Most people buy furniture and let the fabric on that furniture go its entire lifespan without ever doing anything more than using the occasional spot cleaner on it. If that sounds like you, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s less a matter of neglect and more a matter of just not knowing better. The reality is, even when upholstery looks clean, it usually isn’t. A clean white cloth and a little bit of water rubbed on one of the arms or headrests will show you that pretty quickly.

Manufacturers and professional cleaners recommend getting upholstery (like carpet) professionally cleaned once every 6 months to 1 year, depending on use. For light colors, that frequency may increase. For homes with pets or similar circumstances, it may even be an as-needed basis.

The Process of Cleaning Upholstery

The upholstery cleaning process goes through a number of simple steps to ensure a thorough and accurate cleaning:

• The professional will examine the piece of upholstery, noting any specific concerns or trouble areas and then discuss with the owner.
• Spotters and chemicals will be tested in an inconspicuous area of the fabric to ensure the colors won’t run and no damage will be done, always in accordance with manufacturer labels or recommendations.
• Stains and problem areas will be addressed with the appropriate cleaning methods.
• Steam extraction or similar method will remove remaining dirt and grime from the upholstery.
• Post-inspection will be performed with the owner, noting any issues.
• Optionally, there could be the application of a protector, like ScotchGuard, to help reduce soiling in the future.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, whether your upholstery needs to be cleaned or not is a choice that is up to the individual. If it is dirty and isn’t a problem for you, don’t clean it. However, bear in mind that regular cleaning and inspection can greatly extend the life of your fabrics. At the very least, I would personally recommend cleaning your most-used pieces once a year and having a protector applied. That will save you money in the long run by not requiring the same frequency of cleaning down the road.

I’d love to hear from you if you have questions or concerns. For more information or an inspection of your own upholstery, call Alex with Bon-Care at 757-715-0503 or email info@bon-care.com. We service many areas in southeastern Virginia, including Hampton, Yorktown, Newport News, and Norfolk.

The things that tend to stain carpet the most, greases, oils, starches, sugars, and others, are often not the ones which cause damage to the carpet itself. What does cause physical damage to the carpet fibers, however, are particulates like sand. Sand is, ultimately, tiny pieces of silicate which resemble glass. Imagine rubbing your feet all over tiny shards of glass and grinding them into your carpet fibers every day. Unfortunately, that mental image is closer to the truth than most homeowners would like to admit. During the winter, salt from roads and sidewalks can cause the exact same problems as sand, though often compounding them and making them even worse. Just like the silicates that comprise sand, salt is made of a sharp crystalline structure as well, causing damage for exactly the same reasons.

Counteracting the Negative Effects of Sand in Carpeting

Vacuuming on a regular basis is essential for the local area. Additionally, consider having both an indoor and an outdoor mat (which should also be cleaned regularly) in order to catch anything on your shoes without allowing it to track into the home. For people interested in even more “carpet protection”, it may pay dividends to remove shoes once in the house and place them on a rack. That will prevent anything from being tracked in and will also prevent the carpet from wearing faster in high traffic areas.

It pays to have your carpets professionally cleaned at least once every 6 months, more often if your carpet sees heavier traffic. A good maintenance program can extend the life of your carpets by decades. One final thing to note: while rental steam units do clean better than simple household vacuums, they do not have the suction or power necessary to do a true deep cleaning or remove all embedded particulates in your floors. They may be less expensive but you pay for the low cost in other ways, unfortunately.

For residents of the tidewater region in Virginia, regular carpet cleaning and maintenance is even more important for the longevity of flooring than it is in other areas. Protect your investment by scheduling regular cleanings and considering a floor maintenance plan.

Bon-Care Custom Cleaning is a professional carpet and upholstery cleaning company which has been serving the people of southeastern Virginia since 1975. For a free estimate and inspection, call Alex at 757-715-0503.

When finding a good Hampton Roads carpet cleaner, you should look for many of the same things that you would look for anywhere else:

• Good reviews
• The company has been in business a long time
• Recommendations
• The technicians are qualified and trained
• Prompt service (on time, returns phone calls, etc.)
• Proof of past services (before/after pictures, customer reviews, etc.)

Avoid companies that just started business recently for one reason: they have not yet proven themselves to be trustworthy. Beyond that, it is important to check the qualifications of companies that you choose to work with. Working with companies that cannot explain their qualifications or their training is invariably a bad idea.

The Hampton Roads Area

The Hampton Roads Area of Virginia generally consists of areas in the southeastern portion of the peninsula and some of the areas in the Southside. The cities are generally Hampton, Newport News, Yorktown, Poquoson, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake. Some other areas that are sometimes included are Williamsburg and areas such as Smithfield.

One of the most notable things about this general area is the high military presence and the presence of the Newport News Shipyard. The high turnover of population which may be somewhat transient in nature means that many homes in the area are rentals. Rentals often come with the requirement of the security deposit and a thorough cleaning when moving out. Carpet cleaning is often one of the services that is required. Choosing a good and trustworthy carpet cleaner will help you make sure that you are able to leave the apartment as clean as it was when you moved in and will ensure that you get your security deposit back.

Recommendations:

Choose quality over price. Many carpet cleaners offer sub-par cleanings at low cost or employ bait and switch tactics in order to get into your home and raise the price on you. When choosing services for upholstery cleaning or carpet cleaning, it is important to choose quality companies. The price will be higher in most cases, yes, but the higher price will be offset by the fact that the cleaning will be better, they will need to come less often (should you opt for regular cleanings), and there will be less risk of damage to your fabrics and carpet.

There are two issues with low price: companies offering low prices often cut corners and companies offering low prices are often less qualified to do the work. Cutting corners can be anything from not using cleaning chemicals at all during the cleaning to skipping (or charging extra) for bad spots. The risk of allowing unqualified individuals into your home to work on your carpeting and fabrics is the possibility of damage (this is especially true in cases where harsh chemicals may be used). In Hampton Roads, just like anywhere else, it is important to choose quality over quantity.