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How to Clean a Couch Like a Pro

Whether you’re looking to just get stains out or deep clean.

After laying (and eating) on it all winter, your sofa could likely use a freshening as part of your annual spring cleaning. Whether you need to remove stubborn stains or vacuum out the surprising number of crumbs hiding in every crevice, the Cleaning Lab at the Simple Green Cleaning has got you covered. We’ve tested dozens of fabric steamersvacuums, upholstery cleaners, stain removers, and sanitizing sprays so we know what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to your most important piece of furniture.

For a fabric sofa, you’ll want to to take six basic steps:

  1. Steam it.
  2. Vacuum it.
  3. Check the fabric care codes.
  4. Spot clean stains.
  5. Refresh with a portable cleaner.
  6. Banish bacteria and odors.

Ready? Here’s everything you need to know about cleaning a couch:

How do you clean upholstery on a couch?

Advanced Handheld Garment Steamer
BLACK+DECKERamazon.com

$49.36

Use a handheld garment steamer or bursts from your steam iron to kill any dust mites lurking near the surface. The Black + Decker Advanced Steamer performed well in our tests and comes with an attachment uniquely designed for upholstery. Go over the entire sofa allowing just the steam to touch and penetrate the fabric. If you don’t have a steamer or iron, skip this step and go straight to vacuuming.

With your vacuum’s upholstery attachment, go over the entire sofa: back, arms, skirt, and all sides of the cushions. If the cushions are removable, take them off and vacuum the fabric underneath, going as far under the back and arms as your vacuum can reach. With the crevice tool, go along the seams, around any buttons, and along the trim.

How do you get stains out of a couch?

First, check the fabric care codes to see what’s safe to use on the fabric:

  • W is the easiest to clean and means water-based cleaners are okay to use.
  • W/S means that either water- or solvent-based cleaners are safe.
  • S means only solvent-based cleaning chemicals should be used.
  • X means do nothing more than vacuum or brush the fabric.
Professional Stain & Odor Remover
Bissellamazon.com

$10.18

For fabrics that can safely be cleaned with water, treat food and pet stains with a good carpet and upholstery cleaner, like GH Seal star Bissell Professional Pet Stain & Odor Remover. The enzyme-containing formula tackles both spots and the lingering odors that come with them. In a pinch, you can also use a little mild dish soap mixed in warm water. Always test any cleaner on a hidden part of the fabric for safety first.

If your cushions have removable covers, unzip them and place a paper towel between the fabric and the filling to absorb any stain and cleaner as you work. Apply the cleaner to a cloth and blot the stain carefully, working from the outside in to keep it from spreading. Apply more cleaner sparingly, if needed. Once the stain is removed, dab the area with another damp cloth to rinse thoroughly and blot dry. For “S” fabrics, remove stains with a solvent-based product according to package directions.

How do you deep clean a couch?

Little Green ProHeat Portable Upholstery Cleaner
Bissellamazon.com

$124.99

Once the stains are gone, if you want to give the whole piece a refresh, we recommend using a portable extraction cleaner, like Bissell’s Little Green ProHeat Portable Cleaner. These machines can help clean up dingy arms and headrests on your furniture, not to mention spots on carpets, rugs, and car interiors.

Simply dispense the cleaner and water mixture through the hose, agitate the fabric with the brush nozzle, and vacuum up the dirt into the tank. For solvent-only fabrics or if you don’t want to invest in a machine, it’s best to call in a professional for a safe and thorough cleaning.

How do you sanitize a couch?

Antibacterial Fabric Spray
Tideamazon.com

$7.72

Once your sofa is clean and dry, you can kill any lingering germs and odors on water-safe upholstery with a fabric sanitizing spray, like Tide Antibacterial Fabric Spray. It’s designed to kill 99.9% of bacteria when used as directed. Spritz from a distance of 6-8 inches away and let the fabric remain wet for five minutes to sanitize. You can also use it on pet beds, stuffed animals, kids’ sports equipment, and other hard-to-wash items — just test it in an inconspicuous area first.

