The couch is an integral part of your home, and you need to ensure that it is clean and maintained just as the other components of the house. It is estimated that the on average, the dirtiest place of your house is your couch. This may come as a shock to you, but it is indeed true as the couch rarely receives attention during cleaning. Whereas you may be working hard to ensure that other living spaces of your home are fresh, clean and healthy, the couch just doesn’t find its way to the priority list.
The couch is one of those sections of your home that are high-trafficked. When you arrive from work at the end of the day, the couch is your resting place. When visitors come to your house, the first place that you usher them into is your couch. As you might have expected, this causes a massive build up of dirt, grime, and other microscopic substances. If it is not regularly cleaned, the buildup of the substances mentioned above will lead to health complications such as migraines, allergies, and sinuses. Therefore, you need to have elaborate techniques to ensure that you remove the dirt especially the kind that is not visible to the naked eye.
Below are some factors that will force you to clean your couch sooner than you thought:
Kids
Obviously, your couch is prone to suffer from the action of kids playing around. Kids, especially the young ones, have no idea of the amount of dirt that they bring to the house. You will observe that kids play outside and then come and sit on the couch without realizing that they are transferring dirt to the couch. It gets even worse if you have that toddler who is regurgitating food.
For those young kids that are learning to paint and use crayons, you need to make it clear that the couch is out of bounce. Those markers always have a way of falling and making indiscernible figures on your couch. If you combine all of these issues together, you will find that your couch doesn’t stand a chance of lasting to its usefulness. You will be forced to carry out cleaning at regular intervals of about once a month of serious cleaning. Also, you must have an emergency cleaning kit just in case the kid throws up on the couch because some stains require removal while they are still wet.
Pets
Do you have pets in your home? Well, dogs can be a disappointment if they are not trained correctly. A dog almost always has to leave the house for the compound. Later on, the very same dog will have a favorite spot on the couch that they love to rest on. This is a bad habit that should be discouraged as lying on one spot accumulates dirt on a single spot of your couch. Pets also leave their fur on the cushions of your couch. Those pets that are not well taken care of have a foul smell and moving from one spot of the couch to another carries the smell around. In the long run, the entire couch ends up smelling nasty and covered all over with fur. To deal with this menace, you have to train your pets not to rest on the couch. If they have to, you designate a specific couch so that the dirt is not carried from one spot to another. Also, you might want to improve the level of cleanliness of your pet to control dirt. In this case, you may have to get couch cleaning services after every three months.
Environmental dust
Falling dust is always imminent in every living space. Couches are of no exception. Whereas dust is not an issue to be worried about, it is a small problem that can be solved through a regular dusting of the couch. You need to know that dust moves not only through the air but also through contact. People and animals that have been in contact with dust will transfer the same to your couch. Cooking oils also find their way to the couch as well as other parts of your living space including your carpet and other upholstery.
You could opt for a cleaning service to do the cleaning for you or do the dusting by yourself. The dusting of the couch is important so that the particles do not accumulate on the intersections and other adjoining parts of the couch. It is fairly a simple process that involves gently wiping off or rubbing the couch with a piece of cloth that is damp. Feel free to do it as often as you wish although once a week suffices to remove the dirt.
Hot spots
Some spots on your couch get regular use more than others. The armrest of your couch will obviously have a different shade of color as compared to the other part of the couch. This is because, for every instance that a person sits on the couch, the arm is always placed on the armrest causing deposition of dust, oils and other unwanted accumulations that make the couch look dirty and dingy. You will observe a similar pattern in those areas of the couch that have direct body contact especially the arms and the legs.
Such hot spots are tough to clean, and it is highly recommended that you look for a professional cleaning service. An accumulation of oils and dust requires cleaning with expert knowledge and equipment. Special chemicals might also be used to deal with such hot spots.
How often should you get professional cleaning?
The level of dirt on the couch is relative. It varies from one home to the next depending on how the couch is subject to use. A normal house with adults that has minimal dirt should have the couch cleaned after every six months. A household or office that has heavy duty use of the couch requires regular cleaning that should be done every two to three months or less.
Do not hesitate to clean your couch if you feel that it needs some cleaning. If you have reason to believe that your couch has a foul smell emanating from it, feel free to get a professional do the cleaning for you. This way you will live a happy life with a fresh smelling, clean and a hygienic environment.