DIY Sofa Cleaning? Pause That Thought
DIY sofa cleaning can be a strenuous process. Take preparing the solutions for instance, and you want to work with the formulations that are around the household. Mixing up the white vinegar for the fabric sofas, the ratios that are required for your particular set, combining it with some mild dish soap- dealing with the different towels and scrubbing brushes required for the task- it adds to the workload. You may opt to use castile soap, which is a mild soap and is often used on fabrics and even the skin. This is mixed with vinegar and water, and once again one needs to determine the appropriate solutions that are required, then spray it onto the target section and proceed to clean the sofa. However, will it be effective in getting rid of the stubborn grime? You may end up working for hours on the same section without making headway, causing you more frustrations. DIY hacks, from working with olive oil for leather sofas, to linseed or flax oil that is often fronted as a fabric conditioner to revitalise the sofa- there are numerous ideas that are brought forth in the DIY blogs and video tutorials. However, there is plenty of reason why the manufacturers of the furniture itself insist on the purchaser of the product hiring professional cleaning services. Let’s delve into this:
- Harsh chemicals
When the DIYer stumbles across the heavy dirt build-ups and stubborn stains, they may reach out to the powerful chemicals that were effective in getting rid of similar spots on other sections of the establishments. From acid-based products to the alkalis that were used on the countertops, walls, and floors- these are not automatically suitable for dealing with similar kinds of soiling on the furniture The fabric and leather units each have their cleaning requirements, and applying products that are too harsh will result in issues such as discolouration or corrosion on of the material. The former ruins the beauty of your set, while the latter results in a deterioration of the upholstery’s very structure. These are not outcomes that you want for your unit. Getting professional sofa cleaning services will ensure that only the appropriate products are used for your particular unit, thus protecting your set.
- Overwetting
This comes down to not properly controlling the amount of water that is being used in the sofa cleaning process. The DIYer drenches the upholstery in too much water- perhaps in a bid to dissolve the heavy build-ups of soiling. Overwetting has different ramifications depending on the particular sofa material. There are fabrics that will shrink, and others will have the dyes that they have been treated with leaching out. You don’t want colour bleeding on your elegant sofa. Shrinkage can result in tears especially at the seams. Another consequence of overwetting is prolonged drying time. The sofa ends up taking days to dry. This is more than just an inconvenience to the household members. The longer that the sofa remains wet, the higher the chances of mould and mildew developing on it. These come with their additional problems. Firstly, they produce musty odours, making the sofa uncomfortable to sit on. Secondly, the fungi release spores into the indoor air space, increasing the allergen concentration. This puts the persons on the premises at risk. There are species of the mould that also produce mycotoxins, which affect organs like the liver, and entire body systems, such as the central nervous system. These are not consequences that you want to deal with. Your goal is simply to get rid of the dirt and stains that are on the sofa, not transform it into a health hazard to your loved ones. The drying systems that are used as part of the professional sofa cleaning services extract the moisture from the unit, and it’s left slightly damp to the touch. Those minute quantities of moisture that remain dry off rapidly- in mere hours- as little as 3 hours after the cleaning. This also means that you can resume using the furniture on the same day that it has been worked on, preventing your household members from being inconvenienced.
- Residue left in the upholstery
This can be caused by various reasons. The DIYer may have used too much of the cleaning product- overshampooing the sofa. It may also be as a result of the furniture not being properly rinsed, or the rented machinery being used for the task did not have sufficient extraction power. They lead to the same result: residue in the sofa, that attracts more soiling. The residue is like a dirt magnet, trapping more dirt from the environment, clothes, pets and persons using the sofa. This causes it to get resoiled at a much faster rate- and forcing you to repeat the sofa cleaning process much sooner than you had anticipated. Thus, more time and resources are spent on the task. Get things done right the first time around by hiring the sofa cleaning professionals.
Not as cheap as anticipated
There’ll be plenty of costs going into the process. Take the initial expenses for instance. These range from the funds that go into purchasing the different chemical reagents required for the cleaning, to renting the machinery that will be used for the task. Scrubbing tools, extraction equipment, to the drying units- they will drive up the costs. Then there are the liabilities should anything go wrong- and being a DIY job, there are high chances of mistakes being made. Making repairs on the damaged furniture will be sure to leave a dent in your wallet. What of your peace of mind? You can’t put a price tag on that. The frustration that come with unsatisfactory results, the hassle of rectifying damages made- these are not issues that you want to end up dealing with. Being forced to redo the entire sofa cleaning will also cost more money, in addition to putting you on edge. Avoid it all by hiring the professionals to take on the task right from the onset. They will ensure that you get the desired results in moments, and your furniture will be safe all through the process.
