How To Remove Grease Stains From Furniture

Have you ever needed to know how to remove grease stains from furniture?

Grease stains can be a real pain to discover on your furniture, clothing, or carpet.

You may think that they are impossible to remove, but that is not always the case.

It is true that grease stains can be more challenging to remove than other stains, but it is possible to remove them without further damage to the surface they are on.

Kids, pets, food, and otherwise can all leave unwanted grease stains on your furniture.

However, with a little knowledge and elbow grease, you will be able to get them out in no time.

Keep reading to learn how to remove grease stains from furniture. 

What You’ll Need

Dish Soap

A good degreasing dish soap will be very handy in trying to get grease out of your couch.

If It can get grease off of your dishes, it can more than likely get grease out of your couch, too.

I like this one.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is an excellent tool for soaking up grease and other messes from upholstery.

Alternatives can also be used, but baking soda will be the best choice. 

Rag

You will need a rag to help scrub the stain, so make sure to use one that you don’t mind getting greasy.

I’ve found that these microfiber cleaning cloths work really well! 

Water

Water is always handy when trying to remove a stain.

It will be used both with the dish soap and with ammonia to remove the grease. 

Ammonia 

Ammonia is another great tool for removing grease from any surface.

It helps break the grease down and gets it up faster. 

Vacuum 

The vacuum will be used to clean up the mess from the baking soda.

It can be brushed off, but a vacuum will make it much easier to clean up. 

Step by Step Instructions For How To Remove Grease Stains From Furniture 

#1. Pour Baking Soda Onto The Stain

Generously cover the stained couch in baking soda and let it sit for up to an hour.

The longer you let it sit, the more grease it will be able to soak up.

If you don’t have any baking soda handy, you can also try using corn starch or baby powder.

Both of these will soak up the grease almost as well as baking soda.

After you have let the baking soda sit for a while and soak up all the excess grease, use the vacuum to clean up the baking soda mess.

Alternatively, you can brush the baking soda off into your hand or a trash can, but using a vacuum will make cleanup much easier and quicker. 

#2. Scrub The Stain With Dish Soap

Using your fingers, rub some degreasing dish soap into the stain.

You can use a brush or microfiber cloth to scrub the stain if you want, but it is not absolutely necessary.

After you have scrubbed the soap into the stain, let it sit for 2-3 minutes to work on the grease.

Take a damp rag and blot the soap until it has all been removed from the upholstery.

Make sure you remove all of the soap and do not leave any behind.

Let the spot air dry until it is completely dry. 

#3. Make The Ammonia Mixture

At this point, you may have already completely removed the grease stain from your furniture.

However, if there is still some grease left behind, mix 1 tsp of ammonia with 1/4 cup of water.

If you have run out, get your ammonia here.

Use another rag to blot the mixture onto the stain and scrub it into the upholstery.

Using a clean damp rag, blot the ammonia off the stain until it has been completely removed.

Pro Tip:

Make sure to test the ammonia mixture on a small area of your furniture before using it on the stain to ensure that discoloration does not occur. 

Let the spot air dry and ensure that the grease is completely removed.

If there is still some grease left behind after it has thoroughly dried, repeat this step as many times as necessary to completely remove the stain. 

Commonly Asked Questions

I don’t have any baking soda. Can I use flour to soak up the grease? 

Flour can be used to soak up the grease.

However, it is not as absorbent as baking soda.

You will likely need to vacuum up the flour and reapply it to the stain several times to soak up the excess grease completely.

Baby powder or corn starch will be a better alternative if you do not have any baking soda available. 

Is it possible to remove a stain that has had time to sit on the furniture? 

Although it will take a little extra work, it is possible to remove an old grease stain from furniture.

The baking soda will not be as effective on an old stain as it is on a new stain, but the dish soap and ammonia will do most of the work.

You will need to repeat the steps with the dish soap and the ammonia several times to remove an old stain.

Conclusion 

I hope you have enjoyed learning how to remove grease stains from furniture.

If you’ve ever dropped a piece of buttery popcorn on your couch or had a child get their greasy hands on your furniture, you know how much of a pain it can be to attempt to remove grease stains from furniture.

Now that you have read this article, you are equipped with the knowledge of how to remove grease stains from furniture.

No longer does a grease stain on your couch need to cause stress or anxiety.

All it takes is a little elbow grease and baking soda, and your couch will be looking as good as new.