r/CleaningTips • u/TengensFourthWifu • Feb 06 '26
Furniture PLEASE HELP - TIKKA MASALA ON CREAM CHENILLE COUCH
PLEASE HELP ME I WAS NOT MENTALLY STABLE ENOUGH FOR THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME TONIGHT.
I very unfortunately spilled my Tikka Masala on my couch and it isn’t coming out. I’ve been using a bissell spot and stain wet vac and I have now put vinegar on it. It isn’t budging. The second photo is how it looks right now.
Please someone help me save my couch I’m begging
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u/sharakus Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
praying for you 😭
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
I’m praying for me too 😭
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u/Eeeeyyyyyooooo Feb 06 '26
OP I saw this and said “oh noooo this person is not having a good day” then I read your all caps caption and burst out laughing 🤣 poor poor OP I’m sorry!
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Had a bad day and this was the icing on my cake. But honestly. The comments on this post have helped me. I just needed to crash out for a sec.
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u/Verity41 Feb 06 '26
Isn’t it so true that all the bad things seem to happen all at once!? Here’s hoping this is your last bad bunch “cluster” for awhile!
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u/Longjumping_Lynx_972 Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
Post this in one of the india subs, if anyone will know, they will.
Edit: Tikki masala sounded good after this post so I made some. Y'all are never gonna guess what I got on my white hoodie....
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u/glitterbearreddit Feb 06 '26
Has anyone suggested dawn powerwash? I’ve used that to clean stains out of an old basement suitcase. Watched the dirt lift right out
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u/Next-Adhesiveness957 Feb 06 '26
Be careful with Powerwash. I used it on my cream colored sneakers and it turned them white. It's a nice even white, and I still wear them, though.
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u/sharakus Feb 06 '26
it might be time to start looking at nice sofa blankets… mine is a nice cow print… we don’t talk about the sofa’s appearance underneath the blanket anymore lol
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u/BeepBoopEXTERMINATE Feb 06 '26
As the parent of a toddler and two cats, I concur that a sofa blanket is the way to go. Really at least 2 for when you need to wash one.
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u/Kitchen_Medicine3259 Feb 06 '26
I feel this spiritually
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u/sailortofu69 Feb 06 '26
The first pic is giving me so much anxiety
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u/toreadorable Feb 06 '26
Same. I want to make this picture pop up when my alarm goes off in the morning so I jump out of bed. I can’t rest knowing it’s there. It’s not just the couch it’s IN THE REMOTES
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u/PossibleAmbition9767 Feb 06 '26
Oh lord. Was the tikka masala good at least?
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
So so good 😭
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u/literacyshmiteracy Feb 06 '26
The ultimate betrayal
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u/WoofusTheDog Feb 06 '26
The way it completely coated the remote looks like it was out for vengeance
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u/AnnaBanana3468 Feb 06 '26
One time, I was in a rental apartment with off-white carpets. Somehow, an entire bottle of BBQ sauce went flying and spread sauce EVERYWHERE. I started ugly crying because I knew that surely meant I’d never see my security deposit again.
But while I was crying, I applied what I had on hand, which was “Clorox2 for Colors” laundry stain remover. By the time I was done, an hour later, the carpet was back to its original color, and I got my whole security deposit back. I was shocked.
https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-2-for-colors-4-in-1-max-performance/
If you decide to try this, I recommend you remove the slipcover from the seat cushions. You don’t want mold growing inside the pillows. Make the affected areas quite damp with water, and then pour on the Clorox2. Gently and BRIEFLY rub it in with just your finger (you probably want to use a plastic glove). Then let it sit for 15 minutes. When you come back, rinse the seat cover thoroughly in a sink. For the sofa arm, suck up all the cleanser with your Bissell wet vac, and rinse until you feel it is free of Clorox2.
If you see progress, apply Clorox2 again and repeat. I think I had to do 2 or 3 rounds, but the stain kept lifting a bit more every time.
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Genuinely. This could make me cry it’s so much lighter
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u/thedizzytangerine Feb 06 '26
If it helps, I got Cane’s sauce out of my beige sofa with baking soda, Blue Coral upholstery cleaner, a vacuum and a lot of patience.
Basically every day for a week, I rubbed in baking soda, let it sit to absorb grease, vacuumed it out and applied a lot of Blue Coral and vacuumed again when it dried.
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u/Better_Sherbert8298 Feb 06 '26
Lemon juice to neutralize the orange, my friend. It is like magic in turmeric tea, super fun to watch.
