How To Clean Up Mold On Sofa? (With Video 2023 Guide)

Want to know how you can remove mold from the sofa? Molds are that small fungus that may grow at any place as long as they get a favorable environment for that. Singapore is a place that is just too perfect for molds because of the humidity and it can grow on your couch as well. And if you get it once on your couch or sofa, then the normal sofa cleaning method will not work for you. In that situation, you will have to follow special procedures for sofa cleaning. Here, I am sharing a guide that can tell you how to clean up molds on the sofa.

What Causes Mold On Sofa?

First thing first, let’s answer the most frequently asked question regarding removing molds from sofas. Yep, you guessed it right! What causes mold on our sofas? Now, every single person who is struggling to remove mold from his sofa must have been concerned about what caused mold buildup on their sofa so that the root cause can be barred in the future.

There are several reasons why mold grows on furniture, particularly sofa sets. In the majority of the cases, mold builds up on sofas due to either excessive moisture or restricted airflow due to poorly insulated exterior walls, or a combination of both! Likewise, furniture abandoned in damp, dark conditions also accumulates mold and mildew. How? Furniture usually consists of upholstery fabric, which absorbs moisture from the air and provides the perfect place for molds to grow in the absence of sunlight.

But the fabric isn’t the only thing that molds. Now, mold feeds on nutrients like cellulose fibers found in fabrics but not in plastic. So on plastic outdoor sofas, mold feeds on old food particles, dirt, and soil. So, if you live in a humid climatic area or a house with improper ventilation and sunlight, you are likely to experience molding on your furniture.

How To Remove Mold On A Sofa?

Hey there, quick question – does your sofa have mold buildups? Since you have landed on this article, I will assume you have! If you think molds are disgusting and dreadful, wait till you see them on sofas, couches, and other fabric furniture. When adhered to your sofa sets, these sickening fungi not only look unappealing but also relate to various health hazards, such as allergies, stuffy noses, itchy eyes, and lung issues, to name an insignificant few. What are the significant ones, then, you ask? Believe me; you wouldn’t want me mentioning those!

Anyways, if you have mold buildups on your sofa set, then you should consider giving it a deep clean to keep you and your family members safe. But the thing is that in such situations, conventional sofa cleaning methods aren’t much of a help. You will have to follow extra-special methods to get rid of such extra-special mildew from your sofas. Luckily for you, this is precisely what we have discussed in this post.

So, stick to this article until the end and learn about removing molds and mildew from sofas, sofa cushions, sofa beds, leather sofas, fabric sofas, and outdoor plastic sofas. Let’s get started!

Do the preparation: 

Before you start the sofa cleaning process it is extremely important that you do all the necessary preparation for that. You get all the essential tools that you will need for your sofa and you also do other preparation. In this other preparation work, you should lay down some newspaper on the floor and around your sofa.

This is very important because it will collect the loose spores and it will make sure you don’t spread those spores of molds on your carpet or other fabric. If possible take your sofa to an empty room for sofa cleaning, if that is not possible then remove all the things that you can remove. If that is also not possible, then you should cover most of the things with plastic wrapping or newspaper just for protection purposes. 

Stop air flow: 

This is very important that you get them as low a flow of air in your house as low possible. In order to do that, you can close all the windows, you can turn off your Aircon and you also need to turn off the fan. I agree, it may become a bad situation for you because of the humidity, but you must understand that air can spread the spores of molds in your entire house. That means your sofa cleaning process may infect other fabrics and things in your house. Also, make sure, no one opens the door or uses these electrical appliances in the mid of the sofa cleaning for mold removal. 

Brush it gently: 

To remove the molds from the sofa, first, you should take a stiff broom or brush and you should brush the molds with a good quality brush. You should brush it gently and you should get the residue of the molds on this newspaper.

Indeed, you may not remove it completely using a brush and I am not asking you to remove it either. Instead of that you should gently remove it as much as possible and rest you should leave for the next part of sofa cleaning. If you don’t have a brush, then you can use a stiff broom as well, but make sure it is stiff and does no harm to the fabric of your couch or sofa.

