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Sofa beds have always been a popular choice for guest rooms. However, recently, we’ve been noticing an increasing trend of people using this style of sofa in place of a bed in their homes. There’s a good reason for this shift! These pieces of furniture are practical, comfortable, and space-saving, and, not least, they come in a wide range of beautiful and high-quality models. As upholstery care specialists, we see a good deal of sleeper sofas in our work. But as we encounter sofa beds more frequently, it becomes evident that people often overlook the fact that this type of furniture requires different maintenance compared to a conventional sofa. Here are some expert tips for cleaning and caring for your sofa bed, ensuring it looks great and stays comfortable for years to come.

Read also: How to Properly Care For a Fabric Sofa

Sofa beds have two very different uses that lead to different issues with their maintenance. Image by Freepik

Understanding the Unique Maintenance Needs of a Sofa Bed

People opt for this type of sofa for various reasons – some live in compact spaces, others prefer having a functional guest room, and a few even consider Airbnb-ing their spare room. Regardless of the reason, a sofa in these scenarios serves a dual purpose: seating for relaxation and a bed. This dual role poses several challenges, including wear and staining. Besides the susceptibility to spills and stains, sofa beds are exposed to the same dirt and grime that mattresses endure. Prolonged use can lead to fabric wear, cushion deformation, and more. So, how can we tackle these issues? Read on to find out.

Check also: 5 Upholstery Cleaning Hacks to Keep Your Sofa As New

Vacuuming your sofa bed prolongs the life of the upholstery. Image by senivpetro

Keeping Your Sofa Bed Clean and Fresh

Regular vacuuming of your sofa bed is crucial for maintaining a clean and healthy living environment. Soft furnishings tend to accumulate dust, dirt, pet hair, and debris, which can lead to various problems if left unchecked. These particles not only spoil the sofa’s appearance but can also harbour allergens like dust mites, pollen, and pet dander, potentially causing allergies or respiratory issues. Frequent vacuuming helps prevent premature wear and tear, preserving the fabric and cushions and ultimately extending the lifespan of your sofa bed. By making regular vacuuming a part of your sofa bed cleaning routine, you ensure a cleaner, more inviting, and longer-lasting piece of furniture in your home.

Read also: How to Keep Your Upholstery Stain and Odour-Free

A waterproof mattress protector is a game changer in preventing stains on your sleeper sofa.

Preventing Stains During Sleep

When it comes to mattress cleaning, the most common stains we encounter are from sweat, blood, greasy sebum stains, and, in some cases, urine. This is perfectly normal, as each of us produces these bodily fluids. While hiding such unsightly stains on a mattress with sheets or a duvet cover is easy, the same cannot be said for a sofa bed. Using a mattress protector is a smart move to avoid embarrassing moments with your guests and stubborn stains on the upholstery. While some furniture brands offer special protectors for sofa beds, a regular waterproof mattress protector works wonders. Ensure it fits your sofa bed size and place it beneath the sheet. This way, your furniture is shielded from blemishes, and if an accident occurs, simply toss the protector in the washing machine for easy cleanup.

Check also: How to Keep Your Mattress Odour-Free

Snacking on your sofa can lead to food and beverage spills, so it’s wise to avoid it as much as you can. Image by Freepik

Preventing Daily Stains on Your Sofa Bed

Sitting or sleeping on a sofa bed that smells like beer or pizza sauce is not enjoyable. To prevent stains:

• Avoid eating on the sofa bed, or consider using covers. In case of spills, promptly address the stain to prevent it from becoming stubborn and difficult to clean.
• Schedule professional deep sofa cleaning at least twice a year.
• Request that the professionals treat the fabric with Scotchgard; this way, you won’t need to worry about accidental spills.

Read also: When to Hire a Professional Upholstery Cleaner

Sebum stains can be quite difficult to remove as they cling to the upholstery’s fibres. Image by katemangostar

Preventing Sebum Stains on Your Sofa Bed’s Back and Armrests

A ‘sebum stain’ is the result of the oily secretion from our skin’s sebaceous glands, including those on our scalp. When we repeatedly rest our heads in the same spot, this greasy substance can leave stubborn stains on the upholstery. Sebum stains can pose a challenge when cleaning your sofa bed, as the oiliness can cause it to cling to the fabric fibres. Luckily, there’s a straightforward solution – place a piece of linen on the area where your head touches the upholstery while sleeping. This clever trick will safeguard your upholstered furniture during relaxation and movie nights and prevent the buildup of unsightly sebum stains. By covering the back and armrests of your sofa bed, you can significantly extend the life of the upholstery.

