Is Your Furniture Properly Cared For?
Your sofa certainly means a lot to you. It’s one of the largest furniture items in the household, and definitely one of the most expensive. Its comfort makes it the go-to spot for family members when they want to relax and unwind. You host guests on it, the kids hop up and down on the cosy cushions – and your pet has likely already picked out a cosy spot on the sofa arm to take those long afternoon naps. When one is sick, as you rest and recuperate, this is all done on the sofa, curled up with the blanket and you take the medication. The older the sofa gets, the more memories are made on it. Those happy nights with your significant other, the laughs and fights that siblings go through, parties held, tears cried- the sofa sees them all. In fact, it is one of those items that gets to stick by you through the different lifestyle changes – and many even have a problem letting it go, when they remember all that they have been through on those cosy cushions. If only the sofa could speak, it would have plenty of tales to tell. From loveseats to recliners and sectionals, giving your sofa quality care is vital to prolong its life.
The size and strength of the sofa sees it witness heavy usage, which undoubtedly leads to the build-up of dirt and grime. From the family members spending hours on it till the “couch potato” name tags start being thrown around, to these family get-togethers and brunches with friends or your book club, kids with their games, and even couples with their steamy and raunchy nights right on the sofa where perspiration and body oils get rubbed onto the seat. The fabric and foam of the sofa are grime havens, absorbing the it loads. Liquids – including those occasional beverage spills, get readily absorbed by the material. Odours too, be it smoke for households with a person taking cigarettes, or pet odours for those with cats and dogs, also get absorbed. Speaking of pets, our furry friends have the tendency of leaving dander strewn all of over the upholstery, adding to the accumulation of the grime. Initially, this is barely notable, but over time there is a limit to which the sofa can continue absorbing dirt and grime before it becomes an eyesore that people feel uncomfortable using it. Part of the waste is organic, and it will begin to decompose, and more odours will be produced. Pathogens will also be prevalent, from the microbes feeding on the decaying matter, to bacteria and viruses spread onto the unit by those who were using the furniture while sick – and it can become one of the spots through which infections are spread.
Why You Should Call In A Specialist Sofa Cleaner
In a nutshell, the health of your family members, lifespan of the sofa, and your own peace of mind are all on the line. Let’s expound on this further:
- Health
You don’t want your family members using furniture that is soiled and crawling with microbes, or choke-full of allergens. The dirty sofas contain loads of this. They are the breeding grounds for dust mites and bacteria, putting the health of those using the sofa at risk. The dust mites produce faecal pellets that are an allergen, triggering reactions similar to the flu – and certainly you don’t want to keep getting watery eyes, nasal blockage, or constantly cough and sneeze whenever you use of the sofa. On the pathogen front, there can be anything from the infamous E. coli bacteria, to Salmonella, Campylobacter and even MRSA on the upholstery, transferred onto it through contaminated objects or even people themselves. Some pathogens, like the Norwalk virus will be able to live for week – even up to a month, on the upholstery, and will have the ability to make the person whose body they contaminate sick. Dust, pollen, pet fur and dander – these add to the concentration of allergens on the upholstery. Vacuuming alone is not sufficient to get rid of the health risks. A deep cleaning is required, that flushes out the grime and destroys the colonies that these microbes have set up in your furniture.
A mistake done during the sofa cleaning can easily ruin your set. A novice working on the unit can lead to costly mistakes. From the cleaning agents that are used, the processes followed, all through to extraction processes at the end of the cleaning, it needs to be done currently. Using harsh cleaners in an attempt to dissolve stubborn stains, overwetting the upholstery even using water on delicate fabrics that can shrink, cases of residue remaining in the sofa causing it to get resoiled at a much faster rate, which forces you to schedule another cleaning much sooner than had been anticipated – these are not issues that you want to find yourself being forced to encounter. Instead, work with a sofa cleaning company whose staff have been taken through rigorous training, and who have the experience needed to safely work on your furniture.
When properly taken care of, the sofa can last for decades. Neglecting it makes the grime that is building up in the unit to accelerate the wear and tear of the upholstery, degrading it and causing you to start budgeting on how you can replace the unit. On the other hand, with routine cleaning services, you even get to score a higher resale value- such as when you choose to dispose the sofa through a yard sale as time to move out comes.
A soiled sofa quickly becomes a nuisance. Your family members are uncomfortable using it, guests keep raising awkward questions about the state of affairs, and you even feel guilty because of allowing the condition of the sofa to deteriorate. Stains that ruin the décor, odours that reek up the residence – they all need to be got rid of, and hiring a professional sofa cleaning team will ensure that this gets done right, bringing back the aesthetic appeal to your living space.
Vacuum your sofa regular. Use a soft brush to remove hair and food residue. Have it deep cleaned once per year