Keeping Your Sofa Clean | Sofa Cleaning Dublin
Neglecting the sofa cleaning is one sure way of deteriorating the sets in your household. Furniture, like other items in the house, requires routine cleaning and maintenance. The dirt and grime that accumulates in the upholstery and cushions is abrasive, and gradually wears down the material. Spills on the unit are soaked up by the absorbent material, and as they penetrate deep into the cushions can encourage the growth of fungi. Organic material like food crumbs that are embedded in the furnishings are a magnet for insects and rodents. No one wants to see ants and roaches trooping around the furniture, or stumbling on a coupled of mice in the middle of the night as they try to gnaw at the food crumbs that are on the set. These pests are an additional problem, as they will damage the upholstery in their quest to yank out the food particles from the material. Then there is the case of greasy residue, whether it is from food spills or body oils that got rubbed onto the furniture, which become spots that trap more dirt, adding to the soiling that is on the upholstery. Vacuuming alone won’t remove these substances. The occasional deep clean is needed, and for this it is recommended that you hire professional sofa cleaning services for the task.
Benefits Of Turning To The Pros
For starters, you get to avoid the hustle that comes with the process. Sofa cleaning is not one of those chores that you can complete on a whim. Lots of effort goes into the task, and the professionals have the equipment and skillset needed to get it done at a fraction of the time that you would have taken doing it yourself. They are well versed with the different kinds of stain problems, allowing them to deal with even those stubborn inkblots, pet urine stains, wine and beverage spills, all through to the nail polish accidents that left behind smudges on your furniture. Odours are also dealt with, restoring the fresh look and feel to your set.
Avoid These Mistakes When Caring For Your Sofa
In between the occasional deep cleans, you will need to carry out some maintenance measures to protect your furniture. These are the likes of vacuuming the sofas, and spot cleaning when there are spills. However, there are some mistakes that you should avoid making, including:
Scrubbing stains
The rule of the thumb is “Blot, don’t scrub”. Scrubbing or rubbing the stain causes it to be driven further into the upholstery fabric. When dealing with spills, use an absorbent cloth to first blot up the excess liquid, then use a spot cleaner to deal with the stain. Note that this cleaning agent should be compatible with the particular type of upholstery being worked on. You don’t want to use a stain remover that ends up corroding the upholstery fabric in the process.
Drenching the upholstery in water
But isn’t water a universal cleaning solvent? It is, but that does not mean that you should soak the upholstery in it. Actually, plain water is notorious for causing watermarks on the sofas. That urge to soak and soak it water when there is a stain – in an attempt to dilute the stain, will be likely to lead to a situation where a permanent mark is formed on that spot. Some upholsteries like leather also shouldn’t be handled with copious amounts of water, as this will lead to the bonds of the essential oils that the leather is treated with breaking down, which will accelerate the rate of deterioration of the material.
Working with harsh cleaning products
Just because ammonia solutions and bleach based products are effective in removing those stains that
are on the cabinets, floors and walls, doesn’t mean that it should be used on the upholstery. Depending on the sensitivity of the upholstery being worked on, there may be discolouration of the unit, or the fibres themselves can get damaged due to being corroded by the chemicals that are used. Ensure that any cleaning agent that is used is compatible with the particular upholstery, from the natural and synthetic fabrics to the leather upholstery units.
Using improper tools
Not all cloths are equal, and in the same breath, not all brushes can be used on the upholstery. For instance, using cloths that lint will lead to the residue remaining on the upholstery, giving you more work when it comes to the cleaning. On the other hand, brushing with bristles that are too hard for the fabric will damage the fibres. For upholsteries like suede, you actually need to use specialised brushes for the task.
Avoid Rookie Cleaning Companies
Don’t be quickly swayed by sofa cleaning companies offering rock-bottom prices for their services. When a firm’s services are way below the competitors, it is a sign that a compromise has been made in the process. This can range from the company hiring inexperienced sofa cleaning personnel, using low quality products or machinery, or it may even be an outright scam, where they simply want you to send the deposit fees or allow them into our home to scope it out before planning a burglary. It’s important that you go through the history of the company. When you check out its social media pages, what do other customers say about the quality of services that they have received from the company? The comments will be a pointer to the kind of experience that you can expect to go through when you hire the sofa cleaning company. Note that one or two negative reviews aren’t necessarily a bad thing – after all, no company can have 100% success rate on all its projects. However, how did the company in question handle those negative reviews? Professional brands follow up on customer complaints, to rectify the issue a soon as possible, and afterwards encourage the aggrieved clients to update their reviews. When you see such feedback, it is a sign of how far the company is willing to go to ensure that the client will be satisfied with their services.