The short answer: what usually works and what does not always
Usually comes out
- Everyday dirt and dust on the top layer of the fabric
- A fresh stain that has not been rubbed or heated
- A wine or coffee stain, if it was blotted at once
- Urine that has stayed in the fabric and has not soaked into the foam
- A light smell, if its source is on the surface
May stay
- An old stain, especially one exposed to a hairdryer, an iron or hot water
- Urine and smell that have reached the foam or the mattress core
- Smoke smell, which may come back
- Mould in the upholstery
- Water rings, colour changes and shrinkage from earlier washing
- Wear, peeling faux leather and pressure marks on velour, because these are not stains
No stain is promised on this page. The words “usually” and “often” are here on purpose: the outcome depends on the particular stain and can only be judged from a photo or on the spot. We give no percentages, because two wine stains on two fabrics are not the same job.
What to expect: a table by situation
| Situation | What usually happens | What may stay |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh stain on fabric | Often comes out if not rubbed or heated | A faint shadow, if the colour has had time to soak in |
| Blood | Fresh blood is easier to remove with cold water | A stain set by heat is hard to remove |
| Wine, coffee, tea | A fresh stain can often be reduced | Colour marks or a ring around the stain |
| Grease | Depends on the label, because it usually needs a solvent | A darker spot; solvent can damage foam, so it is used with care |
| Ink, pen | On fabric, depends on the ink and the label | On leather, the outcome cannot be predicted |
| Urine | In fabric, the smell and stain can often be reduced | If the urine is in the foam, the smell may stay or come back |
| Cigarette smoke | The smell can be reduced | The smell may come back from the upholstery |
| Mould | The moisture must be found and dealt with first | Mould in the upholstery is a matter for replacement or a separate assessment |
| Dust mites | Cleaning is not allergy treatment | Mites come back while the home stays damp |
More on each: stains on a sofa, stains on a mattress, urine smell in a sofa, mould in a mattress, cigarette smoke smell in a sofa.
Why some stains stay
Heat. A stain set by heat is hard to remove, and hot water can set a stain on upholstery too. In blood, hot water literally “cooks” the proteins. That is why only cold or cool water is right for a fresh stain.
Upholstery. Fabric can be cleaned, but foam holds moisture and cannot be dried quickly. That is why furniture and mattresses must not be soaked: too much water can damage the structure or leave moisture in the core. After a thorough soaking, it is almost impossible to dry a mattress before mould starts to grow.
Fabric. If fabric is overwetted, the finish moves and leaves a ring. When textiles get soaked, the colour often changes or bleeds, or the fabric shrinks. Water and pressure can flatten viscose pile for good.
Earlier attempts. Chlorine bleach and strong substances change the colour, solvents can harm the upholstery, and the wrong substance can make the colour run. If something has already been tried, say so in the form: it can change the outcome more than the stain itself.
Sources: University of Georgia Extension (blood, grease, wine), Emma (hot water and blood), Virginia Cooperative Extension (first aid), IKEA (foam and moisture), NC State Extension (soaked textiles and mattresses), Brentano Fabrics (pile). Checked 07.11.2026
What is not a stain and what cleaning does not fix
Some of what people want to “clean away” is a property of the material, or wear. Velour and chenille are pile fabrics on which pressure marks and shade changes can appear with use. Manufacturers state that this is a property of the fabric, not damage. Pilling is also typical of new natural-fibre fabrics.
The coating on faux leather can peel over time, and cleaning does not fix that. Natural leather absorbs liquid readily, stains soak into the leather itself, and even things that do textiles no harm can damage its structure. That is why leather and faux leather have their own assessment: leather sofa cleaning and faux leather sofa cleaning.
Sources: Long Eaton Sofas care guide (velour, chenille, natural fibres), Iowa State University Extension (leather). Checked 07.11.2026
What cleaning does not do
- It does not treat allergies. Cleaning is not allergy treatment, and mites come back while the air stays damp.
- It does not destroy mould in foam. Porous material that has gone mouldy may have to be thrown away, because mould can be hard or impossible to remove from it completely.
- It does not remove bedbugs and fleas. That is a job for pest control. The Latvian register of service providers is on the website of the Health Inspectorate (Veselības inspekcija).
- It does not replace dealing with the cause of the moisture. If the furniture gets wet again, the problem comes back too.
Sources: US EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home; Health Inspectorate; NHS, Bedbugs; UC IPM, Fleas. Checked 07.11.2026
The label decides what may be done
Furniture fabrics often have a code, usually found under the seat cushions or on the underside of the furniture. Codes are voluntary, so some furniture does not have one.
| Code | What it means |
|---|---|
| W | Water-based foam, used sparingly, no overwetting, no dry-cleaning solvents |
| S | Only a mild water-free solvent in a well-ventilated room; professional cleaning recommended |
| WS or S-W | Either will do, in both cases test first |
| X | No liquid at all, only vacuuming and light brushing; any other cleaning has to be decided separately |
The letter W in a circle on a clothing care label means professional wet cleaning and does not correspond to furniture fabric code W. A cross through a symbol means that this treatment must not be used. Sources: Brentano Fabrics, Virginia Cooperative Extension, American Leather, NMSU G-402, GINETEX. Sources differ on code X. Checked 07.11.2026
How we tell you this before work starts
- Send a photo Add an overall view, the stain and the label to the form, and write what it is and what has already been tried. How to do it: how to photograph a sofa.
- The specialist tells you what to expect After you submit the form, we contact you within 5 minutes. The specialist will give you the price and tell you what usually comes out and what may stay in your particular case.
- We agree the price before work starts You decide whether cleaning is worth it even if the stain may stay.
Prices: sofa, two-seater from €35, three-seater from €45; mattress, single from €30, double from €45 (one side); smell treatment extra, from €15. The full list is in the price list. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. Travel is included in Riga and up to about 15 km outside Riga; further out it is from €10.
Sources
- Heat sets a stain; cold water for blood checked 7 November 2026
- Hot water cooks the proteins in blood checked 7 November 2026
- Do not rub or overwet; overwetting moves the finish and leaves a ring; solvent can damage foam checked 7 November 2026
- Do not use hot water, do not saturate; codes S, WS, X checked 7 November 2026
- Code W; pressure damage to pile checked 7 November 2026
- Where to find the codes; WS checked 7 November 2026
- Codes are voluntary; testing in a hidden spot checked 7 November 2026
- Cross through a symbol, symbols in a circle checked 7 November 2026
- Pressure marks on velour and chenille; pilling of natural fibres checked 7 November 2026
- Foam sensitive to moisture checked 7 November 2026
- Colour, shrinkage and rings; a mattress is almost impossible to dry after soaking checked 7 November 2026
- Leather absorbent, structure gets damaged checked 7 November 2026
- Porous mouldy material may have to be thrown away checked 7 November 2026
- Mould, mites, register of service providers checked 7 November 2026
- Bedbugs: pest control checked 7 November 2026
- Fleas: pest control checked 7 November 2026
- Effect of home measures on allergy checked 7 November 2026
- Cleaning smoke residue has a temporary effect checked 7 November 2026