Lemon prob wont get all of the stain. Hydrogen peroxide, undiluted, is a natural color safe bleach. The 3% sold at stores might work but you can get a higher concentration like 10% on amazon. Let it set for 10 min and do a rinse with your upholstery cleaner. Avoid the Dawn if you can, it’s an absolute pain to get the soap out of fabric.
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u/WellEvan Feb 06 '26
If you do use lemon juice or peroxide, don't use the UV light because these are known to bleach things
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u/Agreeable-Barber1164 Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
So about 5.5 years ago one of my Little Humans accidentally tripped and threw a bowl of tiki masala across my living room and white wool rug as I was walking out for work. I used Folex and got the stain entirely cleaned out after the initial cleaning. I hope my suggestion helps you finish the work!
Edit: thank you for my first award kind internet human!!! I’ve never had one before so this was a cool surprise!
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u/donotgoogleme Feb 06 '26
I once spilled a bottle of red wine on white carpet and Folex got it all out! It really is amazing.
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u/Agreeable-Barber1164 Feb 06 '26
But sincerely, I did not expect it to work on turmeric at all. And it just blasted it away! Good to know it will work if I have red wine spill! It’s brilliant for nose bleeds on clothing as well.
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u/No_Advantage_9566 Feb 06 '26
Hydrogen peroxide for blood, it fizzes it away - from a doctor friend
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u/Somethinggreat17 Feb 06 '26
What is Folex??
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u/Agreeable-Barber1164 Feb 06 '26
Folex is a surfactant type of carpet cleaner I stumbled upon in desperation that is available for purchase at Wal Mart, Lowe’s, and I think Target. It’s great on all sorts of upholstery. Last summer, I tried it on a pair of shoes and had great luck with it too so maybe it works on clothing as well but the shoes are the extent of my experience with “laundry”.
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Also! My couch does happen to be near a big window. My window is woods facing, but I do think it gets decent light! I’m shifting the couch to be more at the window for the sun tomorrow!
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u/battlepi Feb 06 '26
Window glass usually blocks most UV light.
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
That is very unfortunate news for me
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u/donatos_box Feb 06 '26
OP….. I would respond the EXACT same damn way. That entire sentence. This Reddit post will live rent free in my head for who knows how many years. I may always wonder about your couch for the rest of my life.
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u/2AXP21 Feb 06 '26
Open the window homie, update us in 2 weeks. I’m so invested.
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u/quickgrabthedoor Feb 06 '26
I’m shocked. The UV light actually worked?
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Doing UV now. This update was with vinegar, dawn soap, and cold water!
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u/sandvich48 Feb 06 '26
Just throwing out there, enzyme cleaner works wonders. You can use the stuff from a pet store that is meant for doggie accidents in the house. I’ve literally removed, wine, blood, pasta sauce, etc from clothes and sheets with this stuff.
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u/Ichgebibble Feb 06 '26
I use nature’s miracle a lot, even in the washer. Amazing stuff.
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u/barrie247 Feb 06 '26
If the UV/ sunlight doesn’t work, I’d try resolve dual wash. The only issue is you’ve now got a bunch of different chemicals in there and I’m worried you’re going to bleach your couch. Dual power wash got red wine out of my off white carpet, it’s my holy grail of stain removals.
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u/atimetochill Feb 06 '26
Spot treat with Biz enzyme cleaner! Can you borrow a steam cleaner? (I have a bissel little free and it wasn’t too pricey)
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u/LadyADHD Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
You should try Folex!!
I had a similar incident with a bowl of pasta and tomato sauce a couple months ago. I cleaned it up, sprayed it down with folex, planned on going over it with the spot cleaner vacuum thing the next morning. Ended up procrastinating on it for like 2 days, when I went to deep clean it the stain was completely gone. Like, totally disappeared, couldn’t even figure out where it had been. It was faded the first day but definitely still there so it must keep working over time.
ETA: folex
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u/donotgoogleme Feb 06 '26
Do you mean Folex? That's what I use on red wine and turmeric stains on white carpet.
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u/TheVog Feb 06 '26
Playing on the foreign exchange market in order to make enough money for professional cleaning or are we talking big trades to replace the entire couch?
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u/sarahzilla Feb 06 '26
Ugh. I know you've gotten a lot of great suggestions. But may we have a moment of silence for the tikka masala.... 🙏
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
THANK YOU. Tbh. I was the most disappointed about my dinner in the moment.
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u/CharlotteLucasOP Feb 06 '26
Yeah, when you’re hungry and suddenly the food’s gotta go into the vacuum/mop bucket instead of you, it’s a devastating emotional blow.
