TAKILING mould in your home can be hard enough, but if you've got any of this furniture in your home it's going to be even harder.
According to air quality expert Michael Rubino, when it comes to buying a sofa – leather is the way to go.
Although fabric sofas can look posh and trendy, they're a major dust magnets and are loads more likely to be mouldy too.
The expert revealed that fabric sofas can even be damaging to your health.
He said: "Stop buying fabric furniture. Yes, it looks very nice and all, but here’s the thing – it’s a huge dust cloud, and that’s not doing any favors for your health.
"Imagine all the dust settling into the fibers of your beautiful fabric sofa, and you can’t even wipe it off!
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"Now, add mold to the equation. The dust gets infected with mold, turning your comfy spot into a health hazard."
Another downside to fabric sofas is that they tend to wear down faster.
Masterclass explained: "Regular use can cause pilling on the sofa material and even cause it to wear thin over time, but high-quality fabrics may last longer."
The 'rub rate' can determine how durable your sofa is, look out for a rate of more than 25,000 if you want a upholstered couch.
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Unlike fabric sofas, you can wipe any dust and dirt off the surface of leather, leaving it sparkling clean in seconds.
Of course, some fabric sofas allow you to remove the covers to wash them, but this can take a while to do, and let's face it – you're not going to do it as often as you wipe down a leather sofa.
Leather sofas are hypoallergenic, meaning they repel dust mites, pet hair and other allergens.
And even though fabric sofas in general aren't Michael's favourite, he said second hand ones are by far the worst.
He said: "If you want to get really sick, really fast, go to a thrift store and buy a fabric couch. The changes of that being mouldy are 99%."
The expert also noted that he avoids wall-to-wall carpets for the same reason.
"If I ever get carpets, I get small little area rugs as a decoration.
"I try to get ones that are washable just to make the cleaning process as easy as possible. This is going to help with the air quality in our homes," he added.
How often should you clean your sofa?
If you do have a fabric sofa at home, you should give it a quick vacuum at least once a week to keep dust to a minimum.
Then give it a deeper clean every six months -this involves taking off the covers, if possible, and washing them, either my hand or machine.
If you can remove them, you can rent a upholstery cleaner to do the job and leave your sofa looking as good as new.
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