It’s estimated that we spend more than 20 hours per week on average chilling out on our sofas, so it’s inevitable that they’re going to pick up bits of dirt and debris every time we sit down. Think food crumbs, sticky finger marks, germs and bacteria from our clothes, oils from our skin and even the occasional drinks spillage. That’s just from humans! Add pets into the mix and your sofa can quickly get even dirtier.
So when it comes to keeping your upholstery clean, is it worth getting someone out to clean it, or should we look online for DIY cleaning hacks ourselves? Does upholstery cleaning from professionals make a big difference? Let’s explore.
1. Why upholstery cleaning matters
Getting your upholstery cleaned on a regular basis is important if you want it to stay looking clean and to remain in a good condition. Most sofas and armchairs are expensive, so it stands to reason you’ll want to keep them in their optimum best state for as many years as possible, and maximise your investment. You won’t be able to do that if long-standing dirt causes damage to upholstery fabrics. Even the smallest of dry soil particles can be rough and abrasive against the delicate soft strands that form your upholstery furnishings. If these aren’t removed through regular cleaning, they can wear away fibres and break them down, ruining your upholstery.
That’s why it’s so important to schedule professional upholstery cleaning about once per year, or maybe twice if upholstery gets used a lot, particularly by pets and children.
2. Don’t be tempted to clean upholstery yourself
When it comes to upholstery cleaning, it really isn’t a good idea to wade in yourself with whatever you can find under the kitchen sink. If you try to remove a fabric stain or other types of upholstery dirt yourself, you run the risk of making the problem worse.
Cleaning upholstery is a skilled profession which requires in-depth knowledge of different types of fabrics and how they react to the cleaning process. Experts also understand the best methods, treatments and products to use, to achieve the most effective results. Without this knowledge, you could end up causing problems such as fabric discoloration if you try to clean upholstery yourself, which might result in permanent damage.
Calling in professional upholstery cleaners is a small price to pay for complete peace of mind that your upholstery is being cleaned safely and reliably.
3. Long-lasting results
Whether you’re looking for upholstery cleaning in London or elsewhere in the UK, it’s really important that you choose a reputable company if you really want to see impressive results.
A highly regarded upholstery cleaning company will use sophisticated, modern cleaning technology on your upholstery, removing much more dirt and debris than if you tried to clean it yourself, or hired out a upholstery cleaning machine. For example, at Carpet Bright UK, we use cutting-edge cleaning machines that are capable of removing 98% of dirt – so the difference to your upholstery can be huge!
Even if you vacuum your upholstery regularly, the average household vacuum cleaner isn’t powerful enough to extract all of the bacteria, germs and dust mites hiding deep in the padding of upholstery furniture. By using a professional upholstery cleaning company, however, such as Carpet Bright UK, the vacuum cleaners we use are much more powerful and are of industrial strength. This means much more deep-seated dirt and ingrained particles can be removed from those hard-to-reach areas of your upholstery. As you can imagine, more in-depth cleaning will result in much-improved results, making the whole process worth it.
4. No residues
Have you ever tried to remove a stain from your upholstery and wondered why your upholstery suddenly becomes dirty again really fast? You might have even experienced this after you’ve had your upholstery cleaned by someone else.
The reason for this is that if cleaning residues haven’t been fully removed from fabrics they can attract new dirt easily, as they’re usually sticky. This can often happen when using shop-bought cleaning products or if your upholstery has been cleaned by amateurs. But don’t let it put you off getting your upholstery cleaned again.
With professional upholstery cleaning from trained and qualified experts who use natural, non-toxic, residue-free cleaning products and equipment, you don’t need to worry about your furnishings experiencing rapid resoiling after they’ve been cleaned. In fact, you can expect really long-lasting results, as well as cleaning that’s safe for your upholstery and everyone that uses it.
5. Sorting out all problems
When upholstery needs cleaning, it’s not usually just one specific problem such as a stain that needs addressing. Over time, upholstery can become a breeding ground for germs and bacteria, and it might even start to smell a bit stale or musty.
By getting your upholstery cleaned professionally, all of the problems affecting your furnishings can be tackled in one go, with cleaning technicians using a variety of products, equipment and methods to give your sofas and armchairs etc a clean bill of health all-round. This not makes a big difference to how your upholstery looks, but how it smells and its overall condition.
6. Better for you – and your environment
A professional upholstery cleaner also uses powerful cleaning machines that operate at high-pressure to kill off germs, bacteria, dust mites, mould spores and other unwelcome allergens and irritants that could be dwelling in your upholstery. It’s hard to believe but some studies have found that the average couch can contain more bacteria than a toilet seat, so getting your upholstery cleaned on a regular basis really does make a big difference to the hygienic condition of your furnishings.
What’s more, who wants to sit down on a sofa surrounded by allergens like dust mites and other unhealthy organisms that could make you feel ill? Keeping your upholstery clean and fresh, and free of harmful substances, could make a big difference to your health.
It’s not just your health that can benefit from your upholstery being cleaned; your indoor air quality can be significantly improved if there are fewer germs, bacteria and dust mites, etc living in your furnishings.
7. Creating a positive impression
If you run a business like a hotel, restaurant, bar or café, with a lot of upholstery seating, creating a positive impression of your premises is really important if you want customers to keep coming back and rating you favourably. Getting your upholstery cleaned on a regular basis is really important to maintain a good reputation, and although it might only seem like a minor thing, it can play a role in making a big difference to how customers perceive you and your brand.
So – yes – upholstery cleaning really does make a big difference on so many different levels!
If you’re looking for reliable upholstery cleaning in London or elsewhere in the South East, you can expect fantastic results from the experts at Carpet Bright UK.
