6 Things You Should Do After Someone Crashes on Your Couch

Whether your BFF ended up spending the night unexpectedly or your cousin crashed with you for a week, your couch may be in need of a little TLC post-hosting. Here’s everything you need to do to get your sofa back into tip-top shape.

It’s always useful to put a full set of sheets and a covered, bed-sized pillow on the couch if someone is sleeping on it. Depending on the temperature and your guest’s sleeping preferences, a blanket or comforter may be necessary as well. All of these things will make for a more comfortable sleep experience for your guest, and they’ll also decrease the likelihood of any accidental stains and spills harming the actual couch. Your guests may also appreciate this step from a cleanliness perspective—would you really want to sleep on a surface that’s sat dozens of difference people in their street clothes?

As soon as your pal leaves, remove the bedding they used—including pillow cases—and toss it in the laundry pile. You’ll feel better just watching your living room slowly return to its normal state.

Using the upholstery attachment, give your couch a once-over. Don’t forget to hit the area underneath the cushions!

You probably removed any throw pillows before your guest went to bed, so now’s the time to put them back into place. Use your hands to help any misshapen decorative pillows regain their usual form. I often find that holding the top two corners of a pillow and shaking it a few times will do the trick; do this on both sides to help get an even result.

If your couch was doing double-duty as bed and hangout spot, some you might have spills to handle. Before you start, test out your cleaning method on a part of the couch that isn’t visible in case it’s incompatible with your upholstery. If a stain still doesn’t come out, take the easy way out and flip the pillow.

When I had an IKEA couch with removable cushion covers, I frequently took them to my neighborhood dry cleaner (hello, frequent red wine spills!). They often came back looking good as new, and the small expense was totally worth it considering how integral my couch was to my studio apartment.

Use a lint roller to pick up any stray hairs the vacuum left behind, and finish with a light spritz of upholstery-freshening spray if needed. Now your couch is all set for your next crasher!