You can steam clean any type of fabric including all types of leather. This is because all steam cleaning machines have a special setting that allows the technician to control the amount of steam that is created. This means that delicate materials can be protected.
One of the worst things that can happen to any homeowner is flooding. Flood waters can rise unexpectedly from a burst pipe, from heavy rain or from an overflow in the year. The water can bring with it bacteria, sewage, dirt and other unwanted substances and it can seep down deep into furniture, structural materials and carpeting. It can take weeks to repair the damage if it is bad enough, and sever re-flooding can even destroy a house.
Flood water have an equally destructive effect on furniture, and we are going to look at what you can do about that damage and how to assess how badly the flood waters affected your upholstery. All may not be lost just because there was a flood in your home. Follow these tips to ensure that you can save what’s left after flooding.
Can you get leather furniture professionally cleaned?
Professional leather upholstery cleaning companies are common. They can clean all manner of fabrics in your home and leather is no exception.
Before you can clean a leather couch, your first need to know how severe the soiling is. It’s possible that the water didn’t even make it to the upholstery and just touched the legs of the furniture. If the legs are upholstered as well, you may be able to strip off that part of it and clean it and dry it out and then replace it back on the furniture.
In more extreme cases, such as if the water sat in the house for a while before being removed, you may need to replace the legs entirely. Wooden legs on upholstered furniture may look okay from the outside after flooding, but if the water sat inside the wood for very long, it likely caused irreversible damage, and you will probably have to replace the legs.
What is the best way to clean a dirty leather sofa?
You can attempt to remove stains from dirty leather using a cloth and warm water. This can work if the stains are not that severe. However if they have been sitting a long time then you’ll need the expertise of a professional sofa cleaning service. They will have the high pressure steam cleaning machines required to do the job.
If the water made it into the bulk of the furniture and covered it in water, grime and filthy particles, then you will have to determine how long the water was resting on the furniture. If the chair, couch or whatever just became briefly wet, then you can just wipe off the water and dirt. You want to wipe it off as quickly as possible because the longer it sits on your furniture, the more extensive the damage will become.
You may not be sure how long the water was soaking into the upholstery, and you will have to use visual cues to determine the extent of the damage. The most obvious sign of water damage is called watermarking. This will be a discoloration that is either lighter or darker than the surrounding upholstery. That just tells you what is damaged on the surface, though. You will need to remove the upholstery to determine just how deep the water penetrated.
It’s possible that it carried some silt and dirt with it inside the upholstery, so you will want to remove the upholstery and see if there is any dirt inside your furniture. You won’t be able to remove that until you open the furniture and empty it out.
What is the best cleaner for leather sofas?
There are really no cleaning products which work that well on leather sofas. unfortunately if they get soiled, you’ll have no choice but to hire a professional. This is obviously time consuming and costly, and is one of the major drawbacks of any type of leather furniture. Especially if the leather is a light colour.
Thankfully, a lot of water damage can be reversed even with upholstery. If the water damage was not sever and the upholstery wasn’t sitting in the water for long, then you may just need to wipe it down with something dry and let it air out.
For more severe water damage, where the upholstery has soaked in the water for a while, you may need to get rid of the upholstery completely. You can still salvage the furniture, but you will likely have to strip down the upholstery to its frame and put a fresh upholstery layer on there.
Check the wood while you have the furniture stripped. If it is cloudy or discolored, then it may have been damaged as well. If you put fresh upholstery on a damaged frame, you are just going to be covering up some serious problems. Be sure to clean or get rid of any water damage you find inside the furniture.
You will also want to check the springs. It’s possible they won’t be usable any longer, particularly if they have rusted. Test them out to see if they have retained their springiness.
Keep in mind that there could be a smell to get rid of as well. You may have to do more than just clean up the visible mess. The scent will stick with the furniture unless you do something about it. Make sure you use an odor remover or air freshener that is made for upholstery. An aerosol spray that leaves behind too much liquid will not be good for your upholstery you will be endangering it with some of the same problems as if it had been water damaged.
How can I clean my fabric sofa?
Fabric sofas and couches are even more difficult to clean than leather ones. The fibers absorb stains and dirt very easily. You can use a shampoo sofa cleaning machine on this type of material or you can go for the standard high PSI steam machines.
You also want to remove any mold you see. Get rid of visible mold by wiping it down with a disinfectant cloth. You can spray an herbicide or mold killer on it, but be warned that those efforts might not be enough to truly get rid of the mold.
That’s because there are lots of invisible model spores moving through the air, and if you leave any mold still alive, it can come out of its dormant state and start growing again. The only surefire way to get rid of mould is to call in a mold remediation specialist.
Even after you have had someone remove the mold for you, you will still need to check the wood periodically for mold and mildew growth. Mold may continue to grow there until the water content in the wood drops down to at least 20%.
Your upholstery may be salvageable from flood damage, but don’t just assume it is okay because it doesn’t feel wet on the outside. You need to check it over thoroughly, otherwise it could be rotting away while you use it, and one day it may collapse on you without warning. It’s a good idea to check under the upholstery for damage no matter how severe the outer damage was. You just never know what you will find under there until you perform an examination.
Our Dublin sofa cleaner experts are waiting for your call!
Imagine returning home after a fascinating trip to The National Gallery of Ireland and seeing your couch or sofa returned to its former self. Or why not check out the historical Sweny’s pharmacy as described in Ulysses by James Joyce. That tough stain you couldn’t remove has been banished forever and it smells wonderful again. Well Emerald Carpet Cleaning can make that dream a reality for you.
You can book quickly and easily online and we’ll be on your doorstep at the exact time and date you choose. How’s that for convenience?
We know that you’ll be so happy with the results that you’ll tell all of your friends and family about us! Moving from abroad? Use this moving service to get your from A to B.
Next Article
Learn more about whether home steam cleaners are as good as the professional ones.
Find Us Around The Web