Make a cleaning solution: 

Take 250 ml of warm water and add 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap to it. Once you get a good soapy liquid then take a sponge dip that into the liquid, squeeze it properly and then apply the soap to the couch. When you apply the suds or soap on the couch, then make sure you pay your focus on the moldy areas. But this does not mean you should ignore it completely.

If you notice you have more mold on your sofa and this sofa cleaning solution is not working, then you can use an alternative cleaning solution for that. In an alternative cleaning solution, you can use white vinegar and water in a pot. Take that in equal amounts and then use that solution for your sofa cleaning.

Apart from this, you can also use a water and ammonia mixture to clean the sofa. In this ammonia and water mixture, you should use 250 ml of water with 2 tablespoons. You can use this also in the same way and you will be able to clean your sofa effectively.

Clean the fabric: 

Once you clean the molds from the affected area, then you should take the sponge and you should clean the rest of the sofa as well. You must do this step because when you do the sofa cleaning using a brush, then some spores of molds might reach other parts of your couch and if you leave that unattended, then it may affect other areas as well.

So, it is advised that you clean or rub the entire sofa fabric with this cleaning solution. It will make sure you get no complications at all and you will be able to have a better and clean sofa in a much easier way.

Remove the paper: 

Now you should remove the newspaper gently and carefully keeping all the pores inside the paper. If needed you can also take other people’s to help for the same. Also, in this step make sure you do not let it fly in the air nor do you make any other mistake so these pores can go to some other parts of your house. Once your roll it properly, then pack it in a plastic bag and dispose of it in a safe place so you don’t get it back in your home.

Let it dry: 

Now it is time to open your windows and let the sofa dry completely in a well-ventilated area. If possible let it air dry in a place that is well-lit by sunlight. That sunlight will kill all the remaining fungus and you will have a much better and clean sofa than you expect it to. If you can’t use sunlight, then let your sofa dry after sofa cleaning and that will help you get a clean and dry sofa easily.

After this, you just need to spray a good quality anti-fungus solution on the sofa. Make sure it is safe for your upholstery and that will help you get good results for sure. Also, once this work is done then you can remove all the plastic sheets or covering that you applied in the second step and once you do that, then you will be able to have a clean and fungus-free couch.

For Fabric Cushions:

Dilute a cup of bleach into 1 gallon of water.

Transfer the mixture into a spray bottle and spray all over the molded area.

Scrub the molded area gently in a circular pattern.

Rinse the cushion with water and leave it out in the sun to dry.

Loose mold spores can be removed after a single use, but repeat the process several times after regular intervals for deeper molds.

For Acrylic Cushions

Mix 1 cup of bleach and 2 cups of detergent into 2 gallons of water.

Transfer the mixture into a spray bottle and spray all over the molded area.

Let the solution rest for 30 minutes, and then rinse off with water.

Let it hang dry.

A Less Harsh Solution For Sofa Mold Cleaning

Before following the above-listed steps, we suggest that you do a patch test to ensure that you don’t end up ruining your fabric and ‘throwing’ the mold away rather than ‘removing’ it. In case your fabric fails the test, use a milder mixture to remove the mold. Here’s how to make a gentler mold-removing solution for your cushions:

Pour a cup of Dettol into 1 gallon of hot water.

Scrub the molded area gently in a circular motion.

Next, in 1 gallon of water, mix 1 cup lemon juice and 1 cup salt.

Rinse the cushion with this citrusy-salty solution.

Rinse it again with clean water and let it dry on a line.

Get Your Sofa Mold-Free Today!

While there are many methods to remove molds from sofas, sofa cushions, sofa beds, leather sofas, fabric sofas, and outdoor plastic sofas, the ones mentioned above are those we tried for ourselves and which worked best for us. Resuscitate your furniture’s aesthetics using these safe, non-toxic ways. Happy Cleaning!

If you need a professional carpet cleaning company, curtain cleaning, rug cleaning, or even disinfection service, you can call us at +65 6844 3164.

Also, watch how to remove mold from carpet and upholstery.

How to Remove Mold from Furniture?

