The main thing with any spill is to clean it up as soon as possible. The longer a stain sits, the harder it is to remove. Start out trying to clean every stain first with water. Bleach and other strong cleaners are a last resort, however this becomes more complicated as many healthcare facilities have their own cleaning protocols.
As you'll see below in our handy upholstery cleaning guide, bleach is only effective against certain spills, and should only be used if other cleaning agents don't work. And even then, a dilution of 4 parts water to one part bleach is recommended. And, most importantly, don't use bleach if the upholstery isn't bleach cleanable. A bleach cleanable upholstery should consist of solution dyed fiber could be made up of solution-dyed nylon or olefin, but something just made from regular old polyester, nylon or cotton is not bleach cleanable.
You've probably heard this a thousand times, but always test cleaners in an inconspicuous area first to make sure there isn't any discoloration. One other thing to be aware of is after cleaning a spot, it may look different because now the spot you cleaned is cleaner than the surrounding area. If this occurs, water-extraction cleaning of the entire surface is recommended.
To see our bleach cleanable fabrics, click the link below, choose a product type and click the "Bleach Cleanable" filter under the "Performance" header.
