Many of us have faced the problem of a stain forming on the sofa or bed because of food, drinks, a surprise from a beloved pet, or for some other reason. And here we are, confronted with the question of what to do with this stain. Someone’s friend advises scrubbing it with soap or lifehack from TikTok, another suggests going to the store and buying Vanish, while someone’s grandmother offers advice from her youth.
In some cases, taking prompt action to save the upholstery of soft furniture using available tools can indeed remove about 50% of stains without damaging the fabric.
As experience shows, 40% of clients who seek help from upholstery cleaning companies, including our company, Harry el Sucio Clean, are people who have made unsuccessful attempts to clean an armchair, sofa, or mattress on their own. Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge about upholstery materials, the properties of cleaning agents, and the specifics of working with various stains leads to disastrous results, where the stain becomes fixed on the upholstery of the furniture.
In cases where attempts were made to clean protein or organic stains independently, and these attempts resulted in the stain becoming blurry or spreading, one should not expect miracles from upholstery cleaning companies. This is akin to starting self-treatment without knowing the diagnosis and then seeking a doctor’s help when complications arise.
A simple example: a client’s small dog vomited on the sofa. The client starts browsing YouTube channels and the internet in search of a quick fix to remove the vomit stains from the upholstery. They write down a few methods, go to the store, buy several cleaning products, and begin cleaning. The first attempt seems to remove the stain, but traces and streaks remain. The client then uses products recommended by another source, and the stain unexpectedly caramelizes, reacting with the remnants of the previous product – the stain is set, and the fabric is damaged.
Yes, cleaning companies can try to remove visible boundaries of the stain and make it less noticeable, even on black or gray sofas, but unfortunately, the stain will remain permanently. By contacting professionals, there’s an 80% chance your sofa would have been saved in 30-40 minutes, special products and equipment suitable for different types of fabric would have been used, the vomit would have been removed from the upholstery, and the costs would have been minimal with the fabric saved. Suspicious cost-saving measures lead us to spend significant amounts on rectifying mistakes made due to incompetence.