How to Get Blueberry Stains Out of Upholstery and Furniture

Blueberries are a great alternative to popcorn on movie nights. The only trouble is, blueberries have a knack for falling down the side of the sofa!

A yucky, squishy blue mess is left behind and you end up with a new pattern on your settee!

So, instead of sitting on a stained couch, follow the method below to remove the marks.

 

Things to Remember When Removing Blueberry Stains from Upholstery

Before treating a blueberry stain, keep these few tips in mind:

• Act as quickly as you can! Fresh blueberry stains are easier to remove than dried, aged ones.
• Only use cold water to treat upholstery.
• You might have to repeat the steps below to remove the blueberry stain, so be patient.
• Make sure the whole blueberry stain has gone before you allow the upholstery to dry. Dried stains are difficult to remove.
• Do a patch test with your chosen cleaning product(s) before you use it to clean an entire surface.
• If there’s a care label on your upholstery, read it before you treat the item in question.
• Never scrub a blueberry stain, just blot at it.
• If in doubt, call a professional out to treat your stained upholstery.

 

How to Get Blueberry Stains Out of Upholstery

Steps to follow:

1. Remove any blueberry remains from the surface using a teaspoon.
2. Dip a neutral-coloured cloth in some cold water, wring it out, and repeatedly blot the blueberry patch to remove the excess juice.
3. In a dish mix a tablespoon of washing-up liquid with two cups of cold water.
4. Grab a clean, white cloth.
5. Dip the cloth into the water, wring it out, and then start blotting the stained patch.
6. Repeat Step 5 until the stain has been lifted away.
7. With a fresh cloth, blot at the treated zone to remove the excess moisture – you don’t want to oversaturate the upholstery.
8. If the stain persists, continue with this method.
9. Fill a shallow dish with one part white vinegar and three parts water (Optional: Add some rubbing alcohol to the dish).
10. Grab a neutral-coloured cloth, dip it into the white vinegar and water mix, wring it out, and then start blotting the upholstery.
11. Use a second fresh, damp cloth to blot the area intermittently.
12. Repeat Steps 9 and 10 until the blueberry stain has been removed.
13. Using a third fresh, damp cloth, repeatedly blot the area to remove any product remains from the upholstery.
14. Blot the area dry with a neutral-coloured cloth.
15. Leave the upholstery to air dry. Don’t sit on or touch the area until it has dried completely.

Tip: Make sure you check the entire sofa/seat/seating area for rogue blueberries. You don’t want someone sitting/standing on a lonely blueberry and then spreading the bluey-purple stain around the rest of the house!

 

Alternatives Methods for Getting Blueberry Stains Out of Upholstery

If you’ve tried the method above but you’ve not had much luck, perhaps one of these alternatives might help.

Specialist stain remover products

These specially designed stain removers can make dealing with blueberry stains easier:

• Professional Strength Dried-In Stain Remover is an upholstery-safe cleaner that can be used to remove stubborn stains that have gone dry. It can be used on carpets, as well as upholstery, and is straightforward to use.
• Dr. Beckmann Upholstery Stain Remover comes with a triangular head, which makes it ideal for cleaning sofas and their hard-to-reach spots. The product contains oxygen-based bleaching agents, so stains will lift away with ease. Plus, any odours will be eliminated after using this product, which is an added bonus!

 

Hire a professional cleaner

If you’ve not been able to treat the blueberry stain on your upholstery, and you’ve tried the various methods above, it’s time to call in an upholstery cleaning specialist.

A professional in this field will be able to tell you how to treat your furniture further, and/or they may be able to carry out the cleaning for you.

In addition to this, it would be worth getting advice from a professional in this field if you are trying to clean a very old piece of furniture, or something that is made from a delicate material.

If you were to treat a precious piece of furniture at home, you could seriously damage the item if you used the wrong type of cleaning solution/tools.

A professional will have different, and in some cases, more suitable tools for the job, so they’ll be able to treat and care for the stained upholstery in a different sort of way.

An online search will bring up an upholstery specialist near you. Just remember to ask plenty of questions when you meet the person, and ask them if they’ve got any tips on how to keep your upholstery cleaner for longer!

 

Are Blueberry Stains Permanent?

Blueberry stains can become permanent if they are left untreated. You must remove the blueberry mess from your upholstery and then treat the stained area.

In addition to this, you shouldn’t leave the blueberry juices to sit on a surface for too long because they’ll dry, and become difficult to remove.

 

Does Vinegar Discolour Upholstery?

If you use the wrong type of vinegar to clean an upholstered item you risk discolouring it or dyeing it.

Certain types of vinegar, like balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar, can discolour upholstery because they sometimes contain dyes.

If these colourants make contact with fabric, they can potentially damage an entire area by altering the colour of the material.

However, if you use white vinegar to clean upholstery, this shouldn’t damage the item in question. White vinegar is a clear liquid and the type of vinegar most commonly used in the cleaning world.

In addition to using white vinegar, you must also ensure that the vinegar is diluted in water before it is used. And when you do use the product to treat a surface, you must not leave it on an upholstered surface for too long.

If you stick to these tips, you’ll be able to treat your upholstery without discolouring it.

Of course, before you try cleaning or treating a piece of upholstery with vinegar you should always do a patch test first.

Completing this quick test will tell you if the vinegar is going to cause damage to your upholstered piece, or if it’ll have no effect on it. If there’s no effect, you can, of course, use the vinegar!

 

Does Bicarbonate of Soda Remove Stains from Upholstery?

Bicarbonate of soda can be used to treat stains on a piece of upholstery. However, using bicarb to treat blueberry stains usually gets mixed results, so keep this in mind if you plan on trying the bicarb method!

To use bicarbonate of soda to remove blueberry stains on upholstery follow these steps:

1. Scrape off any blueberry residue.
2. Blot the stained area with a damp neutral coloured cloth.
3. Sprinkle the stain with a generous amount of bicarbonate of soda.
4. Leave the bicarbonate of soda to rest on the surface for about thirty minutes – the bicarb will absorb the colour and moisture.
5. Hoover the bicarbonate of soda off your piece of upholstery – make sure you’ve got the upholstery attachment on the hoover.
6. Repeat Steps 2 to 5 until you’ve removed the stain.
7. If you can still see the stain after repeating the steps above multiple times, you should follow the steps above under the ‘How to Get Rid of Blueberry Stains on Upholstery’ section. Air-dry the item when the stain has been eradicated from the upholstered surface.