W: Wash away dirty spots on the couch with a water-based upholstery cleaner, or use a steam cleaner to remove dirt and stains if necessary. S: Spot-clean the couch with dry cleaning solvent to get rid of stains and dirt. This fabric isn’t meant to be washed with water. WS: Use either a water-based upholstery cleaner or a dry cleaning solvent to spot-clean stains. Both water and solvents are safe for use on this fabric. Scotchgard isn’t intended to be used on leather or suede. If your couch’s fabric code is “X,” that means it can’t be cleaned with water or solvents, and won’t work with the Scotchgard either.

If you have the means, you could also spray your couch outside or in the garage where there’s natural ventilation. Keep any children and pets away from your workspace while you Scotchgard the couch as well.

Pick the couch up just enough to slide the drop cloth underneath it. When you’re done, the legs of the couch should be resting on top of the cloth. It’s important to ensure the couch is well away from every wall so you can safely spray from several different angles. Consider every angle you’ll need to spray from as you position the couch!

If there is any accidental overspray onto other pieces of furniture while you’re applying the Scotchgard, just wipe it up quickly. Scotchgard can cause white discolored stains when it gets on the wrong furniture.

Place the couch cushions on the drop cloth’s remaining space, or prepare a separate drop cloth for them. Either way, the easiest way to ensure total coverage is to spray the couch and cushions separately.

Scotchgard will spray if you don’t shake the bottle first, but it won’t coat your couch as effectively as a shaken bottle.

If any color rubs away onto the white cloth, then the Scotchgard won’t work with your couch.

This coat should be thorough, but it doesn’t have to be heavy. Scotchgard is more effective in 2 lighter coats than 1 thick coat. Keep in mind that the humidity where you live can affect drying times. If you live somewhere dry, it’ll take about to 2 hours—but if it’s humid outside, it might take closer to 4 hours.

Scotchgard bottles typically contain enough spray to cover a single couch (counting both coats). By the end of the application, your couch should be lightly damp but not wet.

With that, your couch is waterproofed and ready for use!

Consider cleaning the sofa before each re-application, too, so it always looks neat and brand new!

Once you’re done, rinse away the cleaner by dampening a cloth or paper towel with water and blotting the area to soak up any remaining solvent.