Upholstery
Cleaning
Is your upholstery in need of a revitalising clean?
A vast array of unpleasant substances accumulate amongst our sofas and chairs over time, from skin oils and pollutants to newspaper ink and dye from our clothing.
Hair products are particular culprits, as the chemicals contained within them absorb into the material and actively deteriorate the fabric over time (we have seen instances where this has occurred so badly that the fabric has actually split!).
So, what’s the best approach to take?
First and foremost, it is important to hire a professional upholstery cleaner who has a thorough understanding of the comprehensive range of fabrics that exists on the market and the specialist attention that is required of each one.
This is where we come in. Our knowledge and experience in successfully cleaning all types of fabrics is vast. Whether it’s fairly hardy fabrics like polyester that we’re dealing with, or more delicate materials such as viscose where sensitive cleaning agents and a somewhat fastidious approach are what’s needed instead, we know precisely how best to clean your upholstery for you.
Here’s our upholstery cleaning process for you, in a nutshell…
Because different kinds of dirt are found in upholstery compared to that of carpet, a whole other set of cleaning agents is required for upholstery cleaning.
First we brush in a ‘pre-spray’ treatment to agitate the dirt, working down into the depths of the material to reach the entirety of the pile. We then extract the soiling with a specialist hand-tool, flushing out the grime and rinsing the fabric with our highly effective tailor-made cleaning solution. Our tool is designed to lift the material away from the filling to avoid over-wetting the upholstery (no-one wants their sofa smelling of damp duck feathers, after all).
We then address any stains that need contending with. Lastly, we give the drying process a head-start using our powerful industrial equipment, serving to reduce drying time and prevent any potential discolouration.
Cleaning Delicate Fabrics
If your upholstery is water-sensitive, don’t worry at all – you’re in good hands. We’re well-accustomed to dry-cleaning upholstery where appropriate. There are certain delicate fabrics that can still be wet-cleaned as long as they are dried rapidly immediately afterwards, but we will determine whether or not this will be appropriate in your case.
Drying Time
You may be wondering how long it will be before you can sit on your sofa again. This is difficult to answer, as the drying time depends on what fabric the upholstery is made of. In most cases, it takes around 4 hours to be touch-dry.
Just in case you were thinking of taking the DIY approach…
Warning! Just because your sofa has zips, it isn’t necessarily machine-washable. This is a common misconception. Rather than the upholstery being designed in this way for the purpose of domestic machine-washing, it’s primarily due to the producer opting for a cheaper manufacturing process. Be aware that if the fabric is cleaned incorrectly it can shrink, destroy the pile and cause discolouration.
If the instructions for your upholstery state that it requires dry-cleaning, it is essential that you don’t machine-wash the fabric. Nevertheless, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the material won’t sustain a professional wet-clean providing that the work is carried out by a reputable technician, using high-specification equipment, who will be mindful not to over-wet it.
