How to Clean Microfiber with Alcohol

Co-authored by Raymond Chiu

Last Updated: March 23, 2020

Microfiber is often used as an affordable substitute for leather or suede furniture. Although this fabric is fairly inexpensive, it can be tricky to clean. You should not clean microfiber using water or water based cleaners because this will leave a wet mark on the material. Instead, alcohol is the best cleaning option. In order to clean microfiber with alcohol, you should prepare to clean the microfiber, apply the alcohol to the surface, and then dry the material.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing to Clean Microfiber

1
Read the care tag for cleaning instructions. The care tag may indicate that you can clean the microfiber using water. If there is no tag, it is always best to use rubbing alcohol because water can stain microfiber.^{[1]
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2
Vacuum the surface. Remove any dirt particles, food crumbs, or dust from your microfiber before you begin cleaning with alcohol. This will ensure that you do not rub crumbs into the fabric. For the best results, use a brush attachment or hand-held vacuum when cleaning fabric.

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3
Test the fabric. Rubbing alcohol should not leave a mark on microfiber; however, it is always a good idea to test the fabric before applying rubbing alcohol to the entire item. For example, if you are cleaning a microfiber couch, test a small piece of material on the back of the couch that is not visible.^{[2]
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4
Fill a spray bottle with alcohol. Pour approximately half a cup (118 ml) of rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle. The amount of alcohol you need will vary depending on the size of the item you are cleaning and the number of stains present on the material.^{[3]
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- Alternatively, you can try screwing a spray nozzle directly onto a large bottle of rubbing alcohol.^{[4]
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EXPERT TIP

Raymond Chiu
House Cleaning Professional
Raymond Chiu is the Director of Operations for MaidSailors.com, a residential and commercial cleaning service based in New York City that provides home and office cleaning services at affordable prices. He has a Bachelors in Business Administration and Management from Baruch College.

Raymond Chiu
House Cleaning Professional

Expert Warning: Since rubbing alcohol is quite strong for fabrics, consider mixing it with water before you use it for cleaning.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Applying Alcohol to Microfiber

1
Spray the stained area with rubbing alcohol. In order to clean microfiber, spray the stain or the entire surface with rubbing alcohol. Touch the fabric to make sure that it is moist from the rubbing alcohol.^{[5]
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- Alternatively, if you are cleaning a small stain, you can spray the rubbing alcohol directly onto a sponge prior to scrubbing.
2
Rub the area with a sponge. Using a white or natural sponge, rub the area that was sprayed with alcohol. Depending on the severity of the stain, you may have to scrub pretty hard to lift the stain. If the stain doesn't lift, you can try repeating this step.^{[6]
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- It is important that you only use white or natural coloured sponges. Colourful sponges may actually stain the microfiber fabric.
3
Try using alcohol wipes for cleaning. To save time while cleaning, you could try using alcohol wipes when cleaning microfiber. This way you don’t have to spray the surface with alcohol and then scrub with a sponge. Instead, you can just rub the surface directly with the alcohol wipes.
- Make sure to test the alcohol wipes on a small surface before cleaning the entire item. You want to make sure that they don’t stain the fabric.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Drying and Fluffing the Surface

1
Wait 20-30 minutes for the surface to dry. Once you have rubbed the fabric with a sponge or alcohol wipes, let the surface dry. Alcohol dries very quickly and should not take more than 20 or 30 minutes to fully air-dry.^{[7]
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2
Dry the surface using a blowdryer. Alternatively, you could speed up the drying process by using a blow dryer. Aim the blow dryer at the area you are cleaning. Continue to blow dry until the fabric is dry to the touch.
3
Brush the surface in a circular motion. After you have cleaned the microfiber, you may find that the alcohol left the material feeling stiff. You can remove this stiffness by rubbing the fabric with a scrub brush. The bristles will help to fluff the fabric, leaving it soft to the touch.^{[8]
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