How Often Should You Clean Your Couch?
The most neglected part of the house
Despite being one of the most used pieces of household furniture groups, couches are hardly ever washed. The most that a lot of us are willing to do is vacuum it every once in a while when the dust becomes too hard to ignore.
However, like your carpet and flooring material, the upholstery on your couch set needs tender loving care. This ensures that it looks good for a very long time and goes a long way towards protecting the structural integrity of the fibres. Otherwise, you will end up with a stain-filled, ripped up, eyesore of a couch to look forward to every evening after your long day of work.
Why should you clean your couch in the first place?
Hopefully, that brief introduction has you convinced that you need to have the upholstery on your couch cleaned on a regular basis. If not, here are 4 perks of investing in this service that will make your life significantly easier.
- It will look better
Like any other fabric, dirt tends to cause upholstery to disintegrate. You will notice a few loose fibres here, a weird texture there and sometimes actual tears where the fabric has just given up the fight. Cleaning helps protect your couch from any contaminants that may cause damage in the long run. It also helps maintain the vibrance of the colours on the upholstery. That way your set will continue to look great for a long time.
- It will smell better
The thing with dirty couches is not just that they look but also the fact that they smell weird. It could be anything from pet odour to funky inexplicable smells. Cleaning usually gets rid of this ensuring that you don’t have to cringe in embarrassment every time you have a guest over. What’s more, you can have scented couch detergent which makes your couch smell even better than it did when it was new.
- It will feel better
You know that beautiful feeling you get when you put on a freshly laundered shirt or you get into a bed with clean sheets? It feels like being hugged by really clean clouds. Now imagine that heavenly sensation on your couch. With the professional, deep cleaning, fabric conditioning and drying, you will never want to leave your couch.
- It will last longer
The durability of any fabric whether carpet or couch upholstery is greatly improved by keeping it clean. No, this does not mean that you scrub it manically every single morning as you do your daily chores. However, a good professional clean every 2 months or so will go a long way towards improving your couch’s durability.
7 clues that it is time to book a cleaning
In the professional upholstery cleaning business, it is widely believed that a 2 to 4-month interval is acceptable for professional couch cleaning services. However, this does not mean that you stay with an obviously dirty couch for 4 months as you wait for your next session.
Every couch is different and therefore different intervals are ideal when it comes to figuring out how often to get the cleaning done. This is influenced by a lot of factors like the material of the fabric and how often the couch is used. To make life easier for you, here are 7 clues that you can use to determine when it is time to call the cleaners.
- A funny smell that you just cannot get rid of
This is a sign that something nasty has made its home in the fabric of your couch. More often than not, it is microorganisms that take advantage of the dirt or dampness that are responsible for the odors. However, it could be directly from stains like pet accidents and food spills.
- A stubborn stain or two that you are tired of fighting
If you have stains on your couch you should also consider getting it professionally cleaned. The problem with not addressing the matter urgently is that some of these stains get more intense and therefore more difficult to get rid of. So if you don’t want to live with that wine stain on your white cotton couch then get it cleaned as soon as possible.
- A cloud of dust every time you take a seat
Ok, it might not be as serious as an actual cloud of dust every time you sit or if you tap the couch. But if it has already gotten there then you need to have called the cleaning crew yesterday. More often than not, you will notice dust accumulation as very subtle discolouration. You may also notice flaring up of allergies or asthma. Whatever the case, you might need to bring in the big guns to deal with the problem.
- Skin irritation just from couch bumming
This happens when the dirt on the upholstery has attracted creepy crawlies like dust mites, fleas and even bedbugs. These hidden criminals will terrorize you as you try to catch your break and are a sign that you need proper deep cleaning as soon as possible.
- Obvious fibre damage
As earlier described, dirt and stains can directly lead to fibre damage. You will notice signs like areas of the couch where the upholstery is oddly shiny and thin or parts with fibre runs. In these cases, you need to get the couch cleaned in order to reverse as much of the damage as possible and to keep the situation from getting worse.
- Fading and other forms of discolouration
It could be a weird solo spot that is not as bright and colourful as the rest of your floral upholstery. Or it could be a bunch of streaks of fibres that are darker than the rest of the couch. Whatever the case, these changes are a sign that it is time to get the couch professionally serviced.
- You honestly cannot remember the last time you got it cleaned
Finally, if you have had your couch for a long time and cannot remember when you last had it cleaned (if at all you have had it cleaned), then you need to book an appointment. You would be surprised how much nastiness has accumulated on it over that time.
Do your couch a big one and get a professional crew
There isn’t a universal schedule dictating how often you should get your couch cleaned. The most important thing is that you keep an eye on it for clues like the 7 highlighted above. These will tell you when your couch is desperate for a good cleaning. In their absence, you can stick to the 2 to 4-month interval depending on how easy your couch stains.
How Often Should You Clean Your Couch?
