I personally would get a good commercial upholstery cleaner in to handle this.

They have different products than we do.

While Crypton is a high-performance fabric and should clean up easily, this just looks like too big an area for you to tackle.

ETA I feel you pain.

One of the first days with our new furniture, DH had a scratch and got blood on the arm

It did come up but it took a while.

DD got aquaphor on a sofa in Florida and it did not come out. Ingot a professional in and he got it out.

So, grease is tricky in my opinion.

All my furniture is high-performance.

Ugh, that's a mess, how frustrating.

I'd try to Folex. Test in a hidden spot first. It may take multiple rounds. It's never failed me but I think someone here did have an issue when they used it on a rug. Maybe it made the colors run? I can't remember.

Yes, I would probably get a cleaning company. I also like the Little Green Cleaning Machines.

You're in luck:

What does cleaning code W mean?

Water based cleaner“W” — Code W stands for 'Water based cleaner' and these are the easiest fabrics to clean. This is not the same as being machine washable, however. This code means that you can spot clean your fabric with a water-based shampoo or foam upholstery cleaner. Dec 9, 2024

I would probably try water with Dawn dish soap as a grease cutter.

Oh so sorry that happened.

I had an issue w Folex but I don't recall exactly what.

a good commercial upholstery cleaner

Who? The only one I have ever heard of is Stanley Steemer and honestly I was not impressed when we used them on tile and wall to wall once. Once. Plus I cannot take a company seriously that cannot spell their own name correctly.

Thank you deegw! Looking at Folex now. Seems like I can get that A*zed here today!

I also discovered that Crypton has their own cleaners and I'll order some of that, but it won't arrive until next week. The complication is that we are potentially trying to list our house this week and having photos taken tomorrow. We are trying to negotiate with sellers of another house and if we come to an agreement we will immediately list our house. We had photos done on Friday but the realtor's usual photographer was not available and the one she used took terrible photos (didn't showcase any of the home's architectural features, didn't capture the rooms well, etc).

Looks like water rings now. When I clean my upholstery I clean from edge to edge wetting an entire cushion or arm to avoid rings. try wetting the entire area maybe.

This may not be something you want to try.

My loveseat is an ecru cotton denim. Old. A couple of years ago my daughter's dog had an unfortunate episode of explosive diarrhea and the back of the loveseat (facing the front door) took a direct hit. As you can imagine, it was bad. This is a very large dog. I figured I was totally SOL, so in desperation I saturated the entire area with Zout, something that had gotten a beef grease stain out of a jacket where nothing else worked.

The dog mess disappeared. Well, it's not perfect, I'd call it 95% recovery and life went on.

I think I would take the cushion cover off before cleaning it again. I got to believe anything you use will be soak into the cushion foam and that takes longer to dry. If you’re adventurous, I am, so really think about doing this carefully, blot with cold water after you take the cushion cover off. And let dry , hang in a manner that air is flowing from all sides of the cushion cover.

As far as photos go…can you add strategically placed pillows and throws during the photo session. Maybe even a potted plant on the coffee table.

Oh my! That is awful. I’m so sorry you have had this happen to your very nice sectional.

I hope you find some solutions soon. Anyone at customer support?

ETA I suggest that you not use a paper towel; use a clean white or light colored cotton terrycloth instead.

I used Folex on brand new broadloom (butter stain) and it took the color out and left a ring. I had two different professional carpet cleaners try to fix it with no success. Please try the Folex on a hidden spot first.

I purchased new furniture + an area rug in my living room a couple years ago - and I hosted Xmas Eve for my family about a month later (the area rug actually had just been put in the room earlier that same day). I am half Italian - so, we have certain traditional food that we eat on Xmas Eve - including pasta with gravy (= red sauce - but we call it gravy).

Anyway - my niece (who was 24) had just broken up with her boyfriend - and apparently had too much to drink (including red wine). My nephew's wife came into the kitchen - and asked for some paper towels (she was trying to take care of the situation quietly) - but I knew something was up . . .

