Microfiber Couch Purchasing Tips

by Felicia Williams

The furniture industry has been revolutionized with the use of microfiber material. Microfiber is a man-made material made up of tiny synthetic fibers. The mix and match of the fibers (the microfiber material could contain polyester, silk, nylon and more) will result in different texture in microfiber furniture. Ultimately, the furniture is durable, comfortable and has various ways of keeping it clean.

The method for keeping a microfiber sofa clean depends on the type of fibers included in the material.

Microfiber Sofa Tags

Before buying that comfy couch for the living room or selecting the perfect color for the office, check the tags. Each microfiber couch comes with coded tags which give consumers an indication of the cleaning materials/solvents needed to maintain a clean couch. By reading the tag, you can determine whether or not the couch is a good fit for your family's lifestyle. The four tag codes are S, W, S/W and X defined as follows:

Code W: A couch with a code W means that you may use water or water-based solution to clean your couch.

Code S: Purchasing a sofa with an S code means you can use a solvent or solvent-based solution for cleaning your sofa. Solvents are not water-based and can have ingredients such as alcohol, turpentine and paint thinner. Solvents have a stronger odor and much different usage directions than water. If someone in your household has asthma or a compromised respiratory system, you might want to think twice about using solvent-based cleaners.

Code S/W: Microfiber code S/W is probably the most desired cleaning code because you can use both water based and solvent based cleaning solutions. You will be able to approach any stain using just about any type of solvent manufactured for microfiber couches.

Code X: This is the most limiting microfiber code. X means you may not use water or liquid solvent to clean the microfiber. Couches coated with X must be dry cleaned. That means you may vacuum the couch or purchase dry cleaning kits designed for such purposes. Kits such as Capture Carpet Dry Cleaner will work, but using a liquid will ruin your couch.

Microfiber Couch Purchasing Tip

When purchasing or ordering a microfiber couch, request a sample swatch or two from the furniture retailer. Take the swatches home and test them with various types of stains. For example, if you know your house is subject to getting grape juice or red wine stains, stain the swatch accordingly and attempt to clean it. If you're able to remove the stain satisfactorily, then you have a good indication of how your couch will fare.

About the Author: Felicia Williams is a wife, mother and grandmother who likes to write about a host of topics.

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Last Modified: 24 March 2020