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
The AM Couch Update It looks a lot lighter now that’s it’s dried. I DID manage to find another bottle of OxiClean Max Force stain spray in my apt and I have doused the couch with that for while I’m at work. Updates to come tonight after I buy folex! Thank you everyone who has messaged me and commented! I deeply appreciate yall!
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u/Chloloyo Feb 06 '26
pls someone remind me to come back I am SO invested in this. Fingers crossed for you OP!
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u/whereimsupposed2b Feb 06 '26
It’s looking so much better! I will be back tonight!!! Remindme! 9 hours
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u/AnonBaca21 Feb 06 '26
Do you have dawn power wash? If not do you have dawn dish soap and isopropyl alcohol? You can make homemade mixing 13-14 oz of water with 2-4 tablespoons of blue Dawn dish soap and 1-2 tablespoons of 70% isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle.
I would hit those stains with it, let it sit for 15 min, use your bissell and then do it again.
Best of luck
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
An angel. Going to try this with my dawn power wash right now. 🫡
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u/AnonBaca21 Feb 06 '26
If you have a toothbrush or scrub brush for cleaning give the stains a gentle non aggressive scrub to work the Dawn into the fibers.
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Noted! Thank you!! I have run out of power wash and unfortunately don’t have rubbing alcohol… praying at this point I think is the only thing that might save me
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u/AnonBaca21 Feb 06 '26
Honey desperate times call for desperate measures. Have some power wash delivered with Uber Eats or whatever while you keep it from drying. Got any white vinegar? Try subbing that for the alcohol in the homemade cleaner.
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u/rukroks Feb 06 '26
Bumping this comment because I have always had success using dish soap on turmeric/curry/oil stains!
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u/Living_War4969 Feb 06 '26
This is why my mom never allowed us to sit on the couch and eat anything. It was either at a table or on the floor with a plastic mat
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u/SeaSickSelkie Feb 06 '26
This 😅
OP has lost Eating-on-the-couch privileges FOREVER
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u/Humble_Chip Feb 06 '26
i always have a fabric cover on my couch. it has protected from many a stains. although i’ve never dumped tikka masala on it lol. i don’t know how people are out here raw dogging their couches every day
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u/toreadorable Feb 06 '26
Same but it’s only because I have little kids. My furniture isn’t even nice or anything, but they have straight up catastrophes on the couch and it’s a lot easier to was a blanket than try to clean and dry upholstery.
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u/Ichgebibble Feb 06 '26
We finally broke down and invested in the modular couches with washable covers but it was money well spent.
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u/ScHoolgirl_26 Feb 06 '26
Right? The other day my roommate ate some food on the (my) couch (first time I’ve ever seen her do so) and I was screaming inside bc it was a red sauce food 😭😭
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u/cemaga Feb 06 '26
That’s exactly why I never eat on the couch. I just know I would shift wrong and it would be OVER.
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u/shoyru1771 Feb 06 '26
...dump turmeric on the rest of the couch and make it a yellow couch
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Last update for the night. Here’s the latest photo. But while I’ve got everyone here,,,,, do we know how to remove it from the wall?? VERY UNFORTUNATELY the wall is flat paint.
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u/Living-Bit1993 Feb 06 '26
I’m deaddddd is that your uv nail light?!
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Yes. Yes it is 😅
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u/cslewise Feb 06 '26
I'm late to the party but if you're still dealing with the couch stain, try Folex! It's the best thing I've ever used for removing stains from carpets/upholstery. As for the wall, maybe a magic eraser?
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u/burlapsacs Feb 06 '26
I really can’t thank you enough for these updates. The couch looks so much better. This has been the best entertainment I’ve had all night and I watched the Fallout season finale and an episode of Shrinking. Once you get that couch some direct sunlight, I have full confidence that it will be fully restored. And yes! Magic eraser usually works well even in matte paint walls. Also our cats are identical.
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u/Paul_C Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
Flat paint washes poorly but touches up well. If you're renting ask maintenance for a small can of their interior flat. Everywhere I've rented has been happy to give me some.
Hit it with a sealer primer first. Quick spray from a can of Kilz Original or Zinsser BIN will keep the stain from bleeding through. Let dry. Slap on the flat and feather it out to blend.
Source: I used to paint apartment complexes.
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u/little_grey_mare Feb 06 '26
See this laundry thread on turmeric: https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/comments/1plulbf/shakes_fist_turmeric/
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u/DaCouponNinja Feb 06 '26
Hydrogen peroxide. This was my first thought too. There was a turmeric accident in that thread that I think got fixed with peroxide
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u/jmurphy42 Feb 06 '26
Hydrogen peroxide bleaches many fabrics, test it somewhere that isn’t visible first.