My niece had thrown up all over my brand new sofa and area rug - red. Before I knew what was happening, my BIL (her dad) had rolled up the area rug + grabbed two cushions - and left.

He brought everything back late on Christmas Day - perfectly clean (and the area rug was dry).

I did, however, find some little spots on the matching ottoman a few days later. The furniture had slipcovers - but there were only a few spots - so, I tried using Dawn dish soap + water (after testing a hidden spot).

Dawn works well on removing oil stains. I did learn that I needed to clean across the entire area - because as roarah has mentioned, only cleaning the spot will leave water rings that can look much worse than the initial stain.

I have heard many people comment about Folex - I've never tried it though.

I also second using a white cotton terrycloth vs. paper towel.

Bring in the professionals

At one time I had a light colored sofa with code W - a muted floral - and I took the cushion covers off, machine washed them on gentle. Hung to almost dry stage, then fought them back on to the cushions. But - your stain looks like it takes in part of the base of your sofa?

I've always had good luck with stain removal and Resolve products. Only once did it fail me and it was what I think may have been a tomato and meat based stain under my dining room table. (note to self: do not serve Ina's Pastitsio at a family dinner when teens will be present) Nothing worked on that stain until after about a year and in desperation, I tried a Bissell Stomp and Go Pet Pad on it, leaving overnight. It worked, no sign of that stain ever again.

You appear to have something of a water mark though, I'm going to guess that will take a cleaner with mechanical extraction action (fiercely sucking vacuum type) to remove it and the signs of your attempts. I'm so sorry this has happened, and could the timing be any worse!

Unfortunately the stain is partly on the base of the sofa, not just the cushion.

I did use Ivory dish soap (like Dawn) because I've had really good luck using it throughout the years on clothing with grease and protein stains. (The only Dawn I have is blue and I was worried about it coloring the material.) I do think exactly as roarah said that some of this is water rings. Because of that I'm reluctant to hit it at all with my Little Green Machine. (I've only used it on carpet before.)

As others mentioned I am worried that I could make things worse with additional products and no professional help. But as mtn said, I'm uncertain who is actually a good professional cleaner for upholstery.

I just had the whole house carpets cleaned and the section in front of this very same sectional turned into a huge disaster (reminiscent of these rings on my couch really). The professional applied too much water and it wicked who-knows-what from underneath to the top into a huge brown/yellow streak in front of the long side of the sectional. I called the company and they came back and went over it again and the other part in front of the sectional. It got even worse!! Instead of a stripe I now had an L-shaped mess. I called the company again and this time the owner came out. He cleaned it up enough for photos but then came back again and finished the job yesterday. But now I'm a bit concerned that I could have something similar happen with this.

What a mess.

You are now in the unenviable position of having different substances on your sofa in varying amounts, all complicated with water rings. IMO you need a professional. In our small town we have two excellent upholstery and carpet cleaning companies. I would have the entire sofa cleaned as the entire surface now needs to be treated the same way to all look the same afterwards. Water does not change the fabric per se but once the fabric has gotten wet some of the sizing is lost and the fabric looks a bit different where it has dried---hence the need to do the entire piece. After cleaning you may want to consider one of the very good commercial sealant treatments available like Microseal. It's pricey but works as advertised.

Nicole/Black Forest Colorado Z5A

I myself, own two Taylor King Wing Back chairs. LOVE them! I'm so sorry this happened. After you get this fixed, spray the couch with Scotch Guard. I used to keep a can of dry cleaning fluid on hand for clean ups. It was called Energine...but found THIS instead. Note: When we purchased this house we got a HUGE discount off the price for things like....a red wine stain the size of a football next to the masterbed. A whole bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide dumped on it...let sit for an hour + Wine Away Stain Removal...took it up.

Taylor King ONLY makes quality products. I'm positive you'll get this fixed...so sorry you have to deal with it.

Drycleaning fluid is contraindicated for fabric with a W cleaning code, so I'd stay away from that one for this particular sofa.

