Port Elizabeth

Gqeberha: Visible dirt and couches moving between homes are common reasons people arrange upholstery cleaning, according to local cleaning company True Clean. Owner Diederik Visser says customers often book before selling a couch, after buying one, or before giving it to someone else. Cleaning becomes part of getting the furniture ready for its next home. The company’s records also show that couch cleaning often forms part of a wider household clean. A review covering October 2025 to September 2026 found that 48% of service records explicitly mentioning couches or sofas also included carpet cleaning. Visser says that matches what he sees when customers arrange work. They often want attention given to both the couch and the carpets during the same visit. But appearance is only part of the reason people call. A couch can look acceptable while carrying a smell its owner would rather not pass on. “Dog smells are a big one,” says Visser, describing them as one of the company’s more frequent couch cleaning requests. True Clean uses an enzyme based cleaner to treat these odours. Visser says knowing whether the concern is general dog smell, urine or visible dirt helps him decide how to approach the work. Customers have often tried cleaning the couch themselves first. Vinegar is a common choice, but Visser does not recommend relying on it for urine problems. He also advises against using Vanish on couches. The fabric needs consideration before treatment. True Clean checks the material and tests an inconspicuous area before wet cleaning. If a piece is unsuitable for that method, the company explains the limitation before proceeding. Drying time is another consideration, particularly when furniture is about to change hands. Visser advises customers to allow about a day, while recognising that conditions vary. “Some fabrics hold water more than others,” he says. Weather also affects how quickly the couch dries. For someone preparing to sell or …

Gqeberha: More than half of True Clean’s recorded cockroach control work over a recent year fell in the three summer months, prompting the local company to encourage homeowners to address problems before they become harder to manage. A review of the company’s records from October 2025 to September 2026 found that 53% of its recorded cockroach control work fell between December and February. December was the busiest month, followed by January. “The breeding cycle is accelerated by the heat,” says Diederik Visser, owner of True Clean. His observation is consistent with North Carolina State University guidance, which identifies temperature as an important factor in German cockroach population growth. For Visser, behind the fridge is one of the first places to inspect. It provides a sheltered hiding place, while water in the drip tray can supply moisture. Ovens and the spaces around them also need attention. Customers have often tried sprays, powders or cockroach chalk before calling. Visser says the difficulty is reaching the population hidden away, rather than only dealing with the insects seen crossing a kitchen floor. His approach includes finding those hiding places and removing accessible cockroaches and egg cases. That helps reduce the population left behind to continue breeding. One situation he encounters regularly involves customers moving into a rental property and discovering an infestation already there. They are trying to settle into their new home while dealing with a problem they did not expect. Visser describes flushing cockroaches from accessible hiding places and vacuuming them up, followed by targeted baiting and residual sprays where necessary. He says customers commonly see a large reduction after treatment, but newly hatched cockroaches can still appear afterwards. Continued control needs to account for those young insects too. In his experience, getting an infestation under control can take around three weeks. The time …

Gqeberha. Summerstrand and Walmer feature prominently in a review of True Clean’s rug-cleaning records, while the monthly figures show that demand extends well beyond spring cleaning. The local cleaning company reviewed 467 service records involving rug cleaning between October 2025 and September 2026. Among the 251 records with an identified area, Summerstrand accounted for 43, followed by Walmer with 35 and Humewood with 16. The timing varied too. December was Summerstrand’s busiest recorded month. In Walmer, December and September shared the highest count. These are patterns within one company’s customer base, rather than a measure of how often every household in those suburbs cleans its rugs. Across the full review, December recorded the most rug-cleaning activity, with 51 service records. July followed closely with 49, showing that winter remained a busy period. Diederik Visser, owner of True Clean, says customers have practical reasons for sending rugs for cleaning throughout the year. Dog urine and a rug starting to look bad are common prompts. Others arrange cleaning as part of keeping their homes the way they like them. “People often want to maintain a clean household,” says Visser. He also sees customers arranging a clean before the really cold months set in. That adds another reason to the calendar beyond the familiar spring clean or preparations for December visitors. The records do not explain every booking. But alongside Visser’s experience, they suggest that rug cleaning follows both household routines and the problems that crop up between planned cleans. With December approaching, his advice is to arrange the work before the month begins. Last year’s December peak reflects a pressure he recognises from the day-to-day running of the business. “They should have it booked before December,” says Visser. He describes December as a major rush and scramble to get things done. For households preparing for visitors, that means …