic pH of the vinegar can sometimes neutralize the spotter used as well.

Some upholstery fabrics can not be cleaned using water or water-based cleaners. Check for a cleaning label. W = Water. S = Solvent. WS = either Water or Solvent. X = Vacuum Only.
Always test any cleaner in inconspicuous spot first for ill effects. Wait until fabric dries to determine results. Water stains on upholstery can be permanent. If in doubt, contact a professional upholstery cleaner.

For a good homemade upholstery cleaner for "W" fabrics, mix equal amounts of water and liquid detergent (never use laundry detergent). Mix with a hand mixer until frothy. Scoop the froth onto a sponge and scrub into the stains. Blot with plain water to rinse. Blot excess moisture with clean towel. Blow dry immediately.

I spilled a sizeable amount of Diet Coke on the couch this evening. Without much cleaning know-how, and panicking, I threw on a lot of water mixed with dish detergent and scrubbed as hard as I could.

The thing is, the upholstery is some sort of tapestried cloth (cream-colored, of course), and now there's a pale brown watermark *much* bigger than the original stain ...

It's 2:30 AM, I've been fretting about this all evening and into the wee hours ... (my roomie, who's a bit scary, owns the couch) ... and I don't know what I'm going to do! And is "rub outside to in" exactly what it sounds like? Should I rub over the watermark, or will that spread it even more?

Follow Docduck's instructions, using vinegar/water solution. Never pour cleaners onto upholstery or carpets. Oversaturation of padding can occur. Then, there will be possible mold/mildew issues. After using blow dryer, set up a fan to expedite drying. Yes, always blot stains from outside toward middle to prevent spreading.

OK, I am off to the store to get some white vinegar. *But* ...

last night I followed some advice found elsewhere online, and tried taking some toothpaste to the mark. And now it has white spots. Are those white spots from the buildup of toothpaste? (i.e. will they come out with some blotting?) Or is the fabric now bleached from the hydroxide in the paste and am I now really up a creek?

Anxiously,

SB

We use distilled water to get rid of water spots and keep feathering it outward (with a clean cloth), rather than inward, till it's dry. Sorry, don't know about the toothpaste or if the white is permanent or not.

my advice is to STOP now...and talk to your roomie....before you make a situation much worse than what it could be...you have to rinse the area with the distilled first to get rid of everything you have try so far.....then dry the area with a hair dryer from a distance on the cool setting...then inspect the area.

if water mark remains then go with the vinegar/water and redry with cool hair dryer

If in doubt, call a professional upholstery cleaner.

Hey all,

A bit after the fact - but thanks for all your advice. I ended up talking to my roomie, and then when I feathered out the watermark, as was recommended here, it blended in to the fabric well.

Also, rinsing out the fabric again made the white spots from the toothpaste go away. I've certainly learned my lesson: first use new cleaning materials on part of the couch you *can't* see!

im glad that it worked out for you and thanks for posting your results