Sofas inevitably pick up dirt and get soiled. Moreover drinks get spilled, food crumbs manage their way into the cracks and pets bring mud all over the surface of a sofa. There is practically no way you can prevent any of these from happening. The good thing is proper cleaning of sofas is comparatively easier and less hassle-free. If can afford time and have access to the right cleaning supplies then cleaning a sofa and giving it a new lease of life is certainly not rocket science.

Here are a few tried and tested tips to make your task easier.

• Before deep cleaning a sofa you should first get rid of any debris or particle from a sofa surface. As far as large particles are concerned you can vacuum those up. A vacuum cleaner with a powerful suction along with a hose attachment or dust buster proves ideal to clean sofas thoroughly.
• Make use of the long, narrow attachment to reach out into the crevices.
• Run the vacuum across the entire cushion surface.
• It is also necessary to remove the cushions to vacuum the base of the furniture.

Use of bristle brush

A bristle brush has an important role to play in your sofa cleaning mission. If heavy dust has accumulated at a spot or dirt build up has cakes into your sofa then a stiff bristled brush is the most effective tool to break up the dirt spot. Then you can use the vacuum to suck up the dirt. In these cases it is important to rub vigorously. But at the same you should make sure not to damage the fabric.

Getting rid of lint and fur from sofa surface

According to some of the skilled and experienced sofa cleaning professionals in London the standard vacuum cleaner is not capable to get rid of lint and pet hair from your sofa surface. Although the manufacturers may assures you the opposite. You need a lint roller for the purpose. A lint roller proves more effective in this aspect compared to vacuum cleaners. If you work systematically in a grid across the entire surface area of the sofa there is no way that you will miss out a single hair.

Wiping the hard surface

As far as any exposed hard surface of your sofa is concerned you should wipe it down. Many sofas come with wood or other materials that remain exposed. It is important to give those areas sufficient attention too. Select the right cleaning product for the type of exposed surface you have to deal with. If there is no surface specific product in your stock then you can play it safe with an all purpose surface cleaner. If the exposed area is vast then do not spray directly on the exposed surface. Rather spray the cleaner on a paper towel and then rub it over the surface. This way you prevent unwanted chemical from getting on the sofa fabric.

Decode the information given on a sofa tag correctly

While cleaning your sofa set you must know the fabric that your sofa is made up of. The tag usually contains all the necessary you should know about cleaning your sofa. Here are a few examples to make things clearer to you –

• “W” stands for you can use any water based detergent on the sofa along with a steam vacuum.
• “WS” on the other hand says you may either use a water based detergent along with a steam vacuum or a dry cleaning detergent to clean the sofa.
• “S” says you can only use any dry cleaning detergent.
• “O” says you are dealing with an organic material. Organic materials are only to be washed with cold water.
• “X” means you may either use a vacuum and a bristle brush or hire a professional cleaner for shampooing your sofa.

Proper cleaning of sofa fabric using water based detergent and steam cleaner

Some of the best sofa cleaning professionals in London, suggest to pre condition the fabric first. Chances are low that you will get fabric pre conditioners at average grocery stores. But you will definitely get it online. This range of cleaners easily dissolves and loosens up soiled debris and oil. Thus shampooing becomes easier and more effective.

It is important to first spot test the pre conditioner to test whether it is safe for your sofa. Apply a very little of it to any inconspicuous portion of the sofa and wait for about ten minutes. If there is no colour bleeding or any other problem then you know the product is safe to apply to your sofa.

Now spray the pre conditioner across the entire sofa surface.

Make solution with detergent and water. In order to make it right mix equal parts of water and any water based detergent into a bucket. It is better to spot test this solution before applying. You can perform the spot test in the way mentioned above. If the solution passes the test you can easily move on to the next step.

Now is the time to prepare the steam vacuum. Here we provide general instructions as there are various models of steam vacuum. Different models look different.

Identify the tank in the steam vacuum that holds the liquid. Remove its cap. Fill it up with the solution you prepared with water and fabric shampoo. Now place the lid in place. If the hose is not permanently fixed to the device then at this stage you have to attach it suggest experts from reputed sofa cleaning services in London. Fix the upholstery attachment to the end of the hose.

Now you have to apply shampoo to the sofa surface. Hold the nozzle of the device facing the fabric of the sofa. Hold the button or trigger down that releases the solution from the tank. While holding down the trigger or button you have to move the nozzle across the entire surface area of the sofa. You can better do this in a grid pattern. It is important to move the nozzle slowly to make sure there is an even distribution of the shampoo. You can get rid of the excess detergent. Let go of the button that releases the shampoo solution. Slowly move the nozzle over the entire sofa surface. This sucks up the excess detergent back into your vacuum cleaner.

Trained and skilled professionals working at VIP Carpet Cleaning London suggest you can repeat the process if necessary. There could be specific zones or spots that may require extra shampooing. You can spot treat those areas with the nozzle.