Chelsea Cleaning offers professional couch cleaning services in Cape Town, with a process we’ve refined over our three decades of operation.
Periodic deep cleaning can give a couch a new lease on life. It removes dirt, unwanted pests like dust mites and any odours. It can also prolong a couch’s overall lifespan.
Where we offer our Cape couch cleaning services
We offer upholstery cleaning across the city, including Cape Town’s City Bowl, Northern and Southern Suburbs, Southern Peninsula, Cape Flats and Atlantic Seaboard. We also operate in the Winelands, the Helderberg and the West Coast.
Our process for couch cleaning
Our teams take pride in being courteous, efficient and punctual – and in taking the time and care to achieve the best results, without causing any damage to potentially sensitive upholstery.
Below we outline the key steps in our cleaning process (which is child- and pet-friendly).
Vacuuming
First, we give your couch a thorough vacuuming using an industrial vacuum cleaner. This remove any loose dirt such as sand, animal hair or pollen.
Stain removal
Next, we tackle heavily soiled areas to remove any dirty marks or stains. This involves spot cleaning by hand, with a suitable stain removal formula.
Steam cleaning
We steam clean the entire couch using an emulsion cleaner. This involves using a professional steam-cleaning machine, to penetrate through the upholstery and remove any deeply ingrained dirt.
Final vacuum and air-dry
Finally, we give your couch another vacuum to ensure that any loose dirt or dust is removed. Then we leave the couch, which will be barely damp at this point, to air-dry. This is the safest drying method, minimising the risk of fabric shrinkage.
If necessary, we can also apply a blockout fabric protector to help prevent future stains or soiling.
If your couch has loose covers, we can collect these from your home, dry-clean or wash them at our factory and then return them once they’re clean and dry.
How to clean a fabric sofa or couch at home
In between deep cleans, you can keep your couch looking its best by following these couch cleaning tips.
Read the tag
If your couch has a care instructions tag or came with a booklet, familiarise yourself with the do’s and don’ts of cleaning it.
Tags or brochures may use the following symbols to indicate required cleaning methods:
- W – use a water-based cleaner on this fabric
- S – use a solvent-based cleaner (dry clean only)
- W/S – can use water-based or solvent-based cleaners
- X – do not use water or solvent-based cleaners, vacuum or brush clean only.
Vacuum regularly
Remove dust, pet hair and crumbs by giving your couch a regular vacuuming (minimum once a month). Don’t forget to lift the cushions and vacuum underneath them.
Eliminate odours
With pets, children, occasional spills and mildew, sofas can get nasty, musty smells.
To freshen up a couch, you can lightly sprinkle baking soda over the upholstery. Let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes and then vacuum to remove it. This approach doesn’t perform miracles but is effective at removing mild odours.
Clean spills right away
If something spills, the rule of thumb is to act fast. This can minimise the damage.
Remove any excess food or drink with paper towel or a clean, dry cloth (blot rather than rubbing).
Check the care tag to make sure it’s okay and then wash the area with a light-coloured cloth or sponge and a mild dishwashing liquid solution.
Don’t let too much water soak in, or you could end up wetting the underlying sponge too much. Blot again with paper towel to remove excess moisture and allow to air-dry.
Rotate your couch cushions
To prevent one area of the couch from taking the brunt of the wear and tear, swop your couch cushions around. If the couch design allows this, flip them over as well.
How often to clean a couch
Couches are one of the most frequently used furniture items in the home so they can accumulate dirt and stains rather quickly.
Typically, a couch should be deep cleaned about once a year to keep it looking good and smelling fresh.
If you have children or pets, you might need to increase this schedule to every six to eight months.