I do think a big part of the disasterous appearance is water rings. I've never had this before when I've dabbed dog drool with water, but apparently this was not my lucky day. In terms of cleaning products the only thing I've put on it has been diluted dish soap (few drops) in water and water (tap).

I'm reading more online that maybe just the fact that I let the water dry on the fabric on its own was the mistake that led to the rings. Sounds like I should hav used distilled water and maybe hair dryer on cool setting to dry. Not clear if I can do anything to fix it at this point. I'm reading various things about mixture of distilled water and vinegar then rinsing with distilled water, but I am really reluctant to add more products to the mix.

How does one know if a professional company is actually a good upholstery cleaner?? I feel like all the upholstery companies that come up on google are upholstery and carpet and the reviews are all carpet no upholstery.

Nicole/Black Forest Colorado Z5A

Personally....I'd go online to my "Nextdoor" app...ask for an upholstery cleaner recommendation. Around here "Coit", a national chain, is considered good. www.coit.com check to see if you have one nearby...?

A friend swears by Wineaway. i bought some and used it on a cabernet spill on same ecru denim. it made a terrible spreading stain. do not recommend.

There a few other companies besides Stanley Steamer. What state are you in?

There a few other companies besides Stanley Steamer. What state are You inl

I'm in Utah in the suburbs of Salt Lake County. My realtors recommended a carpet cleaner to do our carpets and are suggesting we should contact them about the upholstery as well: BCS. They use BCS in their own home for carpet cleaning (but not sure about upholstery). The owner seemed very knowledgeable when he was helping resolve the problem we had with the carpets, but the fact that they had issues with the first pass (and second) visit for the carpets gives me pause.

There is a Chem-dry in Salt Lake. There might also local family owned businesses near you.

I would call the store where you bought the sofa and see what company they use for fabric protection.

I did try blotting one of the edges of the water rings with club soda with a paper towel underneath and then blotted again with a dry paper towel. (I do not currently have any white rags as I just tossed out and donated all old clothing. I ordered some on A*zn trying to get them here this evening.) I then dried it with my hair dryer without any heat (just blowing air) and it seems a little better. I wonder if I should at least for now try blotting the edge of the water rings maybe with distilled water and then putting the hair dryer on them (no heat). It seems improved.

Original (zoomed in)

Blotted with club soda + hair dryer

Blue arrow indicates the only area I blotted (just the upper left edge of the big spot).

You can see the remaining grease spot in the middle still.

Also, this is the information from the Crypton website. (It is Crypton fabric.) that indicates their recommended spot cleaning process.

Spot cleaning method.

• Before spot cleaning, blot up liquids on the surface with a clean, soft towel and brush off any loose dirt.
• Prepare a cleaning solution of 1/4 tsp mild, enzyme detergent, such as Tide®, Woolite® or Dawn® dishwashing liquid, per 1 cup of lukewarm water.
• Apply the cleaning solution using a misting spray bottle. Do NOT oversaturate when applying the cleaning solution.
• Work the solution into the affected area by lightly scrubbing the area with a sponge or soft bristle brush. Make sure to work from the outside of the stain inward so as not to spread the stain and rinse your sponge or brush frequently.
• Allow cleaning solution to soak into the fabric.
• Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residues, as residues will attract dirt. Blot excess moisture with a clean, soft towel or sponge.
• Repeat steps 3-6 as needed.
• Allow fabric to air dry.

It talks about "rinse thoroughly" but it's not clear how that would be done.

There seems to be a few companies Dr. Sofa seems to have good reviews.

I think the problem is that the stain is too large.

I agree with KSWL, you need to have the entire sofa cleaned.

Spot cleaning works on small areas.

Nicole/Black Forest Colorado Z5A

It sounds like you've tried .... time to bring in a professional....

I have done the following to removes stains that had been on upholstery for goodness knows how long:

Dish detergent, like Dawn in water. Whip with a mixer until you have foamy suds and no liquid. Gently rub the foam into the stained area. Let sit for a few minutes, then wipe the foam away.