What is a post construction cleaning service?

At the time that your home construction project or even renovation has been done, and the construction debris has been disposed of, you can then contact a post construction cleaning service. They claim to give you a final and detailed cleaning to allow your home to look excellent.

Post Construction Blog Picture

They aim to put the finishing touches on newly constructed as well as remodeled homes. The trained technicians clean thoroughly from top to bottom. This aims to be done in a quick and efficient way.
If you can get a good renovation cleaning service, then you should simply be able to move into a clean home as soon as their work has been completed.
Good service should be able to employ advanced products along with cleaning techniques to make your newly built or even renovated property look amazing and clean.
Due to the reason that construction schedules may sometimes alter for some reasons, a good service may work closely with contractors along with service technicians to accommodate scheduling alterations.
Instead of only cleaning your home, a service may also provide specialty cleaning services, like window cleaning, deep carpet cleaning as well as floor finishing.

After construction has occurred, you may be looking for a construction project cleanup service. This type of post construction cleaning service may have services that include vacuuming construction as well as drywall dust, cleaning your interior glass, be involved in cleaning lights, cleaning as well as polishing restroom fixtures, dusting your air diffusers, dust mopping and/or even damp mopping any hard-surface floors, dusting window sills along with all molding, vacuuming the carpets, spot cleaning the walls, cleaning cabinets, etc. From this list, you can see that they are involved in pursuing the final touches to make your home look amazing.

Difficulties of post construction cleaning

 

Pursuing post construction cleaning by yourself may be rather tough. This may take much time as there may be several things to be done to make the home look completely clean after the renovation or construction.
The above-mentioned services that a post construction cleaning service may do are seen to be a bit tough to do by oneself unless you like cleaning and know how to do it perfectly.

 

Benefits of a professional service

The benefits of professional service are obvious. Instead of you need to take out time to finish cleaning up your new home completely, why not call a professional to do this? They should know what they are doing and therefore be able to do the task in a way that is better than how you, an unprofessional in this field will be able to do it.
A professional service may be able to provide you with efficient and good service only needing you to shift into the new home simply. Some tasks are quite tough and time-consuming, for instance, dusting all the air diffusers or dusting window sills, etc.
You will need to take out time and be patient to do these tasks. If you do not have the time or the energy, then you can think about calling a professional remodel cleaning service or a post construction cleaning service to complete the tasks for you. A professional should have experience and therefore be able to do the work more satisfactorily.
A professional service may know the latest technology as well as procedures involved in making a post-construction building look clean. If you wish to create a lasting impression due to your superior floor cleaning as well as maintenance, then you may want to think about a cleaning service. Fine, you will need to spend a bit of cash, but consider if this is worthwhile due to the reason that you may get a clean home or building.

 

Some cleaning tips for you

  • did you know that keeping the entrance rugs clean is a vital part of keeping a healthy indoor environment? Therefore be sure that your entrance rugs are clean and do not ignore them.
  • it has been claimed that most facilities may need air duct cleaning after every three to about five years.
  • An important and usually overlooked area of the carpet cleaning procedure is the drying part. You may be ignoring this part.
  • Upholstery filling is claimed to lose its potential to bounce back precisely if it is not plumped up regularly.

 

