A home cleaning test found that baking soda was more effective than washing up liquid for refreshing a fabric sofa, leaving it looking and smelling cleaner. The test was carried out by Nicola Roy, a Spare Time writer, who tried both methods on her velvet couch.
Washing up liquid method
Roy first tried a widely shared social media trick using washing up liquid, hot water, a tea towel, and a saucepan lid. She boiled the kettle, which she later said was a poor decision as the water was too hot to handle. Warm tap water would have sufficed.
She squeezed washing up liquid into a bowl, added water, soaked a clean tea towel, wrung it out, and wrapped it around the saucepan lid, fastening it with a scrunchie. She then glided the lid across the sofa to lift minor marks.
The sofa dried quickly and looked cleaner, with dust and blemishes appearing to vanish. However, the fresh scent of the washing up liquid did not linger.
Baking soda method
Next, Roy used baking soda on the remaining cushions. She scattered a generous amount across the sofa and left it for about an hour to absorb odours. She then vacuumed it off with a soft brush attachment.
Roy felt this was a more thorough clean, as it removed dust rather than just shifting it. She noted that baking soda eliminates odours rather than masking them, making it a better long-term option.
She recommended the baking soda method for anyone needing to refresh their sofa before summer ends.
