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Sofas are one of those items of furniture which are generally heavily used, and therefore are going to need regular cleaning. Any parent or carer will be familiar with the spills, smears and crayon marks that appear frequently on the family sofas if you have young children – no matter how hard you try to keep them clean. Out of all of the furniture in the house, sofas are one of the items most at risk from dirt. Some people were sensible when they chose their furniture. They chose sofas with removable covers that could simply be whipped off and thrust into the washing machine – being careful to check the laundry label before you do so of course! If this is the case with you, then you are in luck. But remember – once the covers are washed and beautifully clean, they must be replaced whilst slightly damp in order to recreate the shape and fit. For those not so fortunate, who have small children and fixed cover sofas, fear not – there are usually simple solutions to most cleaning problems. That pen mark on your cream fabric may not necessarily mean the death of your sofa! First, make a mixture of washing up liquid and warm water. This should remove most stains. But remember to test it on an area of hidden fabric first to make sure it doesn’t adversely affect the material. Then lightly dab the mixture on the stain and use a clean cloth and water to rinse. Make sure that you do not saturate the area and get it dry as soon as possible – you may be lucky and have a hot sunny day with a sofa right under a window when you are cleaning, but on other occasions it may mean getting the hairdryer out. If the staining has crept over into the category of more severe stains, then a stronger cleaning agent may be needed. For example, chocolate spread or purple felt tip pen. If this is the case, then reach for the vinegar! Apply neat white vinegar to the stain, then a mild soap solution on top, rinse thoroughly with water and dry as quickly as possible. Don’t be afraid to really scrub at those stains. Cleaning a sofa is unlike cleaning a carpet – the fibres are not there to worsen the impact of the stain. Leather sofas of course need a whole different approach. Regular vacuuming can keep them in really nice condition, but sometimes a more in-depth clean is required. Firstly, get a damp cloth and clean off any obvious marks or dried on bits of food. Then wipe dry with a separate clean cloth. This will probably get most of the surface of the sofa looking pretty good. But if you want to go that extra mile then you can polish the leather with a solution made from two parts linseed oil and one part water. That will really get your leather sofa looking smart! With most suede furniture, any marks can usually be brushed off with a heavy duty furniture brush, or if that doesn’t work, use a simple pencil eraser to ease the marks first.When it comes to cushions, these nearly always have removable covers that you can pop into the washing machine, checking the label firs of course. And if you need to wash the cushion pad – always remember to CHECK THE FILLING! This will usually be either feathers or polyester – and each one requires a different washing approach. Polyester can safely be vacuumed clean, but cushion pads with a feather interior cannot be vacuumed as this can remove the feathers.By following this simple advice, any spills, stains or marks can be easily and swiftly dealt with – leaving your sofa looking as good as new!