Couches are conspicuous pieces of furniture present in most homes. They play a major part in our lives and are even present in popular culture; fans of the Friends television sitcom remember the iconic orange couch featured in every episode. This is no wonder as the couch is associated with socialization and spending time with family and friends – even if it is the same place where we munch on snacks while watching TV alone.
All the activity taking place on couches leads to accidents and staining, so using the services of a couch cleaner, every once in a while, is a must. Until you reach the phone to contact upholstery cleaning, you can spend a few interesting moments reading about the history of the couch.
When Was the Couch Invented?
The first couches can be traced back to the 7th century BCE in Ancient Greece. The said piece of furniture was called a ‘kline’ and resembled a rectangular block supported by four legs. The Ancient Greek version of the couch was used by several people at a time.
The Romans evolved in parallel with the Greeks and had a comparing civilization, although with some differences. In wealthy Roman homes, everyone had their own couch, but the one in the middle called the ‘lectus medius’ was reserved for the person of most importance. The sofa placed in dining rooms was called ‘triclinium’ and was a place for nobles to lie down and eat. Women, children, and slaves were not allowed to use the ‘triclinium’, but things have luckily changed a lot since then.
The Couch Throughout History
The word ‘sofa’ comes from the Arabic word ‘suffer’ which means, more or less, ‘bench’. The Arabic world had upholstered sofas long before Europe. Introducing upholstered furniture in European homes was possible only after the 16th century when weatherproof housing was first made and upholstered sofas could be preserved in good condition – unfortunately, people back then could not benefit from couch cleaning services.
The 16th century was the moment when the French court was equipped with seats similar to the Greek ‘line’. We can easily notice that the word ‘couch’ derives from the French word ‘se coucher’, which means to lie down.
Before the Industrial Revolution, the couch was a luxury product and only the rich and the fortunate could afford it. The couch gradually became a presence in the homes of the newly-developing middle class in the Western world.
During the Regency period (1811-1820), couches became very popular and started to populate rooms in large numbers. London furniture maker Thomas Chippendale made the couch extremely popular and soon Americans copied his style and started to create couches that were affordable enough to be found in the majority of households.
The couch took on a new meaning in the early 20th century as a symbolic décor piece for therapists (think Freud’s couch). Post World War II, the couch was revolutionized again, becoming a means of self-expression and being characterized by clean lines and modern materials. At the end of the 20th century, the sofa even entered politics, due to Tony Blair’s so-called ‘sofa style’ of government. The couch replaced the table and the desk on a symbolic level and opened the path for informal decision-making within government, with political advisors more or less sitting on sofas to discuss policy ideas.
What Are the Different Styles of Couches?
The fact that couches have been developed separately in different regions of the world and cultures has determined multiple variations of this type of furniture: ottoman, loveseat (two-seat couch), modular sofas, sofa beds, round arm sofas, square arm sofas, rounded wedge arm sofa, no arm sofas, straight back sofas, round back sofas, camelback sofas, wingback sofas, and many others. Regardless of what style you prefer, make sure you find a reliable couch cleaner in NYC to keep your furniture in good condition.
What’s The Difference Between a Couch and a Sofa?
The two terms have different etymologies that we explained earlier, and are used interchangeably. But do they refer to the same piece of furniture?
Couch and sofa refer to the same object but in different styles. Sofas are used as informal living spaces, usually for receiving guests, while couches are more informal and are used for sleeping, watching TV, or spending time with family. In reality, the same piece of furniture can meet both types of needs, and it does not matter which word you use.
Is It Difficult to Clean a Couch?
The answer depends on multiple factors. When choosing a new couch, be careful about the material of the upholstery. Some fabrics are more difficult to clean than others or can be easily deteriorated through couch steam cleaning. For instance, viscose upholstery is a nightmare for any upholstery cleaning NYC service because this semi-synthetic material can shrink, and is difficult to clean stains from it.
If you have the right equipment, such as water extractors, you can clean your couch regularly, removing stains, dust, dirt, and mites. Just vacuuming is not the best upholstery cleaning method, but it is better than no cleaning at all.
If you want to keep your couch clean and hygienic with little effort, you will need assistance from an upholstery cleaning Brooklyn company such as PristineGreen Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning. The cleaner should preferably be an area rug cleaner in NYC as well, meaning they can deal with multiple cleaning chores in your home at the same time.
