How do you clean light colored couches?

You are doomed, if it is a post-cleaning ring. Can you hide it with a throw pillow.

Aw. That’s no good. It’s like the faint ring you see around a light – like an aura ring.

Perhaps get some water color paints and mix up a tint that is slightly darker than your upholstery material and try dying the ring? Or just paint an artistically satisfying spring of flowers, incorporating the spot and the stain? Eventually as you keep moving outwards to fix the recently fixed, you will have a floral sofa.

Is it on the cushion or body of the sofa?

The body, darn it.

I’ve been lucky not to have this happen, but for the life of me I am not sure which cleaner to recommend. I know I used a Bissell brand cleaner at one point, but I can’t say the fabric was a very light color. I have used Bissell carpet cleaner on lightish colored carpet with great success. I have a Bissell cleaning machine, but I have used their products without the machine and just diluted it a little on a rag. Possibly they have a spray version to use without their machines.

Otherwise, consider a professional cleaning service.