Detail of the work

When it comes to commercial services, this may include specialty services, janitorial services, floor cleaning procedures, upholstery cleaning.
Cleaning the air ducts, comprehensive cleaning services, and project-based cleaning. Try and find a company that has services offered specifically for different industries.
The specialty services may include upholstery cleaning, window washing, air duct cleaning. No doubt you will want your commercial area too look clean and welcoming to customers.
You may not know all the important things that need cleaning; this is where a professional service can come in. An office building is actually the face of a company. You, therefore, may be looking for a cleaning service which offers the highest standards.
You may be faced with the problem of continuously having to hire a new janitorial service because they are not working how you wish them to. You may find it hectic fitting in time for this task. Therefore find a service that will be perfect for you.
Would it not be great if you found a good janitorial service that is such that it does not give you any headaches? Janitorial cleaning services may include an option for daily, weekly as well as monthly cleaning service, dusting as well as window washing, daytime cleaning, waste removal, etc.
Everyone wants their new home to look wonderful. Before shifting into this why not try and hire a post construction cleaning service to worry about adding the needed final touches to your home so that you can shift into this without any headache of cleaning up.
When it comes to residential services, these may include services to look after your area rugs, tile and grout, windows, hardwood floors, air ducts, carpets, upholstery, plus floor cleaning as well as post-construction cleaning. You can tell that these are all important areas of the home that need to be cleaned.
A cleaning service for a residential property or even a commercial property should be such that they should know exactly what you want to be done.
The discussion is necessary so that they can meet the specific demands that you have while also keeping your schedule in mind. Cleaning can be a hectic thing especially post construction cleaning.
Therefore you may need a good service to be able to do this for you. A service should do exactly what they claim to do. After the service has been completed, they should follow up with you to confirm that you are totally satisfied with the work that has been done.
Keeping a home or building clean is something that is important. If you do not have time to do this or find it tough doing this, then you may want to consider hiring a professional service that can handle the tension while you relax and simply shift into your clean home after some construction or renovation work has been done.

Green cleaning is not anything new – talk to your grandma and she will swear by the power of vinegar and baking soda. Green cleaning products clean your home naturally without the unpleasant chemical residue that can harm your family and your pets. They are made using biodegradable ingredients that are non-toxic, safe and naturally derived and that don’t negatively impact the environment or your family’s health. Although there are many companies that claim to offer all-green or natural products, some are top rated while some are just average. So, before you select any cleaner it is important to be sure about the quality and standards.
There are 2 eco-friendly and natural household cleaning brands that are conscious of your family’s health and the wellbeing of the earth.

Seventh Generation Green Products

Seventh Generation

Seventh generation is one of the most well-known green companies and has been around for about 20 years in the consumer market. They manufacture many eco-friendly products and are one of the first self-declared socially responsible companies. Their products are very green and provide a wide range of options for customers to choose from.
Seventh Generation product categories include:

  • free and clear cleaning products
  • feminine care
  • products for baby
  • household paper and supplies
  • household cleaners
  • dish-washing products
  • laundry products and much more..

Why to use their products?

• They have green corporate office policies in place, for example, recycling and using recycle paper
• Zero animal testing
• They help saving trees, energy, water and petroleum by recycling paper products and making less toxic goods.
• Their products are non-toxic with zero EDTA, NTA, dyes, phosphates and chlorine bleach
• They donate 10% of profits to non-profit community who are working for positive change.
• Some of their packaging is made with recycled content which make recycling more easy.
• Seventh generation is committed to helping consumers make more informed decisions. They completely disclose all ingredients on their packaging and also at their website to let people know which type of product they are using and what impact they are having on your family’s health.

Green works is another market leading company that offers top quality green products without harsh residues or fumes. The product line helps people to adapt a more natural lifestyle by availing the affordable, naturally derived products. Their product range includes, house cleaners, dish-washing liquid, cleaning wipe and laundry detergents.

Green Works

Why to use their products?

  • The product range is acknowledged by the EPA’S design for the environment program
  • They use environmentally sustainable packaging
  • Their products are not tested on animals
  • They are formulated with mineral or plant based cleaning ingredients

Going green is all about finding the right solutions for you and understanding the benefits.

