How do I get a fresh coffee stain out of a chair?
August 10, 2010 12:55 PM   Subscribe

I just spilled coffee on an upholstered office chair. How do I get it out?

I feel stupid asking this question, but it's my dad's office chair and he'll have a conniption if he finds out.

The chair in question is a standard black office chair. It feels like there is foam underneath the fabric.

I tried blotting out all the coffee with a a paper towel, then dabbing it with laundry detergent + water, but it still smells like coffee. Help?
posted by pintapicasso to Home & Garden (8 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
How much time do you got there, son?

You could resaturate with water (perhaps with a TINY bit of vinegar mixed in, or Febreze), then re-blot, repeat until chair does not reek of Foldger's, then blast it with a blow dryer.
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:13 PM on August 10, 2010


Are you only worried about the smell, or is there a dark stain?

Here's a link (at the bottom of the page) for coffee stains.

For the smell, I suggest Febreeze (test it on a small area first if you are really concerned), but it'll probably go away in time.
posted by two lights above the sea at 1:15 PM on August 10, 2010


Option A: Resaturate with carbonated water and blot until the stain is lifted.

Option B: Artfully placed throw pillow. ;-)
posted by goblinbox at 1:26 PM on August 10, 2010


Do you have a ShopVac or other wet/dry vacuum? They're awesome for cleaning upholstery.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:36 PM on August 10, 2010


Second wet vac...bissel little green machine....also I have found that soaking any stain with dr. Bronners soap does wonders.
posted by madmamasmith at 1:48 PM on August 10, 2010


Soap, cold water, a sponge and a towel.
posted by watercarrier at 1:58 PM on August 10, 2010


The sponge will draw out the coffee - you rinse out the stain with the sponge, rinse the sponge repeatedly till the stain is out and the sponge water is clean. Then you start dabbing with the towel till most of the moisture is dried out. Using a blow dryer is not such a great idea because some fabrics react weirdly with water and heat. So better not to - let the room temp do its thing.
posted by watercarrier at 2:00 PM on August 10, 2010


Folex is an incredible cleaner for carpet and upholstery. Buy at grocery store.
Zero Odor, which you will have to search for at specialty stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond, will remove the odor after a couple good applications.
posted by littleflowers at 5:36 PM on August 10, 2010


« Older NBA players with big hands?   |   Infant 101 Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.