How to Remove Vomit from Upholstery

When your pet gets sick, there are few worse locations than on the sofa. Clean the vomit as soon as possible to avoid having any permanent damage.

• A spoon
• A dustpan
• A Ziploc bag
• An enzyme-digestant cleaner

1. Use a spoon or spatula to scrape the vomit into a dustpan¹ or large Ziploc bag.² Only skim the surface of the upholstery to remove the vomit; try not to grind the liquid into the fabric as you scrape.
2. Wipe the area with a wet cloth or sponge to remove any residue and blot the area with paper towels.³
3. Spray the area with an enzyme digestant. These can be found on the pet aisle of most supermarkets. Two common ones that work well are Nature’s Miracle or Kids ‘N’ Pets.  Be sure to use an enzyme digestant first, as using non-enzyme cleaner first could permanently set the odor.⁴ Follow the instructions on the bottle of your selected enzyme cleaner.
4. Soak the area with the enzyme cleaner and allow the cleaner to air dry.³
5. If a colored stain remains, it is likely caused by the food dyes found in many foods. Follow up with an enzyme digester that also contains an oxygen cleaner, such as Simple Solution Oxy Solution Pet Stain and Odor Destroyer.³
6. If any odor remains, follow the steps in the article How to Remove Vomit Smell from Microfiber Upholstery.

• If the color of the upholstery is faded, the stomach acids in the vomit likely bleached the fabric and left permanent damage.⁴