Check also: 5 Tips on Cleaning Your Suede Sofa

Treating spills right away is the best way to prolong your sofa bed’s beautiful appearance. Image by pressfoto

Dealing with Stains on Your Sofa Bed

In the event of a spill on your sofa bed, acting swiftly to prevent a permanent stain is essential. Here’s what you should do:

• If the stain has solid particles, gently remove them with a spatula or spoon without applying excessive pressure.
• Use a clean, white* cloth to blot the spot gently, absorbing as much liquid as possible.
• Before treating the stain with a stain-removing product, spray the affected area with cold water.
• Apply an upholstery stain remover according to the product’s instructions. After treating the stain, allow the sofa to air dry completely before sitting or sleeping on it to prevent filling deformation and re-soiling of the fabric. Avoid using multiple products on the same stain, as different ingredients may react unpredictably and seal the stain.

*When using a clean, colourless cloth, you avoid transferring dyes onto the sofa fabric during the stain removal process.

Suppose you’re uncertain about cleaning the sofa yourself or dealing with stubborn stains. In that case, it’s best to book a professional sofa cleaner.

A top mattress will do wonders in supporting your back during sleep and will help prevent cushion sagging.

Preventing Cushion Sagging

Most sofa beds aren’t designed for daily use as a bed, and they often lack proper back support. However, if you find yourself needing to sleep on the sofa bed daily, prioritize your comfort. With frequent use, you’ll likely notice the cushions sagging and lumps forming in the filling. To address this issue, consider investing in a high-quality sofa bed mattress specifically designed for this purpose. This will distribute your weight more evenly, preventing cushion sagging. Additionally, using a top mattress offers the added benefit of protecting the upholstery from stains during sleep. Top mattresses not only make your sofa bed more comfortable but also extend the lifespan of your furniture.

Check also: 5 Things to Consider When Buying a New Sofa

By following these tips and guidelines, you can ensure that your sofa bed remains in top condition, providing comfort and functionality for years to come.

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Prepare for Cleaning

Before you begin cleaning your fabric couch, it is essential to gather the necessary materials. This includes:

1. Vacuum cleaner with upholstery attachment: Start by removing loose debris, such as dust, pet hair, and crumbs, using the vacuum’s upholstery attachment. Thoroughly vacuum all surfaces, including the cushions, crevices, and under the seat covers.
2. Cleaning solution: Depending on the fabric type, choose an appropriate cleaning solution. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions or tags on the couch for recommended cleaning methods. Common options include mild detergent, upholstery cleaner, or a homemade solution like a mixture of water and vinegar.
3. Clean, white microfiber cloths: These are ideal for blotting stains and applying cleaning solutions without leaving lint or residue behind.

In addition to understanding the process of cleaning a fabric couch, it is important to familiarise yourself with the codes used by the upholstered furniture industry. These codes provide valuable information on the appropriate cleaning methods for different types of couch fabrics. Here’s a breakdown of the codes and what they mean:

W: This code indicates that the fabric is the easiest to clean, as it can withstand water-based cleaners. If your fabric couch has a “W” code, you can safely use water-based cleaning solutions.

W/S: If you come across a fabric couch with a “W/S” code, it means that both water- and solvent-based cleaners are safe to use. This gives you more flexibility in choosing the appropriate cleaning solution for your couch.

S: The “S” code signifies that the fabric should only be cleaned with solvent-based cleaning chemicals. It is important to follow this guideline to prevent damage to the fabric. Solvent-based cleaners are designed to clean effectively without saturating the fabric.

X: If your fabric couch bears an “X” code, it means that you should refrain from using any liquid or chemical cleaners. Instead, focus on regular vacuuming or brushing to remove dust, dirt, and debris. Taking caution with an “X” coded fabric is crucial to avoid damaging the upholstery.

Trust the Professionals

When it comes to properly cleaning a fabric couch, it’s best to trust the process to professional cleaners because of their in-depth know-how on the task. Not only will that save you time and effort, but you’ll be sure that the end result is optimal. Not to mention, you can easily damage your fabric couch if you don’t know the proper techniques it requires or the right products that need to be used to clean it.

