Avoid These DIY Upholstery Cleaning Mistakes

When it comes to sofa care, taking the DIY route can result in more harm than good. The risks far outweigh the potential savings, especially since one often ends up with hefty repair and replacement costs, which negate the initial purpose of the process. Just what can go wrong? Here is a look at the common mistakes that are made during the upholstery cleaning: 

 

• Soaking the sofa in water

 

Water is the universal cleaning solvent, hence it makes sense that one will incorporate it into the sofa cleaning- but just how much is too much? In an attempt to loosen up the dirt particles, or one may end up going overboard, drenching the upholstery with water. This opens up a can of worms. For starters, excessive water can result in colour bleeding. Basically, the dyes used to treat the sofa and give it that elegant look get leached out, which ruins the set. Then there is the prolonged drying time. The longer the sofa remains wet, the higher the chances of mould and mildew growing. These, in turn, add to the staining, as the fungi comes in all sorts of unsightly colours, clashing with the patterns and style of your furnishings. The fungi also release spores and mycotoxins into the interior space, which put the health of the persons on the premises at risk. The professional sofa cleaning crew use high powered extraction machinery, where the suction involved removes the bulk of the moisture content from the sofa after the rinsing, which cuts down the drying time from days to a couple of hours. The sofa cleaning units that are rented from stores have a reduced capacity, which affects such functionality, putting your sofa at risk.

The amount of water used also factors in when working on materials like linen, where the risk of shrinkage is really high. You don’t want your elegant set getting ruined. The professional sofa cleaning team will know the amount of water, its temperatures and the pressures required, when dealing with your particular set. 

 

• Using water in itself

 

This is for specific types of upholstery, such as leather and sensitive fabrics. Here, water is a threat to the material. For instance, with leather, the water breaks down the bonds of the essential oils that are used to treat it, thus accelerating its deterioration. Wiping these dirt spots and stains can thus end up doing more damage to your unit, hence the insistence of relying on specialised leather sofa cleaning products.

 

• Getting low-efficient machinery

 

To be fair, this isn’t always the fault of the DIYer- it’s just what is available form the dealership stores. In order to make the upholstery cleaning machines more affordable to rent, their capacities are lower. Aspects like smaller pumps and motors, affect the power, scrubbing action all through to the extraction that is needed for the process. Reducing the size of the units is also in a bid to make them lighter to move around, and fit in the trunk of the family vehicle. The trade-off is that you wind up with a unit that doesn’t deliver the desired thorough cleaning, and you can end up spending much more time on the task. This is as opposed to the industrial grade machinery that is relied don by the professionals. 

 

•  Using the wrong tools and cleaning solutions

 

Then there are those cases when the formulations used for the upholstery cleaning are outrightly inappropriate. All-purpose cleaners that were used on other surfaces around the home are not automatically suitable for the upholstery. The common DIY solutions, from vinegar, ammonia, lemon solutions and bleach-based products, which are typically used when getting rid of the stubborn stains, and dirt spots on other surfaces, can wreak havoc on your sofa. The different types of material, from the natural and synthetic fabrics, to the leather upholsteries ranging from nubuck to aniline and semi-aniline, each have the particular range of products that can be safely used on them. Working with units that have an incompatible pH will corrode the upholstery, or lead to issues such as discolouration. Tools like brushes that are used for the scrubbing, can result in the fibres getting ruined, especially when the brushes have hard bristles. The safety of the products on the person carrying out the sofa cleaning also comes into play. There are those agents that product toxic fumes which when inhaled put their health at risk. 

 

• Taking the wrong approach

 

Here, situations vary. It takes skill and experience to determine how to tackle the various dirt and stain problems. For instance, wiping that spill on the leather sofa can result in it spreading further on the material, and getting ingrained in the fabric. Some of the chemicals used for the DIY upholstery cleaning can react with the stains and cause them to become more permanent. These are not outcomes you want. Avoid the risks involved by bringing in the professional sofa cleaning crew.

Hire Professionals For The Task

Another mistake that is commonly made is going for the cheaper sofa cleaning services. While the low rates are appealing, it usually means compromises have been made along the way, resulting in poor quality of service. It can be anything from having untrained personnel, using unreliable machinery, or ineffective cleaning solutions. Aspects like insurance coverage may have been skipped over, meaning that you will be exposed to liabilities in case of unfortunate incidences. As they say, “Cheap is expensive“. While this does not mean that you have to dig deep into your wallet to get quality services, going for reputable sofa cleaning specialists will give you peace of mind. Here, the costs are tailored to your particular needs, taking into account factors such as the size of the sofa, the kind of staining involved, and the level of soiling. 

Get In Touch With Us

Have a dirty sofa that you want taken care of? Are you frustrated by the stains and soiling that are ruining your elegant set? Dealing with odours that make it uncomfortable to use the sofas in your home or business premises? Give us a call, and we will give your unit an in-depth clean.

Avoid These DIY Upholstery Cleaning Mistakes