Every year at some point in time, most people determine that they are going to do something to make their life better. Common goals on this wishlist tends to include:

• Creating more time for family
• Being kind to the environment
• Avoiding bad habits
• Reducing debts
• Practicing for better health
• And even keeping the home clean and tidy

Do you know there is one goal which will cover all these and that is switching to green products. Traditional cleaners are made up of harsh chemicals that can not only affect your health, but they also affect your surroundings. Many scientific studies and researches reveal that chemical based cleaning products can have long term effects on the health.
Green cleaning goes beyond just using eco-friendly products. It is also about living healthy, cleaning efficiently and reducing waste. Here are some benefits of green cleaning:

Bath Green Cleaning

A clean and healthier environment:

Probably one of the biggest benefits of green cleaning is that it is safe for your health as compared to the other chemical based products. Many common cleaners contain harmful chemicals that can lead to allergic reactions, reproductive abnormalities, respiratory problems, behavioral problems and even contributes to cancer. Studies have shown that using a regular cleaning spray once a week raises the chance of developing asthma. If you go green, no longer will there be chemicals breathed in or absorbed into the skin. The most dangerous regular cleaning products are acidic toilet bowl cleaners, oven cleaners and corrosive drain cleaners.

You will become more knowledgeable:

Most of the state regulations don’t require ingredients to be listed on any cleaning item so the problem is you will never know what type of product you are using and what impact they are having on your family’s health. While in green cleaning products you are rest assured knowing that they are not harmful and your family’s health is safe and protected.

Make your expectations clear:

Every cleaning company is different with regard to its terms, service conditions and pricing. It may be possible that the services you have requested may not be completed in a way that you want. Don’t be afraid to clear your expectations. If you have any special instructions call the company and let them know so they will direct their team accordingly. House cleaners can’t read minds so its better to communicate with them.

They are cost effective:

Buying the conventional cleaning items can be more expensive and if you add medical cost then the price will go almost doubled. While green cleaning will cost you less but provide you more benefits that you will appreciate in the long run.

Hiring a professional company to clean your home can allow you to relax, save you time while knowing that the experts will take care of your all needs. But, before you start there are certain things you can do to prepare yourself or your home in order to get the most efficient house cleaning service.
So, follow these guidelines before your house cleaners arrive:

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Secure valuables such as loose cash, small electronics and jewelry:

Most reliable and professional residential cleaning companies recruit their cleaners after strict background check and screening procedures in order to ensure the safety and security of customers but this doesn’t mean that a theft would not occur. Protect your peace of mind by placing these valuable possessions in a safe and secure place so that the chances of theft or misplacing can be reduced.

Pick up important papers, bills and other documents:

To an unfamiliar eye, important documents such as utility bills, bank statements or insurance paperwork can be easily mistaken for trash. In order to avoid the trouble of tracking down the important documents and to protect your privacy, it is suggested to place them in a safe and secure spot. You can also leave a note stating “important documents” or “do not disturb” before your cleaners arrive.

Pickup household items that may be lying about:

It would be completely crazy for you to clean your house before your cleaners service arrives, but if your kitchen counters are stacked with dirty dishes or if your house is disorganized, your cleaner will be spending more time in picking up rather than cleaning. Picking up these items also means they are less likely to be misplaced during a cleaning.

Make sure they can get in:

If you have an important meeting or you can’t be able to stick around during the cleaning make sure that the cleaners is able to access your home. If you hired them for a recurring cleans, its better to have an extra key for the team to use in case if you are not at home. Also, don’t forget to let them know if there is an alarm code, gate code or other special instructions such as activate the security alarm before leaving, turn off the lights or thermostat.

Make your expectations clear:

Every cleaning company is different with regard to its terms, service conditions and pricing. It may be possible that the services you have requested may not be completed in a way that you want. Don’t be afraid to clear your expectations. If you have any special instructions call the company and let them know so they will direct their team accordingly. House cleaners can’t read minds so its better to communicate with them.

Put away the pets:

No matter whether your pet is friendly or aggressive it is better to isolate them or lock them in a room before the team arrives to ensure the quality cleaning.
We are sure that these tips will surely let you get the most out of your professional house cleaning experience. If you have any question or want to share any tip, don’t forget to comment below.