Trusting a professional cleaning company for your fabric couch could be the best decision you make. The efficient cleaning method will ensure the prolonged life of your couch and its best condition at the end.

The post How to Properly Clean a Fabric Couch appeared first on KTMA Ltd..

Read also: Precautions and Prevention of Contracting and Spreading COVID-19 (coronavirus).

The Best Shelf Products for Keeping Upholstery Stain and Odour-Free:

Scotchgard Fabric Upholstery Cleaner – £10

Northern Labs Formula 1 Dry Upholstery Cleaner – £12.50

Sonax (289300-755) Leather Foam – £13

Hoover 2X PetPlus Concentrated – £16

Rust-Oleum 278146 – £13

These are the top cleaning products for upholstery and their average prices. If they’re not available on the shelf in your local stores, they’re available for order on Amazon.

How to Use Shelf Products for Cleaning Upholstery:

When it comes to the shelf-bought products, you need to stick to thеse rules. Always approach with caution when using chemical-based cleaners. You don’t want to damage your upholstered furniture.

1. Always check your furniture labels for cleaning instructions before use;
2. Never stray from the instructions on the product label.
As long as you stick to these rules, you can’t go wrong. It’s as simple as that.

Tried and Proven DIY Solutions for Stain and Odour-Free Upholstery:

We did a bit of digging through the best DIY for upholstered furniture. Here are our top 3 methods for stain and odour-free fabric furniture:

1. he best upholstery brightening cleaner – 1 cup hydrogen peroxide (3%) and 1tbsp of dish soap. Mix them in a spray bottle and you’re ready to go!

1. Spray on upholstered furniture until lightly soaked;
2. Leave to rest a few minutes;
3. Using a furniture brush lightly scrub upholstery;
4. Spray with clean water and hoover until dry.

2. The best general upholstery cleaner – 1 cup of water or soda water with ½ cup white vinegar, ½ cup dish soap. Mix them in a spray bottle and you have your DIY product.

1. Spray onto upholstery until lightly soaked;
2. Scrub lightly with a furniture brush or clean cloth;
3. Spray with clean water;
4. Vacuum until dry;

3. The best dry upholstery cleaner – ½ cup of baking soda with ½ cup of cornstarch with just enough water to make a paste-like mixture. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oils for pleasant odours.

1. Spread the mixture over the surface of your furniture;
2. Leave for at least 30 minutes. Leave overnight for more serious cases;
3. Vacuum until no traces of the mixture are left;
4. If your upholstery is super sensitive, leave the water out of the mixture and just sprinkle the dry ingredients over your upholstery. After vacuuming then drop about 10 drops of your favourite essential oils over your upholstered furniture.

Need Professional Upholstery Cleaners?

Sometimes we’ve loved our upholstery so much that it needs professional care. Don’t hesitate to contact Happy House Cleaning services. Guarantee your settees and armchairs that new, spick and span look. Our professional upholstery cleaners will carefully tend your furniture with top-notch professional cleaning products. Combine our services – antiviral sanitisation, end of tenancy cleaning, carpet cleaning, and more!- and get a juicy discount. Go to our main site and get your free quote now!

The post How to Keep Upholstery Stain and Odour-Free appeared first on KTMA Ltd..

Spring is around the corner and it is time to refresh the house before the warm season. After the long winter, your sofa needs a good clean up. Over time, soft furnishings like armchairs and couches accumulate a lot of dust and dirt. Check out these amazingly easy and fast ways to keep the couch its as-new fresh look.

Vacuum Thoroughly

Get the upholstery attachment of your hoover and carefully run it over the furniture. Take your time to lift cushions and vacuum underneath. Don’t miss small, hard to reach places like corners and folds. This is a very important step. If there are some small particles trapped in the creases of your sofa they will deteriorate the fabric over time, shortening the lifespan of the furniture. Some may object that this step is unnecessary for leather and faux leather couches but this isn’t true. Your leather furniture also needs a good vacuuming over time. Dust and dirt can make the upholstery age faster and contribute to the dull look of the material.

Quick fact: Upholstery attachment’s bristle helps lift stuck particles and brushes sofa’s fibres.

