Cats Are Messy (A Pinterest Test)

Don't let those photos of cats luxuriously bathing fool you.

Cats make a mess. A big mess - from litter boxes to food scattered, floating piles of fur-fluff to toys left helter-skelter.

They also sometimes lick the couch instead of themselves. Some of them, female cat's name redacted here, do it a lot:

Couch 1 - before

Couch 2 - before

I thought our microfiber couches were doomed to have spots. I thought it was perhaps time to either buy new couches or lay lace doilies over the arms.

Yes. I considered being "that lady" with cats and lace doilies on the couch.

But instead I read a tip on Pinterest on How to Clean Your Microfiber Couch. Worth giving a try, I thought.

Particularly when I learned you only needed a light-colored sponge, a clean scrub brush, a spray bottle and rubbing alcohol.

Rubbing alcohol dries faster than water, thus it's a good choice for dampening the fabric.

Spray the alcohol onto the stain, throughly wetting the area. Use your sponge to scrub at the stain. Rinse the sponge frequently to prevent spreading dirt to other areas of the couch.

Yes - the sponge will look this dirty - and worse - throughout the process.

Let the area air-dry (it takes about 20-30 minutes), then use your scrub brush to rough up the material, putting texture back in.

I just realized that doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's similar to brushing suede after a cleaning so that it looks natural again.

But here's the question - did that crazy suggestion on Pinterest actually work? See for yourself:

Couch 1 - after

Couch 2 - after

Yes! The couches looked brand-new. This is definitely a tip that will make its way into my monthly cleaning routine.