F*cked up my velvet sofa… help!!

[Alarmtrees]

I live in a rental which came with a velvet sofa and other things. I have kept everything in immaculate condition, except a lovely velvet sofa which I spilt wine over a while ago. At the time I tried to blot it up but it too late. I am moving out soon, and I am in a bit of a panic about the sofa. It was very expensive (I looked it up to see if I could buy a replacement and there is no way!). It is polyester velvet.
I tried to use a mix of fairy liquid and water, which has turned most of the material white but has not budged the wine stain!! I am considering trying to steam it out but I am worried I will damage it even further, but I’m not sure what else I can do.
Please help!

Get a professional clean I.e Safeclean if they are in your area

Try sanding it with Glass Sandpaper that’s what we used on our suede jackets in the 70,s

Get a dude in.

I was hoping to deal with it myself but worried that I might just cause even more expensive problems in the process

I would not try this!

Suppose it’s better than them keeping your deposit, and as i said that’s what we used in the 70,s

Sounds like it's wrecked anyway, so what's the harm in asking a professional cleaner to try 🤔

It's not suede though? And it's not OP's property so it'll matter if it makes it worse! (Which it definitely will, polyester is not as robust as suede!)

You need to get it cleaned by a professional who has a far better chance of improving the current status than you do with uninformed attempts. It'll cost you but that's just the way it is, it's not yours and you have damaged it, however inadvertently. So you need to put it back to the way it was before. (I expect you have contents insurance cover but the cost of fixing might be less than the excess.)

Talk to your landlord before you spend any money on it - just to check he wasn't planning on replacing it between tenants.
Do you have contents insurance?

Put a photo on

You used it for suede!! OP’s sofa is velvet which is a bit less robust!

If it is a fully furnished rental, the landlord should have insurance for such items.

if it is just something they left there, it won’t form part of an inventory.

I would just ask them, that’s what insurance is for.

One way or another this is going to cost you. I would discuss it with the landlord and see what options they prefer. Could be that you just recover the part that's stained and whitened.

Quick Google says 1:1 mix of white vinegar and water.
Clean cloth and gently dab mix on stain working from outside inwards so you don't spread the stain.
Keep using different part of cloth as you go so you're picking up the stain and not just rubbing it in further.
Encourage speedy drying by using hair dryer on low heat setting.
Once completely dry, brush gently with stiff brush to restore pile.
Good idea to test vinegar solution on a discrete area before you start.
Good luck!

Surely it’s part of normal wear and tear?
Polyester velvet is a cheap fabric compared to cotton velvet so I wouldn’t expect it to last.

Sofas aren’t meant to last forever and if the cushions are still solid, someone can chuck a throw on it.

I just recently used a rug doctor on my velvet sofa. I didn't have anything as obvious as a red wine stain but it got rid of the dirt and no harm done to the sofa.

How much of the sofa is stained? Eg is it just one cushion? In which case could you look at getting one made to match? Especially if you know the manufacturer or brand. Should be a lot cheaper than a whole new sofa.

I would imagine it's just full of soap. Get an upholstery cleaner like the Vax spotwash. Or see if anyone you know has one. Clean the whole thing with the shampoo and then again with clear water twice to get all the soap out. Then wipe it dry with a towel and finish with a cool hairdryer to try and fluff up the fibres.

Try this: spray the stain with a solution of warm water and dissolved biological washing powder. Leave for a while and then wipe with a warm damp flannel to rinse off the biological soap. Don't rub - you may ruin the nap (and please don;t use glass paper as suggested above. velvet isn't suede and it could make a hole. Dry with a warm hairdryer to lift the nap of the velvet again. Where the fabric has been bleached, try to colour match it with a felt pen and then very lightly and gently colour the pile in with felt pen.

Then drape a throw over the sofa to avoid more accidents.

You shouldn't lose an entire deposit over a wine stain on a sofa. This should come under normal wear and tear in a rental property. If they try, I'd challenge that. My son once broke the toilet seat (no idea how) on the last day of our stay in a holiday let run by a very fussy man. I was dreading his reaction, but he just said: oh that's wear and tear and was really nice about it.

Don't use steam or any kind of heat on polyester velvet! It melts the end of every filament until they look like thousands of glass topped biros!

A professional cleaner may be able to help.

My qualification? Three full years as customer adviser to a large and famous steam cleaner manufacturer.

Is it red wine? If so order red wine stain remover or go to Robert dyas