How To Care For A Viscose Couch

couch cleaner, couch steam cleaning, upholstery cleaning

Viscose is the third most commonly used textile fiber in the world. It is made from trees but is not necessarily better for you or the environment. Many of us have a viscose couch at home due to this fabric being widely used by furniture manufacturers. What not so many people know is that viscose is a nightmare for upholstery cleaning companies. Your couch cleaner may refuse service and the few that accept the work, will have to put some extra effort and care into their viscose couch cleaning services.

What Is Viscose?

Viscose is a semi-synthetic material derived from wood pulp. Viscose is also called rayon or artificial silk.  The name “viscose” comes from the manufacturing method, which uses a viscous organic liquid. Viscose is actually one of the three types of rayon: modal, lyocell, and viscose. Each type of nylon fabric is obtained differently and has unique properties.

Viscose is the oldest manufactured fiber, first being produced in 1883 as an affordable alternative to silk. It can be obtained using cellulose from various plants: pine, spruce, beech, hemlock, bamboo, eucalyptus, sugarcane, soy, and others.

Why Viscose Is Used for Upholstery

Viscose has a series of qualities that make it a popular material, used by several industries: breathability, draping well, color retention, blending well with other fibers, high absorbency, affordability, high strength, being lightweight, and not building up static electricity.

Viscose is used for couches and other types of upholstery due to its ability to maintain shape. Viscose is not elastic, but it can be blended with other textiles such as spandex to make it stretch. Another reason why this fabric is used by furniture manufacturers is the fact it can hold dye for a long time without fading. Last, but not least, viscose is cheap and enables upholstery manufacturers to reduce costs for the manufacturer. Yet, these manufacturers often do not pass this reduced cost to the consumer as viscose products are often priced higher than other conventional textiles. Unfortunately, this controversial material is present in many couches, sofas, chairs, carpets, and rugs. 

Why Viscose Is Not Environmentally-Friendly

Deforestation

Viscose is considered environmentally friendly by some because it is biodegradable. However, its manufacturing process can have a negative impact on the environment. The raw material used to obtain viscose is wood, and deforestation is a major environmental concern. To tackle this downside, major fashion brands are working with fabric manufacturers who source their cellulose from sustainably-grown forests.

Toxic Chemicals

Another concern is represented by the chemicals used to obtain the fabric. In order to manufacture viscose, the wood pulp needs to be chemically treated with substances such as caustic soda, ammonia, acetone, and sulfuric acid. Even if the raw material used to manufacture viscose is natural, the manufacturing process involves the use of toxic chemicals. Many times, harmful chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide are found close to viscose manufacturing sites. 

Water Resource Depletion

Another issue with obtaining viscose is that the manufacturing process uses a lot of water, depleting valuable natural water resources. While viscose is better than many synthetic fibers, it is less environmentally friendly than all-natural fibers.  Lately, new methods to produce viscose have been developed, such as the “Lyocell process,” using N-Methlymorpholine N-oxide as a solvent. This method produces less waste and is more Eco-friendly.

While Lyocell is already present in lots of consumer products, other types of viscose are being developed, such as EcoVero, an innovative fabric made with sustainable wood from controlled sources. Moreover, almost all chemicals used for the production of EcoVero are recovered and reused, reducing emissions and water and energy consumption.

Can You Clean Viscose with Water?

Washing viscose with water poses many risks. These risks include shrinking, weakening of the fibers, and most notably discoloration. If you saturate viscose with water, you risk leaving a permeant browning spot, which is the tell-tale sign that a furniture's or carpet's material is made from viscose. 

Reasons for Browning and Discoloration

Why does this happen? Just like paper, as viscose is a cellulose-based fiber, the material browns and becomes brittle after getting wet. Carpet cleaners often encounter customers complaining of a darker or brown spot, especially on white furniture or rugs, after a glass of water is spilled there or they left a potted plant on the corner of the carpet. You might be wondering are stains permenant on viscose couches. Well…yes, but we wouldn't call them a "stain"." This discoloration is actually a chemical reaction that cannot be reversed. Unfortunately, manufacturers do not make this information readily available to customers and nearly every encounter ends with a customer vowing never to buy viscose again. 

If you do need your viscose couch or carpet cleaned there are some professional remedies you can use. 

How To Care for A Viscose Couch

There are a few steps you can take to prolong the life of your viscose couch. In addition, if something does happen tot your couch or carpet, there are some professional remedies you can pursue. 

Vacuuming

Vacuum your couch regularly to prevent your couch from gathering dirt and dust that will eventually discolor or fabric

Treat Stains Gently

If there is a food stain, you can wet a damp cloth and lightly rub or dab the spot until the food stain disappears. Do NOT saturate the area with more than just a damp rag. Do not use soap. Not even a natural couch cleaner like some combination of baking soda, vinegar, or lemon juice! Only water. Once you spot treat your stain, put a fan directly on it  on the “high” setting to dry it as quickly as possible. Remember, if you attempt this, you are playing with fire.

Use a Dry Cleaner

When needed, you can take your couch covers to the dry cleaner. A dry-cleaning facility uses solvents instead of water to clean, thus not damaging  the viscose fibers. The issue with this technique is that if the frame of the couch is soiled, you cannot bring it to a dry cleaner. Furthermore, it is possible that if you only clean the cushions, they will look brighter and cleaner than frame. 

Get Professional Help

In essence, for how to clean a viscose couch, it's essential to avoid heavy water-based cleaning methods and instead use a gentle, dry cleaning or near dry cleaning approach as we have outlined .If you have dramatic food stains or oil stains or pet accident on your viscose couch that cannot be cleaned with a damp towel or rag, call a professional carpet cleaner immediately. In this case, getting professional couch cleaning is worth it as any DIY methods you attempt will most likely damage your couch: 

Only choose one that has experience and confidence in working with viscose. Our technicians at PristineGreen Cleaning have been trained specifically with cleaning viscose and we have developed certain techniques which allow us to clean the fabric with water but also avoid any browning! 

At PristineGreen Upholstery and Carpet Cleaning, we are proud to offer you services that can help you tackle your issues and cleaning with viscose couches or viscose rugs. We are one of the few carpet cleaner services that can! Contact us today to get a free, no-obligation quote.

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347-871-6530

Voted 5-Star Top Carpet Cleaner and Upholstery Cleaner in NYC, Brooklyn & Queens. Our customer service hours are 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week.

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