Many people don’t clean their furnishings regularly. It might not seem like you need it. But, it should be a regular part of your home maintenance and cleaning.
In your home, there’s unlikely to be an area that’s as highly-used as your sofa. You watch TV on it, guests sit on it, your kids (or grand kids) use it as a jungle gym, it’s a napping spot, a workstation, and a cat (or dog) bed. Yet many of us don’t get our furniture cleaned regularly. Unless there’s visible grime or a bad smell, there seems no reason to.
But, there’s five big reasons why you should be getting your upholstery cleaned by a professional on a regular basis.
1. Increase Air Quality
Have you ever sat suddenly onto your sofa and watched dust motes fly out? This dust is likely to be human skin cells. This dust is food for mites, which inhabit soft furnishings. There’s also mould spores probably too, anywhere that moisture is present for long periods of time can develop fungus and mould (and, humans emit moisture in the form of sweat and aspiration, so every time we sit on the couch, we can putting moisture into the furniture).
Removing this dust, mites, and mould spores from your furniture helps the air quality of your home, keeping it dry, clean, and healthy.
2. Health Benefits
Many people are allergic to mould or dust mites. Whether it results in breathing problems or skin irritations, it’s totally avoidable. Cleaning your couch and chairs removes these irritants and minimises risk of health issues.
A Word About Dust Mites
Dust mites are eight-legged bugs that are related to spiders and ticks. They are about ¼ of a mm long, too small to see without a microscope, but you will 100% have them in your home. They eat the skin cells that you shed. Many people say they are allergic to dust mites, but they are not; they are actually allergic to dust mite droppings, which contain allergens. This allergy can cause sneezing, runny nose, sinus infections, itchy skin, and can trigger asthma.
The only way to reduce the effects of this allergy is to remove to allergens. That is impossible due to the nature of dust mites, but the next best thing is decrease the populations of the bug. This is done by:
- Removing all soft furnishings when possible, such as using tiles instead of carpet
- Hot washing bedding at least once a week
- Humidity control to keep the air dry
- Vacuum cleaning regularly
- Good ventilation to decrease humidity and remove dust
- Washing furnishings regularly to kill the mites, and remove the dust they feed on
3. Increase Furniture Longevity
Stains and dirt, whether noticeable or not, can decrease the life of your furniture. It affects the colours of the fabric, adds to the wear and tear and aging process, and can weaken the fabric. Removing the grease and dirt extends the life of the furniture.
4. Banish Bad Odours
Fabric absorbs the smells around it. That means that whatever smells are around are getting trapped in your furniture, including cooking odours, nappy changes, parfum of wet dog, sweat, and cigarette smoke. A thorough clean removes the bad smells and leaves your home fresh and clean.
5. Refreshed Appearance
Your furniture will look much better when it’s clean. Get your carpets done at the same time, and your home will look like you’ve just had an upgrade. Don’t just throw a blanket over the couch and pretend it never happened—get those marks removed.
Can You DIY Your Sofa Cleaning?
You can, but like everything else, it’s worth spending a bit more to get the professionals in. A professional knows the best way to clean that’s consistent, appropriate for the type of furniture, and leaves your furnishings looking their best.
They also fully extract water from the furniture, avoiding further staining or mould remediation growth. DIY cleaning machines don’t have the grunt that professional wet vacs do. They are far more effective in getting to that deep-down dirt and odour and removing all water.
DIY’ers also tend to do what they think is best, rather than following the manufacturer’s guidelines. Using the wrong methods like scrubbing or using water or products like vinegar when other methods should be used can damage the product. Suede, microfibre, leather, wool, or other fabrics all require different methods of cleaning.
How Often Should You Get Your Couch Cleaned?
It depends on your home. If you have kids and dogs, every six to twelve months is a good schedule. If it’s just one or two people who gently use furniture and don’t wear shoes inside, then every two years may be enough. Manufacturers will also make specific recommendations for their products, but there are expectations that they will require regular cleaning
When you wash your car and get it serviced, it’s so smooth and lovely to drive. Getting your upholstery (and carpets) cleaned is the same thing, but in your lounge. Smells you didn’t even realise were there are gone, and that faded, stained couch looks like new again. Give us a call if you need a professional clean for your sofa, armchairs, dining chairs, carpet, or any other soft furnishings. We have professional upholstery cleaners in Christchurch, Wellington, and the upper South Island.
