We think a lot about our furniture before we make a purchase. In fact, for most of us, our couches and chairs are substantial expenses when it comes to our decorating budget. Our couches are also our loyal sidekicks, ready to for a comforting catnap or raucous Chiefs game at a moment’s notice. We eat nachos on them, we spill drinks on them. We offer them to our friends when they need a place to crash, we abuse them during Netflix binge marathons.

Our couches are our home’s comfort zone, and they are used more often than any pieces of furniture in the home, except the kitchen table. And unlike our kitchen table, we don’t generally wipe down our couches after each use. In fact, many of us have couches that have never been cleaned since their purchase. Hey, we’re not here to judge. In fact, according to a 2012 Hygiene Council survey, “61% of the population has either never gotten their sofas sanitized or professionally cleaned, or have done so only once or twice in the years that they’ve owned them.”

Think about that for a second. We wash ourselves every day. We wash our dishes daily. We wash and change our sheets a few times a month. We clean our homes at least once a month. We clean everything we use frequently on a regular basis…except our couch. So, aside from the “ick” factor, is there any reason we should be scheduling our couch for regular cleanings? Since this is a blog post for a cleaning company, the answer should surprise you. But the reasons behind our “YES!” might.

  • Food particles can lead to bug infestation. There’s a reason we wipe down our countertops and sweep our kitchen floors:  it’s hard to eat anything tasty without leaving a few crumbs. More than just a visual gross-out, crumbs easily become tantalizing morsels for ants and cockroaches. And nobody wants those guests to show up at their Royals watch parties.
  • The bugs you can’t see are worse than the ones you can. A 2013 study from British news source Express found that the average family couch has more bacteria than a toilet seat. You wouldn’t take a nap on your bathroom floor, however that location statistically cleaner than your current favorite spot to catch some zzzz’s.
  • Soft surfaces are harder to clean, and harbor dangerous allergens and bacteria for much longer than hard surfaces. Disease-causing bacteria can live on soft surfaces like couches for 24 hours or more. These bacteria include listeria, flu virus, staph, strep, and the common cold. Just imagine what’s on your couch after you host your family for Thanksgiving dinner! (Or don’t…yuck.) Your couch can literally make you sick.

If you are reading this and are ready to call Goodwill to come remove your favorite napping spot, put down the phone. There’s no need to go to drastic measures, a simple professional cleaning with the right solutions can remove over 90% of dirt and bacteria from your upholstered furniture, even if you’ve never had your couch cleaned before.

At Brody’s Dry, we clean your upholstery with the same advanced technology used by high-end airline companies. Our premier cleaning system eliminates stains, odors, bacteria and allergens while protecting even the most delicate of fabrics. Because we use a very minimal amount of wetness, fabrics such as microfibers, micro-suede, micro-velvet, micro-twill, cotton, denim and even leather are no problem for our cleaning professionals. We also offer fiber guard treatment to ensure that your newly cleaned and disinfected couch stays that way for longer.

If your couch is making you sick–whether it’s from stains, odors or possible harboring of bacteria—it’s time to give Brody’s Dry a call! Give us a ring at (816) 895-7000 or just click HERE to schedule your free cleaning estimate.