Beer is a pleasant treat, but when it spills, it can leave unpleasant stains and odors on floors, clothing and furniture. Don't despair if you have spilled beer on your couch, though. It is not hard to get rid of the smell of alcohol or the marks because these are basically water-based stains. Wine is much harder to get out, but that's another cleaning story.
Removing Spilled Beer on a Couch
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If the beer stain is on fabric upholstery and is still wet, you can try blotting up as much of it as possible with paper towels. If you use regular towels or cloths, they will absorb the beer smell and will need to be washed. Next, pour 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid into 2 cups of cool water and dip a clean sponge into it. Keep blotting away at the stain until all the liquid is absorbed but do not oversaturate the fabric.
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Dump out the liquid and use plain, cold water to keep blotting away at the stain until the cleaning solution is all removed. Then, blot dry with clean paper towels or cloths. Once you are sure that the stain and smell are gone, you can dry the spot with a hair dryer or a fan.
For an older beer stain on a couch, try using rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. First, sponge the stain with some cold water, ensuring that the mark is moist. Combine 2/3 cup of rubbing alcohol with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and submerge a clean cloth in it. Squeeze it out and press it into the upholstery. You may need to keep changing the cloth and reapplying it for more stubborn stains. Use a sponge and clean water to blot at the stain until the cleaning solution is gone and allow it to dry.
Removing Other Beer Stains
Beer can get spilled onto anything. The first step to removal is to always blot away as much as possible as quickly as you can. If your couch is made from leather, treat the beer stain with a leather conditioner applied with a soft, dry cloth. Residual beer stains on suede furniture and clothing can be removed with a suede eraser product or a leather cleaner. Be sure to check the label first if it is a leather cleaner since not all of these work on suede, and some can even damage it.
Did beer spill on your clothes? Dilute some liquid laundry detergent with lukewarm water in a spray bottle or use a laundry pretreatment spray before washing (as long as the garment is machine washable). Allow the stain remover to sit on the stain for at least 10 minutes.
Do not dry the clothing until you are sure that the stain is out, though. If it is not machine washable, you may have to take it to a dry cleaner but be sure to point out the stain when dropping off the clothing.
Beer on Carpets or Rugs
If beer spilled onto your rug or carpet, it can usually be removed in much the same way as you would for cleaning your clothing or fabric couch. However, sometimes old, set-in beer stains become discolored and are much more difficult to remove.
If these methods do not work, try using an extraction cleaner, like Resolve, Rug Doctor or Little Green Machine. These can be effective as long as they are used according to the label directions.