The Gunk That Resides In Your Sofa

The Gunk That Resides In Your Sofa

The sofa is used by everyone in the household. It’s where you relax, take naps, host guests, and even the kids like playing on it. The cosy cushions are a favourite spot for the pets to spend those lazy afternoons, and adventurous couples are not shy about going at it right there in the living room. Over time, there is bound to be gunk that accumulates in the upholstered set. Sweat and body oils when the skin rubs against the furniture, fur and dander for those with cats and dogs that enjoy hopping onto the sofa, spills from the snacks being enjoyed while lounging back on that luxurious set – it all makes a mess. Gradually, that elegant look and feel that the sofa first had when you brought it home from the store is replaced by an old and dilapidated look, which has a negative effect on the rest of the ambience. Sofa cleaning is a key part of its maintenance. When did you last have it done?

Prolonging the life of the Furniture

As dirt accumulates in the sofa, it puts the life of the set at risk. Those dirt particles are abraded against the fibres of the upholstery, wearing it down. The more usage that a sofa witnesses, the greater the rate of wear, especially if the vacuuming and sofa cleaning are not carried out frequently. Greasy residue in the unit acts as a dirt magnet, increasing the level of soiling. Spills too are problematic, reacting with the padding and upholstery depending on their chemical makeup. Those stains that are formed when beverages spill on the furniture are an eyesore as well, and unless taken care of with urgency they can end up setting more strongly into the material.

The sofa is one of the pricy furnishing items in the household. You spent a lot to get the set that meets your particular taste and design preferences. When it looks all dull and forlorn, it can be exasperating. Many don’t even recall the original look that the sofa had unless they look at pictures from its early days. Over the years it becomes a pale shadow of its former self. Things don’t have to be this way. Routine sofa cleaning will keep your set in optimal condition for longer, whilst allowing you to enjoy it all through. 

DIY vs. Getting Professional Care For Your Sofa

Different factors are considered during the sofa cleaning. Take the material for instance. The fabric tag that’s on the sofa usually come with codes indicating how it should be cleaned. The “W” means that the sofa cleaning can be carried out with a water-based agent. “S” indicates that a solvent-based cleaner can be used, while for the “WS” units either water-based or solvent-based products can be used. There are those that are indicated “X”, where wet cleaning should be avoided. These are delicate fabrics that are usually just vacuumed by the owner, and deeper sofa cleaning carried out by a professional service. 

Using common solutions in the household to work on the sofa can end up damaging your unit. For instance, the vinegar, ammonia and bleach-based solutions that are typically used for dealing with the stubborn stains on hard surfaces around the home can ruin the fabric upholstery. The last thing you want is the upholstery getting corroded after reacting with the chemicals used on it.  

The quantity of solution used also matters. Overwetting sofas can lead to unfavourable outcomes such as the dyes the upholstery has been treated with bleeding out. This results in unsightly patches all over the affected furniture. When the sofa is drenched in too much liquid and the extraction machinery is not powerful enough to suction out, then it will take days to dry. During this duration there will be the inconvenience that comes from not being able to use the sofa. In addition, the longer the upholstered furniture takes to dry, the higher the chances that mould will develop in it. An all-out mould infestation in your establishment’s furniture is a health hazard, due to the increased concentration of spores that will be released into the indoor air space, as well as the mycotoxins that are produced by some species of fungi. These are not health risks that you want to expose your family members to, thus the recommendation of hiring professional sofa cleaning services for the task. 

What about the quality of the results? With the DIY route, due to a shortage of the requisite skills and equipment that are needed for the job, the results usually end up being subpar, adding to the stresses of the task. Grease residue that has stubbornly adhered to the material, dirt spots that have refused to budge, stains that wick back up to the surface as the sofa dries, residue that remains in the material – they can all be frustrating. Basically, it makes a mockery of all the effort and time that you have put into the job, since you will be forced to repeat it. This takes up more of your resources. Things don’t have to pan out like this. Get the job done appropriately, to quality standards, by hiring expert sofa cleaning services. 

How much will the sofa cleaning cost you? This varies from one company to the next. Some charge by the hour, others go with the type, size and number of the sofas that are to be worked on. Issues like particularly stubborn stains will also affect the pricing, since these will require specialised treatments to get rid of them. The time at which you’re booking the sofa cleaning also weighs in, since there are those who want emergency sofa cleaning services, and others who want to schedule the sessions outside normal working hours. Whichever the case, ensure that you get a written quotation, indicating exactly what you’re paying for, to avoid disagreements or issues like bait and switch tactics.

The Gunk That Resides In Your Sofa