Folex removed color from my carpet too so, I would hesitate using this product. Call a professional. Their machines have the ability to extract the water when all you can do is blot. I don’t own a Simple Green Machine, but I have seen one in action on a light colored chair and a glass of red wine splattered EVERYWHERE and the result made me a believer 🙏

I haven't taken an updated picture but I made some good progress on the mess. I used Crypton's instructions and made a small spray bottle of distilled water and a tiny drop of Dawn dish soap. I also filled another spray bottle with distilled water for rinsing. I used the Dawn mixture on the actual stains and the distilled water (and club soda in a few cases) on the bad water rings. I pulled the covers off the cushions to do my cleaning, holding a clean white cloth (thanks to same day delivery from A*zn) behind the cushions and then blotted with more clean cloths. On the body of the sofa I obviously couldn't remove any cover. I then dried each spot as I went along with a hair dryer with no heat. I was able to remove almost all of the rings and the droplet stains that were lingering. The fabric seems slightly darker, possibly because it's cleaner.

A few lessons I've learned. Use distilled water not tap water! I had no idea, but this is probably what made the rings. Crypton recommends Dawn specifically for spot cleaning, so that's good for me to know in the future. I did order Crypton's own cleaner so that I can have it on hand as well once it arrives.

I may eventually do a full professional cleaning of the sofa, but it's not that old and I vacuum it regularly. This is the first real stain I've experienced. Because I don't already have a trusted professional upholstery cleaner, I'm loathe to do the whole sofa unless I need to.

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions and advice! I was definitely in panic mode yesterday.

Whew, glad to hear the positive update!

I recall once I got stains out by stretching fabric over a bowl and pouring water over it again and again. It was a very lovely imported tablecloth and I had several bowls under the cloths as it lay, apres dinner party, over my table. It worked well. Just a thought for any fabric peices you can remove. It's good because there is no rubbing.

The real question is why is your DH cutting and eating greasy sausage on the sofa!

When I eat on the sofa I make sure to cut the food at the counter, so I'm only using a fork on bite size pieces and keep the plate close to me!

We keep distilled water just for stains and label it with a black sharpie so it is easy to find and doesn't get used for anything else.

chispa, that is a very good question. It is not uncommon for us to eat at the coffee table. (Yeah, we're classy like that.) Personally, if it's anything remotely messy, I eat at the kitchen counter. Our dining room is not really set up conveniently for casual use. I am pretty irked that he would cut open sausages that he knows sometimes squirt anywhere near the sofa. He had it setting on the coffee table, but it was really dumb in my opinion. Thankfully we have no children to teach such bad habits. I should ask him if he would cut sausages in the cab of his beloved truck and if he says no, then I can tell him to apply similar logic to my beloved sofa. (Which many know I agonized over finding, deciding, ordering, waiting a year for it to arrive, etc.)

mtn that is a really interesting idea to run water through it. I do think I may need to take another pass one some of these spots. I didn't want to overdo it, especially in the evening with bad lighting. So I need to wait until the weekend when I'm not working in the day to try it again.

I think I saw upline that you had a Little Green Machine, that is what I use to clean couches. Even if you do not want to use the spray cleaner , which I do, vacuum the water out with the machine. I use the upholstry cleaner made for it with my machine.

One thing to think about is a stained area (or area where a stain is removed), may supposedly darken. As your instructions said "residue". I believe the residue can come from the stain itself or the cleaning product. Also, the protective layer (sealant) has been removed from the stained/cleaned area. I would have the entire sofa cleaned and sealant/protectant applied. Have you asked neighbors/friends for upholstery cleaning services? Maybe a furniture store would have recommendations.

Amazing. Kudos to you!

@pricklypearcactus, so glad you came back to tell us what worked and how! Thank you. I hope you love your new house.

WOW! sold and moved in 2 months! You’ve been very busy!! Glad it worked out for you.