Suite, Settee & Sofa Upholstery Cleaning Birmingham

Birmingham Upholstery Cleaners

You can’t just go diving in and clean a sofa.

Even the labels on the suites are not always correct (more about this later). You have to do several tests. You have to check that the fabric should be dry cleaned or wet cleaned. You have to check if the dyes are colourfast or if they will run.

Once you’ve started, that’s it. There’s no turning back. It’s not like a computer where you press the “back” button if you get something wrong. You cannot restart or reset a sofa / settee restoration job. It has to be right first time. If a cleaner makes a mistake, it is them (or their insurance company) who carries the can for replacing the items.   These chairs (½ way through the work) were from a fire station. They were covered in soot. You can see they were actually pink underneath! This is where loads of specialist training, plus years of experience comes in. You have to be able to spot potential problems straightaway. Over the years, you gain tons of working knowledge (after being schooled by someone who has seen it all). It really is a minefield for someone who does not know what they are doing. So… I bet you are wondering…

Is there anyone out there who you can trust?

Well, here’s something astonishing … even us professionals can’t be sure. What do you think of this?… As I said above, you cannot even believe what the “cleaning instructions” labels on sofas and settees say. I was talking to another cleaner who had a working relationship with a manufacturer. This is as shocking as it is amazing. You see…

…Years of practical experience give you a “nose” or “sixth sense” for spotting these dangers…

This Pro told me he was at the factory one day when he saw piles of labels for furniture. When he asked the workers how they knew what went where, they did not know. They said …. when they ran out of labels, they just used any that came to hand! Imagine that. You could have a suite made out of a delicate fibre. When a cleaner came along, they could (innocently) carry out work according to the instructions and accidently ruin your soft furnishings. You also need to have the right tools. We have a host of…

..Specially designed fabric / upholstery cleaning equipment..

Experience also helps you choose the right tools for the job. When I first started, I used to believe everything the rep’s told me. I quickly discovered most of them had never cleaned anything for a living! About twelve years ago I saw an incredible (patented) system in operation. It was a real quantum leap in technology. could not believe the results it achieved, especially on difficult to clean “flat weaves” and delicate materials. These can be a challenge to do well. In fact… I used to walk away from those jobs before because I was never happy with the results. After seeing it, I just had to get my hands on one there and then. Now, the results achieved with it are amazing . These tools thoroughly rinse the surface of the fabric, without drenching the foam underneath. This means… A/ that it takes much less time to dry and… B/ There is no dirt brought back up from below as the water dries out. Put simply, You get a better job. Anyway, back to business, people ask… “So, when you are at my house, what do you actually do?”

Ok, here’s what we do…

Upholstery cleaning steps.

1/ Test for “cleanability” (do we need wet or dry methods?). Certain fabrics, say e.g.. a real velvet or viscose velour will be permanently ruined if you get water anywhere near them. We do a test on a tiny, hidden patch and then dry it with a hairdryer before we start).

2/ Test for “colourfastness” (are the dyes stable or will they run?).

3/ Check for possible physical damage that may be made worse during the process. Is there a small cut or worn patch that could be opened up if not treated with care?

This is common, particularly on the arms or the “cuffs”. The dirtier the suite, the harder it is to spot this. All of this would be done during the initial inspection.

4/ We come in and put (fresh) drop sheets over your carpets (not only in the room we are working in but any others we have to go into or pass through). There are three reasons for this.

A/ We may accidently walk some dirt in (I hope not but why take chances?).

B/ We use a fine spray in one part of the cleaning. We do not want this to get near your carpets or other furnishings.

C/ We do not want to put “newly cleaned” items on to carpets (in case they pick up dust or dirt).

We organise the work area and get started. A vital part of restoring both carpets and fabrics is removing the dry dirt and dust. This stops it being turned into mud when moisture is added. You see, even if you regularly clean your house, a lot of dust gets absorbed by your furniture. Older upholstery can hold a lot of dry soiling within the foam.

When all the dry stuff is removed, we can start the “proper” cleaning. First, we (very) gently soften the dirt…

5/ A fine mist of strong (but gentle) pre-spray is applied to the dirty areas. Often (say in the case of “flat weaves”), this is sprayed evenly, all over the panels. This is to make sure there are no dry patches (to prevent any danger of leaving water marks on your expensive sofas or suites).

6/ This is left for a few minutes to soften the dirt. In our experience, the time can vary from job to job and can also be very dependant on the temperature and humidity. …then rinse with pure water only…

7/ Extraction. Using our “super duper mega fantastic” extraction tools we remove the dirt without soaking the foam underneath. Drenching the underlying foam can mean a three piece suite takes DAYS rather than hours to dry. Hence the (true) horror stories that you hear. Some fabrics need very careful handling. With these we add a very mild acidic additive to the rinse solution. This extra step helps to stabilise the dyes in things such as cotton fabrics.

Then We Start The Drying process… Again, we put clean drop sheets down to protect the fabric and carpets. We then place your frames and cushions in front of a big air mover (cold air only). This can speed the drying time up tremendously (times reduced by up to 90%). We place the cushions “house of cards” style to allow the air to go around them. We never put cushions against radiators as this can leave permanent (radiator shaped) impressions in the fabric.

So… How much will it cost?

Bear in mind most of our clients have spent many thousands of pounds on their furniture. They may have taken out expensive, long term credit agreements to be able to afford them.

They do not want some cowboy to wreck them (I know because they have told me … many times). In terms of time you could be looking at anything between two and a half to four hours (longer for larger or heavily soiled settees, sofas and suites).

The head of the tool is as small as a large box of matches (and sometimes has to be passed over the same spot two or three times). Can you imagine how long that takes?

 Fees.

Birmingham Upholstery & Sofa cleaning

Upholstery work (all inclusive)…

Final weak spot / damage assessment

Lay sheets and cover carpets and furnishings

Dry vacuum upholstery

Treat spots and stains

Pre treat upholstery to gently soften dirt

Thorough dirt removal using “magic” upholstery tools

Final clean water rinse / dye stabilisation treatment

Turbo drying of cushions / frames

Leave with upholstery looking fantastic (and your house not looking like a building site or bombsite) with a kind word and a smile.☺ Hopefully, you’ll think we are Birmingham’s upholstery & sofa cleaning specialists.

Price… from £ 197.00 Upholstery protector. Ask about special combination (clean + protect) deals.