The sofa – a throne in which you sit and relax at the end of a long working day! Perhaps one of the most comforting feelings in the world is lying back in the sofa with a warm cup of tea in hand and a tasty biscuit. That is, until the tea spills. Or you find a food stain. Or the dog or cat has left some unwanted mark on the sofa. These are the unfortunate truths of what happens in the life of a sofa. The only way to fix it is some serious sofa cleaning. Different sofa fabrics need to be cared for in different ways. Below is just a general guide to sofa cleaning. If you sofa has specific care instructions, you should follow those. It is also worth contacting professional cleaning companies and seeing if they specialise in the sofa cleaning you require. 1.    Before starting, test the product you intend to use on a small, unnoticeable part of the sofa to make sure the fabric is colour-fast.2.    Vacuum the sofa to make sure it’s clean and remove any dirt particles or pet hair that are easy to lift off. 3.    Remove any other visible solid pieces of dirt 4.    Use upholstery pre-treatment to treat any stains. This usually lasts 10-15 minutes. 5.    Next, take a wet cloth and blot the stain. Make sure you don’t use a circular rubbing motion as this can spread the stain and make it larger.6.    Repeat the blotting motion until the stain is removed and dry the sofa with a towel. When deciding what type of product to use to clean your sofa or remove stains, make sure you check the care manufacturer’s label. As a general guide, the tags usually have a letter that corresponds to what type of cleaner can be used. The letters’ meanings are as follows:-    W means you should use a water based detergent and a steam vacuum to clean the sofa.-    WS means that either a water detergent or dry-cleaning detergent is suitable for the sofa.-    S means that only dry-cleaning detergent should be used.-    O means that the sofa fabric is organic and should only be washed or cleaned using water.-    X means that you should consult with a professional cleaning company and hire a proper sofa cleaning agency to care for your sofa.You can also consider making your cleaner for the sofa using natural products to reduce the amount of chemical presence in the fabric fibres. A simple cleaner includes using a few drops of dishwashing detergent mixed with water in a spray bottle. Also a solution of bicarbonate soda diluted with water in a spray bottle can be an effective stain remover. Adding a drop of eucalyptus oil or favourite smelling essence can act as a deodoriser in the spray and create a pleasant smell when sofa cleaning. Other ways to keep your sofa clean are to use preventative methods when house cleaning. These can include:-    Don’t allow food and drink to be consumed at the sofa.-    Don’t allow pets on the sofa.-    Keep a blanket or throw over the sofa arm rests or cushions.-    Rotate the cushions regularly. -    Don’t position the sofa in the sunlight as this can contribute to fading. -    Vacuum the sofa at least once a week.