Making Your Sofas Fresh And Vibrant
The furniture sets in the household are some of the most used items, by the family members and guests who drop by for a visit. It’s where you lounge back to relax on those evenings from work, the kids play on it, visitors catch up on their life events while resting on the cosy cushions, and steamy couples make it their zone of action. It’s no surprise that the furniture accumulates plenty of grime over time.
- A cocktail of allergens
When you sit back on that cosy sofa and start sneezing or having watery eyes, this is a reaction to the particulate matter that has been raised into the immediate airspace after the cushions and upholstery material are disturbed. Nasal congestion, itchy skin, asthma attacks – the effects of the allergens in the sofa vary depending on the substance involved and the sensitivity of the affected individual. Dust particles, pollen, pet fur and dander, faecal pellets from dust mites, insects and other pests that come to feed on the food crumbs in the furniture – they all contribute to the allergen build-up, which puts the occupants of the household at risk.
- Odours
What about that strange smell that hits you whenever you use the sofa, with the stronger odours having their impact the moment one enters the room? Odours absorbed from clothing items, the stench that comes from the decaying organic residue in the furnishings, pungent smells from urine stains, the musky odours from mould growth – whichever the case, it makes the sofa uncomfortable to use. While you can turn a blind eye to stains, odours pervade your senses with each breath you take. Not only are they a nuisance, but it can also get embarrassing when you have guests over, and they are asking you about the source of that smell they are detecting. In-depth sofa cleaning where the sources of the odours are removed, as well as neutralising agents that react with the smell itself and render it inert, will restore the fresh feel to the unit.
- Pollutants
These are diverse, ranging from oil splatters from cooking activities that get airborne and are deposited onto upholstery in the surrounding vicinity, to smoke particles such as when there is a household member to smokes cigarettes, or there has been a fire incident in the premises, and the absorbent upholstery took in loads of particles. The greasy residue is a magnet for dirt particles, with grime collecting on these spots. Continued exposure to pollutants like smoke increases the risks to the affected individuals.
- Messy stains
Spills on the sofa, accidents when applying cosmetic products like nail polish which causes them to drip on the furnishings, ink blots, urine stains, blood spots from cuts and nicks – they ruin the appeal of the sofa. The stains each have their different mode of approach, where the focus is using formulations that will chemically break down the stain, without posing a risk to the upholstery material.
When it’s time to carry out the sofa cleaning, it is highly recommended that you get a professional for the task. With the DIY process things can easily go off the rails. Let’s delve into that.
Dangers Of DIY Sofa Cleaning
Lack of the requisite skills needed when cleaning the furniture, as well as powerful machinery that can deliver a deep clean, ends up being problematic for the DIYer. There are plenty of horror stories that have been told about homeowners who ended up destroying the furniture in the process of trying to scrub out dirt spots and stains. Here are some of the issues that are faced:
Products used for the different kinds of upholsteries vary. From the natural and synthetic fabric sofas, to the leather units – these all come with their requirements. Working with harsh cleaners on delicate upholstery will corrode the fibres. Conventional DIY cleaning agents around the household, such as that ammonia-based solution that has been whipped up for working on surfaces around the household, vinegar or lemon solutions are not automatically suitable for working on the furniture. Sloshing the wrong detergent onto the upholstery may even cause stains to set more permanently into the structure. This is common with the DIY sofa cleaning tasks, and resolving the issue ends up taking more resources. It’s simple: bad cleaning will destroy good furniture.
Drenching the sofa in a cleaning solution – perhaps in a bid to flush out that heavy soiling build up can have a negative effect on the furniture. This will depend on the type of material, as well as the drying systems that are to be used. Delicate fabrics can even shrink when too much moisture is used on them, and there will be sofas where the dyes they have been treated with get leached out. Without powerful drying systems, plenty of moisture remains in the upholstery and cushions. This prolongs the drying time. This is more than just a nuisance to the household members. With the sofa taking long to dry, mould and mildew get a footing, and an infestation can sprout out in the sofa. The fungal growths come with their risks, from increasing the allergen concentration due to the spores they produce, to releasing mycotoxins into the indoor space, which can affect body organs like the liver.
This is frustrating, since the residue that remains speeds up the rate of resoiling. The residue can be as a result of insufficient rinsing, or the sofa cleaning systems that are used in the first place not being effective enough. Since the cleaning will need to be repeated much sooner than had been planned, more time and resources are taken up by the task. Whether it is dirt or shampoo that is left behind in the upholstery, or stains that wick back up to the surface as the sofa dries, these are not issues that you want to face especially after devoting your time and energy to deal with the sofa. On the other hand, hiring professionals will ensure that the right systems and processes are used right from the word go, enabling you to get the desired results.
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