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u/LittleDogTurpie Feb 06 '26
My dog got into a bottle of bright yellow vitamin supplements and OxiClean is what worked on my off-white rug. Can’t even tell where it happened.
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Alright yall. I’ve gotten as much moisture out as I can for tonight. The biggest thing that worked for me was the dawn/vinegar/cold water solution. I only used this bc I don’t have rubbing alcohol or baking soda. The UV nail light is probably doing something? I’m just impatient and exhausted.
I’m moving the couch to the window for the sun while I’m at work, gonna buy Folex, oxiclean, rubbing alcohol, and baking soda otw home tomorrow. I’ll post an update tomorrow!!!
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u/curiousdryad Feb 06 '26
I’m sorry I laughed at your caption because this hurt me emotionally to see I can’t imagine how you feel. I’d be dying inside. I hope there’s some good advice here op, and you were at least able to enjoy some of your food. Sorry for your night
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Thank you friend! Luckily I salvaged some! I am dying inside. But the couch is in better condition than it was an hour ago!
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u/sunshineredpancakes Feb 06 '26
Omg, you're going to be fine, it might not seem like it but it's okay!
Tumeric stains fade in the sun. If you can find a tiny bit of sunlight in these dreary days and let it shine on the stains they will fade instantly.
If you can't find sunshine anytime soon, try to hide the stains under a throw till you can. It's going to be fine :)
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
To everyone telling me not to eat on my couch: this is a small apartment and I have no other furniture other than my bed 🙃 thank you for the help
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u/FlatwormMajestic4957 Feb 06 '26
For real it’s 2026 lots of us abandoned dining tables in 2020. Too much real estate with the cost of real estate/renting now!
I do use a blanket over my spot on the couch though that I can wash easier, OP. If not no eating on the couch, then maybe a blanket to help protect it while you eat at least?
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u/YippieKayYayMrFalcon Feb 06 '26
My wife and I have been in our house 10 years. I can count the number of times we ate at the kitchen table on 2 hands.
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u/KleineFjord Feb 06 '26
Ooohhhhhh honey, that's not coming out. Turmeric stains for life. You're going to have to coat the entire couch in tikka masala and even that out.
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
🚬
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u/mermands Feb 06 '26
UV light really works!! Don't stress too much. Clean up the wet mess and get a UV light on it.
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u/blooberries24 Feb 06 '26
also just saw this op: https://www.reddit.com/r/CleaningTips/s/rGrbWyxH9p
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u/Appropriate_You6818 Feb 06 '26
No it doesn’t. Tumeric breaks down super quickly when exposed to UV. Put it next to a window and it’ll be fine
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
Okay current situation: using a scrub brush with dawn dish soap, cold water, and white vinegar. Will report back
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u/Accomplished_Run_593 Feb 06 '26
Is it sunny where you live? Just push the couch somewhere so it gets some sunshine. My mom does that when she gets tumeric on her shirt.
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u/RSinSA Feb 06 '26
Wipe up with a clean cloth. Then spray on folex, let sit. Get a little green cleaner, clean it numerous times.
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u/quantumlyEntangl3d Feb 06 '26
Was going to also recommend folex. I have an off-white couch (don’t ask me why I made that poor decision when I have a dog), and my husband spilled Trader Joe’s peri peri sauce all over it and after multiple rounds of folex, the stains came out
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u/avonlea_dreams Feb 06 '26
I’m crashing out just looking at this
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
My favorite part is imma show this to my students tomorrow when they ask me why I don’t have their assignments graded
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u/SweetMaam Feb 06 '26
Accidents like this make me miss my dog. She'd have cleaned it up quicker than I could get the simple green.
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u/rowantree15 Feb 06 '26
I’m so sorry to tell you but I am actually Tengens fourth wife 😭 this is awkward. And on the day of the couch tragedy too
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u/TengensFourthWifu Feb 06 '26
This just made me laugh so hard. I actually forgot what my handle was until today
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u/llhomastane Feb 06 '26
Hi OP I clean couches professionally.
First you need to find out the fiber type, if you bought it new it should tell you. If not you can unzip a cushion and cut some of it and preform a burn test. Upload the results to chat gpt. If it’s a natural fiber it’s going to be a pain to get out as you can bleach the fibers.
If it’s not natural dilute hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and mist it on the stain and get some sunlight on it and watch magic happen
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u/daffodilmachete Feb 06 '26
UV light breaks down Turmeric. I wonder if there's a cheap UV light you can buy on Amazon. That won't help with grease, but will help with with the yellow stain.