This Cult Miracle Cleaner Has Rescued My Couch More Times than I Can Count

I made the mistake of buying a light-colored fabric couch for a household that includes two kids and an old dog. It was a misguided decision made in the brain fog of the tail end of the pandemic, and I honestly didn’t have much of a choice – or so I keep telling myself. 

The leather couch I had owned since college had finally transitioned from broken-in to broken-down and wouldn’t last through another move. I was also expected to host 15+ family members for the winter holidays in just a few months. I needed something bigger that could show up before mid-December. So I bought a light-colored fabric couch for a household with two kids and an old dog and told myself it would be fine. 

I ate my words almost immediately. The first evening after hosting my extended family for a dinner and get-together, I discovered a disaster. Someone (re: I know it was your mom) had spilled what looked to be at least half a glass of wine on the arm and, even worse, tried to hide the mistake by covering it with a pillow instead of telling me. 

The stain had been sitting there for at least several hours, though it still felt slightly damp. I panicked and began applying the only at least partially effective solution I’d ever known for cleaning fabrics: salt and soda water.  

I started googling to see what else might be safe to use. On Room & Board’s website, the following recommendation caught my attention. “For spot cleaning small stains, we recommend Folex® Instant Carpet Spot Remover.” 

I’d never heard of Folex before and had generally never encountered a fabric cleaner that had really worked well. It seemed strange that it was labeled as a carpet cleaner but recommended for furniture, too. 

But other people seemed to rave about it online. And the cultish fervor behind it has only gotten louder in recent years. 

Search “Folex Works” online, and you’ll find many threads from users who are just as amazed by it as I am and formal reviews from home experts confirming its excellent stain-fighting abilities. 

When I got the bottle, it was early afternoon the next day. The couch had dried from the soda and salt but was still a noticeable shade of faded maroon to light pink in some places. I began applying the Folex per the strange instructions. “Simply apply a generous amount on the spot, gently agitate with a finger tip, and blot with an absorbent cloth. SPOT WILL DISAPPEAR INSTANTLY.”

I chuckled at the last part in all caps, imagining the battle the marketing team had with the product and legal teams to squeeze that in. 

But holy shit did it work! Well, “disappear instantly” might be a slight exaggeration. Still, as strange as it felt to rub the solution in circles with the tip of my finger, it was clear that the wine stain was fading out and transitioning to the paper towels I was using to blot. The cleaner had an odd faint smell, but it was far from the nostril-searing scents I’d encountered with other cleaners.

The results were even better the following day after the area had thoroughly dried. The couch looked nearly perfect. I was stunned. And I couldn’t smell any lingering odor from the cleaner. 

Over the years since my dog once split his toenail and traipsed blood over three cushions (at least that’s what I told the police). Tiny thumbs covered in everything from easter chocolate to playdough, chalk, and paint have also tried their best to create a lasting legacy. Folex has saved my couch from all of them, for the most part. 

I say mostly because Folex struggles more with mud or dirt. Both will fade noticeably but leave a tinge if treated once or quickly. It may just be obvious on my light couch. 

The key I’ve learned when using it is to blot thoroughly after applying it. The solution does an excellent job of releasing stains from fibers. Rubbing the solution with your finger will spread and dilute the stain no matter what, reducing its concentration and appearance. However, if the cleaning solution isn’t blotted up, the faded remnants of the concentrated stain will still appear as a faint outline once the spot has dried. 

“What’s in Folex?” you may be asking by now. That remains a mystery given that nothing is listed on the bottle, although it states the solution is non-flammable, odor-free, and free of VOCs, CFC, and Petroleum. Folex’s website sheds slightly more light, describing it as a “water-based surfactant.” 

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, a surfactant is a “detergent that, when added to a liquid reduces its surface tensions, thereby increasing its spreading and wetting properties.” It later adds that they are typically used “to disperse aqueous suspensions of insoluble dyes.”

This explanation tracks with my experience of how Folex appears to function – i.e., by unlocking stains from fabrics so they can be blotted up. Unless you are particularly sensitive or allergic to certain substances, all you need to know is that Folex works. 

Amazon

FOLEX Instant Carpet Spot Remover

Pros

• Recommended by cleaning pros and furniture companies
• Does an amazing job of removing stains from upholstered furniture
• No harsh odor

Cons

• Rubbing it over a stain feels odd
• Must blot well for best results
• It's not sold as widely as common cleaning solutions

• $6.65 at Amazon

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