Getting rid of mold from different furniture can be achieved by using readily available kitchen products. We will be discussing exactly what you will need to remove mold and mildew from your sofa, sofa cushions, sofa beds, leather sofa, fabric sofa, and outdoor plastic sofa and in what quantities.

How to Remove Mold from Fabric Sofas and Sofa Beds?

People prefer to keep sofa beds in guest rooms to maximize the space for their friends and relatives to rest. However, guest rooms are usually the most neglected rooms in a house, which means closed windows and no light. Such places are ideal for molds to grow. So, if the sofa bed in your guest room gets infected with mold, don’t be surprised! Just follow these steps and get rid of the mold in no time:

Take the sofa out and leave it in the sunlight for 2-4 hours.

Create a mold-removing solution by mixing bleach and detergent in water. Keep the ratio of the components 1:10:20, respectively.

Apply the solution to the affected area and leave it on for 15 minutes.

Next, scrub it off with a sponge or a soft-bristled brush.

Air-dry the sofa bed and repeat the process, if necessary.

This solution is sure to work great for you if you have a white sofa bed, but not everyone keeps a white sofa bed in their guest rooms, do they? So, as an alternative to bleach and detergent, use vinegar! For newly formed molds, liquid soap mixed with water also does a great job. Just ignore the first step and proceed with using vinegar. The rest of the steps remain the same.

These steps can also be followed to remove mold from fabric sofas that you keep in your lounges.

How to Remove Mold from Plastic Sofas?

To treat mold buildups on outdoor plastic sofas, follow these steps:

Mix equal parts rubbing alcohol or vinegar in water.

Spray the mixture on the couch and let it sit for an hour.

Rinse with clean water and repeat the steps one more time.

Notice how we didn’t mention exposing the sofa to the sun because they already are in the sun and lack of sunlight isn’t the reason for mold accumulating on outdoor plastic furniture.

How to Clean and Disinfect Fabric Sofas?

After removing molds from their sofas, the most commonly asked question that comes into people’s minds is ‘how to disinfect the sofa now?’

The cleaning and disinfecting process are usually related to fabric sofas because plastic sofas and cushions can be disinfected by simply washing them with open water or in the washing machine after removing molds from them. To disinfect fabric sofas is a different deal and involves the following steps:

Vacuum your fabric sofa to get rid of any deeply seeped mold.

Create a DIY sanitizer by mixing 1 cap of Dettol soap in 2 cups of water. Spray it on the couch.

Create a cleaning solution using equal parts of white vinegar or rubbing and warm water in a spray bottle.

Add a few drops of detergent or liquid soap to create a soapy solution.

Spray the solution all over your sofa, and Voila! The germs have been killed alongside the pesky mold.

Will Baking Soda Kill Mold On the Couch?

Since we have answered a frequently asked question above, it is only fair that we address another one: ‘Can we use baking soda to kill mold on our couches?’

Yes, you can! Baking soda is, in fact, a milder alternative for bleach and even vinegar and works well for removing newly formed molds, especially on upholstery. It is also a safer option, but don’t forget to wear gloves while dealing with baking soda on your molded couch.

How to Remove Mold from Sofa Cushions?

To remove mold buildup from your sofa cushions, you will need to follow some systematic steps. The first one from the set of steps requires determining what type of cushions have caught mold.

If the cushions are indoors, they are, of course, fabric. Outdoor cushions, however, are likely to be acrylic because the material is more durable for the external environment but can be of a regular fabric as well. After determining whether your cushions are fabric or acrylic, follow the below-mentioned steps:

How to Remove Mold from Leather Sofa?

Leather sofas are more prone to getting damaged and inhabiting allergens caused by molds and mildew. To eliminate mold from your leather sofa without damaging it, follow these steps:

Leave it in the sun for a few hours. Mix equal parts of vinegar with water.

Moisten a clean piece of cloth with the solution and rub it over the leather, removing all the mold as you go.

Let it sit, and then clean it with a damp cloth.

If the mold regrows, spray a cleaning product with 5% alcohol concentration, let it sit for 15 minutes, then wipe it off.