Read also: How to Clean a Leather Sofa Like a Pro

Keep Cushions in a Good Shape

The sofa is undoubtedly the furniture that is used the most often by everyone at home, especially during winter. This is why it’s not a surprise that over time your couch literally starts changing its shape. You can take care of that and prevent the cushions from getting that baggy, worn out look. Every time you vacuum your furniture, spare 1 additional minute to flip the cushions. You can also rotate them, changing their places if the model allows it. This way your sofa will wear more slowly and evenly, keeping it’s good shape longer.

Check also: How to Maintain Different Kinds of Upholstery

Take Care of Spots and Spills

This may seem obvious but many of our clients admit they often postpone cleaning spills from their furniture. We know, that after a long day at work, taking care of the sauce splash on the couch is the last thing you want to do. But believe us, it’s worth the effort. When you treat spills right away, you lower their chance of turning into permanent stains. Choose a quality upholstery stain removal product appropriate for the type of fabric of your sofa.

Read also: How to Deal with Cleaning a Suede Sofa

Bonus Tip: Get Your Sofa Professionally Cleaned

You can find a lot of tips and tricks for soft furniture cleaning on the Internet. However, DIY techniques cannot compare with professional upholstery treatment. The service includes high-grade equipment and powerful solutions in order to remove dirt, dust, stains and to deep-clean your sofa. Furniture manufacturers recommend a professional sofa cleaning once of twice a year.

Read also: Eco-friendly Upholstery Cleaning

The post 3 Easy Sofa Cleaning Tips Everyone Should Know appeared first on KTMA Ltd..

No matter how much effort you put in cleaning and maintaining your armchairs or sofa, accidents happen. When spill occurs the time of reaction is of essence. In fact, upholstered furniture is bound to get dirty from general use over time – that’s inevitable! Stains, dirt and accumulated dust can make the fabric look worn out and scruffy.

Learning how to clean and maintain your furniture is important if you want to keep it looking beautiful, clean and well cared of. This is why we’ve gathered some useful tips on cleaning the most common types of upholstery fast and effective.

How to Clean Different Fabrics

There are some pretty common rules when it comes to clean upholstered furniture. Regular vacuuming is a must to avoid dust setting deeply into fabric and stuffing. Spot treatment is the best way to remove spills, before they become stubborn stains. But the similarities end here.

Different upholstery fabrics require different care. Knowing how to deal with the specific kind can help you avoid shrinking or colour bleeding and get impeccable results when cleaning your furniture.

Synthetic Upholstery

Fabrics made of synthetic fibres, such as acrylic, polyester, nylon or olefin, are generally easy to clean. They stand water well and you can use any type of water-based cleaning product. If the upholstery is removable you can even put it in your laundry machine. However it is always smart to check the label on your furniture to see if there are any instructions for specific treatment or product. If not sure what to do just test the cleaning product on a small, inconspicuous area to see if there is shrinkage or discoloration. If these occur, stop and try another furniture cleaning agent.

Natural Upholstery

Some types of upholstery are made of 100% natural fibres, most often cotton and wool, but sometimes silk, velvet or linen. Typically natural fabrics retain a lot of water so wet cleaning is not a good idea, however steam cleaning can be appropriate. Generally, you can clean these types of fabrics by yourself unless the label says otherwise. When you clean natural upholstery you will do fine with water-based product, but be moderate when applying it. Too much moist can cause shrinking or ‘water rings’.

Combined Upholstery

Very often upholstery fabric is combination of natural and man-made fibres. Usually cotton or wool are blended 50/50 with some synthetic threads. The safest option when dealing with blended fabrics is to hire professional upholstery cleaners in London. Combined fabrics usually require special treatment to avoid shrinking or other damage, unless the label specifies their DIY cleaning method.

Microfibre Upholstery

Microfibre is beautiful, durable and easy to maintain fabric. In this type of upholstery a tiny area consist of large amount of fibres. This stops the dirt from penetrating deep into the fabric. Usually scrubbing off the dirt with brush and vacuuming should be enough to remove the stain. For spot cleaning check the manufacturer label to select the best product for your microbibre upholstery.

Leather

Usually leather needs only wiping from the dust and dirt and occasional conditioning to keep it elastic and smooth. If however you have to deal with stain on you leather upholstery you should consider hiring professional company to treat the spot.

NB! When cleaning your upholstery, you should try to avoid getting liquids and cleaning agents to frames, legs or armrests of the furniture. These metal or wooden parts can corrode, rust, change color and even stain the upholstery and this definitely is a problem you don’t want to deal with.

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