Many times at PristineGreen, we get couch cleaning calls from customers who have spilled a liquid on their sofa and a watermark has appeared. Or, an ambitious homeowner has tried to clean her couch by herself, using a brush and some household detergent, and a ring of dirt has appeared around the cleaning area. The answer to this is simple, but fixing it can be difficult.
A WaterMark Shows Dirt
Homeowners don’t hire carpet cleaning services as much as they really should. Because of this, their furniture, rugs, and carpets are neglected and retain years of dirt, oils, and grime. By the time a carpet cleaner is called to perform a rug shampoo, the fibers are saturated with dirt and the water from the hot water extraction, also known as carpet steam cleaning, is dark, sometimes black! Because of this neglect, oftentimes, a homeowner will spill a liquid on the couch and a watermark will appear. This is simply because the dirt from the couch has been dissipated slightly by the water and has accumulated around the edges of the liquid spill causing what is known as a watermark. It is not the water that has caused this discoloration but the dirt! At this point, a couch cleaner or furniture steam cleaner should be called to clean the whole item! Just one section or cushion of the couch is insufficient as it will either turn out cleaner than the rest of the couch or if spot cleaning is performed, more watermarks will appear as the whole piece needs a deep cleaning.
DIY Couch Cleaning Creates Water Marks
As much as it would be great to be able to fix everything yourself, sometimes it is necessary to call professional carpet steam cleaners and sofa cleaners to do the job right. Homeowners often try to fix stains and spills on their pieces of furniture with DIY techniques they read online. From the classic white vinegar to the baking soda, PristineGreen has seen it all. Unfortunately, these techniques although somewhat effective, truly do not leave great results. A professional upholstery steam cleaning will create results that are night and day in comparison. The reason is very simple: When you clean a dirty shirt, do you simply spray stain remover on it, hang it out to dry, then put it back on? No! You are missing the main component of cleaning which is rinsing. Homeowners do not have the special carpet cleaning equipment, or industrial equipment, to rinse the fabrics. What ends up happening is the homeowner will spray the cleaning agent on the furniture item and scrub away, removing the stain, but then a big watermark remains. Sometimes even the detergent, although it removes the stain, creates a permanent mark on the furniture because a cleanser that is not intended for furniture or carpet was used. These include Dawn, Joy, and Fantastic which are designed for cleaning dishes and come in a variety of colors that end up dying your furniture.
If You Care About Your Furniture, Call a Carpet Steam Cleaner
We live in an age where information is free and available. Because of this, despite the fact that the best carpet cleaner may be right around the corner, homeowners are tempted to be DIYers and attempt to perform tasks that are really meant for professionals with specific equipment. Sometimes the efforts are good enough that calling a furniture cleaner or rug steam cleaner is not necessary. But from our experience, we have found that many homeowners attempt to clean themselves, see what a mess they have created, then call us! If anything, please give us a call or write to us in our contact form so we can advise you on how to clean your couch yourself, and what detergents not to use! We are confident that once you see the results, you will call us again to book an appointment!
