How to Clean Thrifted Upholstery and Rugs
We love scoring great deals on home décor and cleaning essentials! Garage sales, thrift stores, and online marketplaces are excellent sources for finding upholstery and rugs at a bargain. While some sellers clean these items before donating or listing them, it’s hard to know what might be lurking beneath the surface.
Renting a carpet cleaning machine is an affordable way to ensure your secondhand finds are fresh and ready for your space. And while you have the machine, why not deep clean your existing carpets and other fabric-covered items around the house? It’s a simple way to refresh your home and give your décor a clean start!
How to clean second-hand upholstery items
Step 1: Check The Manufacturer’s Tag
Before cleaning, check the manufacturer’s tag for specific instructions. Upholstery usually has a manufacturer’s cleanability code tag. If the fabric is coded “WS” or “W,” it’s safe to clean with water. If coded “X” or “S,” that type of fabric is unsafe to clean. Once you’ve determined it’s okay to be cleaned, always test a small hidden area of fabric on the furniture you plan to clean for colorfastness. You are ready to proceed once you’ve tested that the upholstery color won’t be affected.
Remove everything from the furniture that can come off: throw pillows, blankets, remote controls, toys and everything else. Most blankets can be washed in the washing machine, and in some cases, so can pillow covers. You’ll want to double-check the tags on these to ensure you wash them correctly. Contact the manufacturer for washing instructions if you don’t see a tag.
Next, focus on the cushions. For couches where these can be removed, they should, but they can’t just be thrown in the washing machine. That’s where Rug Doctor® by BISSELL® rental machines come in handy. Rent one of our Upright Carpet Cleaners and add on the Upholstery Tool. You’ll be cleaning upholstery like a professional for a fraction of the price. Machine rentals are available for $39.99 for 24-hr or $49.99 for 48-hr*. The Upholstery Tool rental is an additional $5.99 for 24- or 48-hr rentals. *Pricing and 48-hr availability may vary by location.
Step 2: Vacuum
Use your vacuum’s attachments to remove hair and loose dirt from all surfaces. Remember to get into the crevices where crumbs (and who knows what else) always fall. Now that the dry debris is removed let’s give your couch and chairs a good, deep clean.
Step 3: Pre-Treat Stains
Before you prepare your rental upholstery cleaner, look at your furniture and assess any glaring stains on the upholstery that need a little extra attention. Tackle those stains by pretreating them with one of our specially developed spot and pre-treat solutions. We love the enzyme power of our Pet Urine Eliminator spray if you have old pet stains or odd odors. It removes tough pet stains and eliminators odors at the source. Our Oxy cleaners have the power of oxygen behind them and work great on colored stains, like spilled drinks and food. They start working as soon as they make contact with stains to remove them. Spot and Stain Removers can be purchased from the rental display where you pick up the rental machine.
Step 4: Deep Clean
After pretreating the stains, grab the Rug Doctor by BISSELL rental machine and prepare it with one of our machine formulas, like our Max Advanced for the best cleaning. Attach the upholstery tool and hose. Spray the formula onto the upholstery using a slow and steady forward and backward motion. Then, go back over the same area and suck up the stains and dirt. Do this over the whole couch and chairs to clean them. Detailed instructions for specific machines can be found under here!
Step 5: Let it Dry and Enjoy!
Once you’ve cleaned the sofa and upholstered chairs, you will need to let them dry. There are a few factors that speed up or slow down dry time, so each case is different, but we recommend waiting 4-6 hours before sitting on your couch or chairs. You can also point a fan at them to help speed up the drying time. Once your furniture is dry, enjoy your freshly cleaned upholstery!
How to Clean Area Rugs and carpets
Step 1: Vacuum
Before deep cleaning an area rug or your carpet, make sure to vacuum it first. We cannot stress enough the importance of this step. Vacuuming before you begin removes debris and surface dirt, lifts carpet fibers, and prepares the carpet for deep cleaning. This preparation can reduce the number of passes you will need to make when deep cleaning.
Step 2: Pre-Treat
Often, this step gets skipped in an effort to save time. However, if you properly pre-treat your heavily soiled areas, you can actually save time when deep cleaning and get better results. We have many types of pre-treatment formulas available to best fit your cleaning needs. Our cleaning solutions are available at our rental racks and online. Click here to browse our pre-treatment cleaning products.
Step 3: Deep Clean
Deep cleaning with our machines is easier than you think. Pick your starting point and hold down the solution button to make a cleaning pass. We recommend doing two wet cleaning passes followed by two drying passes where you do not hold the solution button. The addition of dry passes will help with drying time. Continue this process around your room, overlapping your clean areas by a few inches until you have completed the entire space. Once the carpets are cleaned, make sure to wipe down and clean the machine to prepare for your rental return process. When the carpet is fully dry, put your furniture back in place. For quicker drying time, add on our floor dryers, also available to rent from selected rental locations racks. For more information on how to use your specific rental machine, check out our how-to guides.
Scoring secondhand décor is a fun and budget-friendly way to personalize your space—but giving those items a deep clean is essential for comfort and peace of mind. Whether it’s a thrifted rug, a gently used couch, or a marketplace gem, cleaning helps remove hidden dirt, and odors so you can enjoy your finds with confidence.
Renting a carpet cleaning machine is an easy and affordable way to refresh both your new-to-you items and your existing carpets. With over 35,000 rental locations, it’s easier than ever to give your upholstery and carpet a professional-grade clean at a DIY price. Find a rental near you!
What’s the Rental Price?
Professional Carpet Cleaner
- Deep clean carpets and large area rugs with professional-grade cleaning power
* Pricing may vary by location. 48 hour option must be chosen at time of rental and is not available at all locations.
Upholstery Tool Add On
- Deep clean upholstery, auto, stairs, couches, recliners, etc.
* Pricing and availability may vary by location.
