Everyone has that favorite couch or reading chair that is used daily and has likely traveled from house to house with you. This also means that your favorite couch or reading chair is probably dirty. Hiring an upholstery cleaner can be a fantastic option to get your furniture restored to its former glory. Before you hire anyone, be sure to know these specifics.
What To Consider Before Hiring a Professional To Clean Your Upholstery
Type of Soil - Determining what type of soil is on your furniture will help your upholstery cleaner use the correct treatment for the best possible outcome. Food, grease, dirt, and pet stains are all treated differently.Type of Fabric - There are many types of upholstery fabric and knowing which ones you own can mean the difference between success and disaster. Different types of fabric include:
- Polyester
- Polypropylene
- Chenille
- tapestry fabric
- Cotton
- Microsuede
- Microfiber
- Rayon
- Olefin
- Velvet
- Nylon
- Linen
Under your couch cushions, there is usually a manufacturer's tag with care instructions. The tag should also identify the type and percentage of each fabric used in the construction of the item.
Cotton and Synthetic Fabrics
Cotton and synthetic fabrics are two fabrics that should be handled with exceptional care. Haitian and Egyptian cotton are very fragile and can easily be destroyed by an untrained or unattentive technician. Cotton, particularly white cotton, should never be cleaned with a wet cleaning method. The moment water or any water-based cleaner touches that fabric, it will turn brown. Additionally, small black specks will appear. Those specks are tiny bits of chopped-up cotton seeds that are otherwise not visible. The upholstered item is essentially ruined and the chance of restoring the item to its previous condition is virtually impossible.
Synthetic fabrics are more resilient and much easier and safer to clean than natural fibers like cotton, wool, and silk. Microfiber and microsuede are very comfortable but will tend to show water marks when wet cleaned. To avoid water marks, your cleaning technician should buff the freshly cleaned fabric with a white towel and then brush the couch with a soft horsehair brush before it dries.
Other Upholstery Cleaning Specifics
Water pressure is also a concern when cleaning upholstery. If the pressure is too high, the cushions will become soaked and take longer to dry. The idea is to clean the fabric on top of the cushions without water-logging the foam cushions.
At Hydro Clean Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning in Colorado Springs, we use the Sapphire Scientific upholstery cleaning tool. It has a pressure adjustment valve right at the tool. Cheaper tools used by some cleaners have no pressure adjustment valve and changing the pressure requires the technician to run all the way out to the van to adjust the pressure. This is time-consuming, inefficient, and may be overlooked.
To keep drying time to a minimum, we also use air-moving fans to speed up the drying process. On a nice warm day, opening the windows and turning on ceiling fans is also very effective.
Being Prepared for an Upholstery Cleaning
When you start calling around for upholstery cleaning estimates, be prepared with information about the type of soil and the type of fabric. Ask about the estimated cleaning and drying time and what pressure or PSI the upholstery will be cleaned at. With this, it is also important to know the approximate size of the furniture you wish to have cleaned. This way, you will get a more accurate quote and you will know what to expect when the carpet cleaner arrives.
Upholstery Cleaning | Hydro Clean Carpet Cleaning
If you are ready to get your furniture cleaned, get in touch with Hydro Clean Carpet Cleaning today. With years of experience, we’ll be able to get your favorite couch or reading chair looking new. Learn more about our upholstery cleaning service.
