What can I do with my old sofa?

Have you just given your lounge a new facelift?  New carpet, new curtains and a fresh lick of paint. And now you have a big off-white elephant in the corner of the room, not literally an elephant but otherwise known as your old sofa.  It's just how it works, any amount of decorating and the old stuff in your house sticks out a mile.

You could do several things with your old sofa.  How about enrolling on an upholstery course and set about recovering the sofa as a project.  As long as you have the time and dedication, then the results will be amazing and your family will love you and it forever or how about having your sofa cleaned (if it's not to far gone).  Having the sofa professionally cleaned will bring new life and a breath of fresh air to your home.

But failing all of that, perhaps it's time for a new sofa, but what do you do with the old one before the new one arrives?

Here are a few options on what to do with your old sofa:
A general website packed with information on how to responsibly dispose of your sofa can be found at http://www.frn.org.uk/ 

Other sites for sofa recycling  include:
Freecycle   https://www.freecycle.org/
A UK wide network where you can post all your unwanted items on to help you find a good home. Rule is that you give the sofa away for free.

Charities that deal in sofa reuse / recycling
http://sofareuse.org/
SOFA is a registered charity whose mission is to:
• Maximise the donation of furniture and electrical goods from the people of Leicestershire to promote re-use and thereby benefit the environment.
• To help local people in need by selling furniture and electrical items at affordable prices.
• Provide a real work environment for volunteers seeking to improve their life opportunities

http://cambridgereuse.org.uk/
Cambridge Re-Use is a volunteer based service helping people on low income to furnish their homes
The generosity of our donors and a dedicated team of volunteers enables our service to help hundreds of people on low income every year
Our store is open to households on a low income.

Contact your chosen charity to arrange collection or delivery and discuss their requirements first.

Do note that some items might not be accepted for health and safety reasons.  Always ensure the sofa you want to donate has a fire safety certificate attached. The fire safety certificate is usually attached to the base frame of the sofa.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

UPHOLSTERY CLEANING - PRE-EXISTING HIDDEN DAMAGE

Some pre-existing damage on upholstered furniture will be immediately obvious to your cleaner and will be discussed with you prior to the cleaning being undertaken. However some pre-existing damage will not be so obvious, and may be hidden by soiling, only becoming evident after the cleaning process begins. Hidden damage can include:

1. Colour loss - Soiling can damage colour and then hide the colour loss it has caused. Body oils, and especially salt from perspiration, may cause a significant amount of colour loss. The condition is most often seen in very dark fabrics. Colour loss can also result from exposure to sunlight and from airborne pollutants. All colour loss will become more apparent after cleaning.

2. Loss of ‘finish’ or ‘glaze’ - Some fabrics have a shiny finish that is easily damaged by body oils, soiling and abrasion. In some cases cleaning may remove this finish. Most often, however, the finish is durable to cleaning but wears off in heavy usage areas such as arms and cushions. As with colour loss, this damage is often not apparent until after cleaning.

3. Texture damage - The cushions and tops of the arms of velvet furniture will matt down after even light use. Depending on the fibres used, this dulled appearance may be permanent. Natural fibres are harder to bring back to their original appearance than synthetics; even synthetic materials, however, may be permanently distorted. Grooming a velvet fabric after cleaning should remove wand marks and restore much of the original softness, but unfortunately it will not make heavily worn areas ‘as good as new’.

The good news is, however, that a professional, fully-trained upholstery cleaning technician will always conduct a thorough pre-clean survey prior to cleaning and, if hidden damage is suspected, will then be able will be able to make the necessary adjustments to the cleaning procedure to ensure the best results possible and avoid any further damage. Any potential problems that may arise from the cleaning process, and any possible limitations within the cleaning procedure, will be recorded in writing and will be presented to you before the work is carried out.

In these instances it is always a good idea to read through your copy of the pre-inspection survey thoroughly and carefully, and to voice any concerns you may have, prior to the cleaning process taking place.

Sourced from: http://www.ncca.co.uk

Art of Clean are specialists in: 

Carpet Cleaning,
Rug Cleaning,

Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 

Stone floor Cleaning,  

Upholstery Cleaning

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

 

 

How to clean upholstery - Low Moisture cleaning/dry cleaning

Some upholstery can not be wet cleaned and in that case we use low moisture cleaning or a combination of wet and dry cleaning.

If your furniture is heavily soiled or you need assistance please call our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk to find out about our services.