Is it really worth cleaning your upholstered furniture in NJ homes? Absolutely. On upholstered furniture, you get a lot closer to your furniture than you generally do with your carpets at home.
How Often to Clean in NJ Homes
The manufacturer recommends every two and a half years in NJ homes or so your furniture be professionally cleaned. It will more than double the life of your upholstery.
Your furniture is one of the biggest investments in your home. Real cleaning isn’t guessing, it’s about using the right chemistry, since organic dye based and oil based stains each need their own approach depending on how long they’ve had to set in.
Waiting too long between home cleanings only lets sweat, oils, bacteria, dust, and mite waste keep building up between fibers rather than being addressed on a regular schedule.
Upholstery Cleaning in NJ
Extending the life of your investment with a professional cleaning helps avoid the kind of buildup that no amount of vacuuming at home can fully remove once it’s been sitting for years.
Why Regular Cleaning Matters
By removing dust and allergens from your upholstery, you’re going to leave your living space cleaner and safer for your entire family. It also reduces wear. For example, on the arms of your furniture, you’re constantly rubbing and agitating the arm of the sofa with the arm on your body.
Without vacuuming and removing that soiling, it actually acts as an abrasive and cuts away at the fabric, which is what you see when the fabric’s worn out, from a lack of maintenance.
The Poof Test
At home, you can do what’s called a poof test. Smack the back cushion of your fabric sofa, and if you can see a small cloud of dust come out of it, then it’s probably time to clean.
Inspecting the Furniture First
Trained technicians in NJ homes begin by thoroughly inspecting furniture to determine the proper cleaning technique for each particular piece. Things like color, fabric type, and age all play a part in determining the best and safest cleaning approach. After the inspection, spot treatment is applied to any areas that may need extra attention.
Deep Cleaning With Hot Water Extraction
On most pieces, a patented hot water extraction cleaning process is used. This not only extracts the dirt and grime, but because of the powerful suction it provides, the piece dries quickly. Agitation wakes the chemistry up, breaks surface tension, loosens embedded grime, and allows the solution to penetrate evenly.
This is one of the four pillars of professional cleaning, time, agitation, chemistry, and temperature. As the wand begins pulling solution through the fabric, what you’re seeing isn’t chemical alone, this is sweat, oils, bacteria, dust, mite waste, everything trapped between fibers being released.
Assessing and Moving Furniture Before Cleaning
Trained technicians in NJ homes first assess the state of the upholstery in order to provide the proper care and treatment for the best outcome. Once evaluated, specialists move any furniture or obstructions out of the way so they can get to every area. They begin to deep clean using a high-pressure steam machine and chemical free, all green solution to wash the upholstery as needed.
The state-of-the-art machine both washes and extracts any dirt, stains, and unwanted bacteria from the upholstery, even the ones the human eye may not catch. After finishing the washing and drying process, specialists examine the area to make sure they didn’t miss anything, leaving the upholstery as good as new.
Applying Protector and Deodorizer
When the cleaning process is complete, Protector can be applied. An application of Protector will help the fabric resist dirt and water-based stains and help it stand up better to everyday wear and tear.
If odor is an issue, no problem, a deodorizer can easily be applied to neutralize any unpleasant smells and give the fabric furniture a clean, fresh scent.
Understanding Cleaning Codes
Fabric upholstery has a labeling system, just like clothing, that indicates what type of cleaner should be used for your specific fabric. There are four main cleaning codes for upholstery fabric, labeled W, S, SW, and X.
W means using a water-based cleaning agent or foam. It’s recommended to use distilled water rather than tap water, because you never know what types of minerals might be in your tap water.
S means to use specifically a water free cleaning solvent, do not use water on this product because it may cause shrinking or rings, and dry cleaning is not recommended. SW is a combination of both S and W, you can use water-based cleaners or water free solvents, again recommended not to use tap water based on the fact that some minerals may cause rings or discoloration.
X means do not use water-based or solvent cleaners at all. The best way to clean these types of upholstery is to vacuum or brush with a non-metallic brush.