Somewhere on your sofa — usually under a seat cushion — there's a small tag with a single letter on it: W, S, WS or X. That's the manufacturer's cleaning code, and it tells you which cleaning methods the fabric can safely take.
Use the right method and the fabric comes up well. Use the wrong one and you can shrink the covers, leave watermarks or set the colours bleeding into each other. Here's what each code means, what's safe to try at home, and how we approach each one professionally.
Where to find the cleaning code
- On a sewn-in tag under the seat cushions, often on the underside of the cushion itself.
- On the platform the cushions sit on, or along a seam at the back or base.
- Underneath the frame — tip the sofa back gently and check the dust cover.
- On the paperwork from new, or the manufacturer's website if you know the model.
No label anywhere? Treat the fabric as unknown and don't reach for water — WhatsApp us a photo and we'll give you a free, honest opinion first.
W — water-based cleaning is fine
W is the most common code on modern UK sofas. It means the fabric tolerates water-based cleaning: upholstery shampoos, foams and hot-water extraction.
At home, you can spot-clean a W fabric with a little water-based upholstery cleaner on a clean white cloth. Blot, don't rub, and work from the outside of the mark inwards. Our stain removal guide covers what to do about specific spills.
Professionally, W is exactly what our method is built for. We clean sofas with hot-water extraction — the same Prochem machines and solutions we use on carpets — which rinses the dirt out of the fibres rather than just wiping the surface.
S — solvent only, keep water away
S means the fabric can only take solvent-based (dry) cleaning products. Water can shrink it, watermark it or make the dyes run.
At home, that means no water at all — not even a damp cloth. If you must spot-clean, use a dry solvent upholstery cleaner, follow the directions, and ventilate the room. If in doubt, leave it alone.
Professionally, we'll be straight with you: our method is water-based, so an S-coded sofa isn't right for it. We'd rather tell you so plainly — and turn the job away — than ruin your sofa.
WS (or SW) — either method works
WS — sometimes printed SW — means the fabric tolerates both water-based and solvent cleaning. It gives you the most freedom at home, and it's no problem for our hot-water extraction.
We still don't take it on trust. On delicate weaves we test our solution on a hidden area first — down the back or under a cushion — before we clean the parts you can see.
X — vacuum only
X is the strictest code: vacuuming and light brushing only. No water, no solvent, nothing wet — from anyone, including professionals. Fabrics coded X can distort, mark or come apart if liquid gets into them.
If your sofa is X-coded, regular vacuuming with an upholstery attachment is genuinely the best care you can give it — and be wary of anyone who says they'll wet-clean it, because we won't.
Why the wrong method goes wrong
The codes exist because upholstery fabric is fussier than carpet. Three things happen when the method doesn't match the fibre:
- Shrinkage. Natural fibres such as cotton and linen can tighten when they get too wet — covers stop zipping shut and pull at the seams, and there's no undoing it.
- Watermarks. Some fabrics — velvets and viscose blends especially — dry unevenly and leave tide lines that look worse than the original mark.
- Colour bleed. Loose dyes travel when wet — patterns blur and dark piping creeps into pale panels.
This is why we check the label before we start and test first on delicate fibres. It's also why the odd sofa gets an honest "no" from us — a clean sofa isn't worth much if the covers no longer fit.
- Find the code first — never guess.
- Test any product on a hidden area and let it dry fully before you judge it.
- Blot with a clean white cloth — never rub, and never use a coloured cloth.
- Work from the outside of the mark inwards so you don't spread it.
- Not sure? WhatsApp us a photo of the label and the stain — the assessment is free and honest.
How we clean sofas — and what it costs
We're family-run, cleaning in and around Watford since 2014, fully insured and DBS-checked. For W and WS fabrics we use professional hot-water extraction, testing first on anything delicate.
Prices are fixed before we arrive: £20 per seat, £30 for an armchair, £10 for a dining chair, and optional fabric protector at £5 per seat. No VAT added, no hidden extras, and a £50 minimum call-out. The full price list is on our upholstery cleaning page, or you can call us free on 0800 080 6469.
Your sofa will be touch-dry within a few hours and typically fully dry in around 4–6 hours, depending on the room and ventilation.