Upholstery we clean
- Fabric sofas and corner suites
- Armchairs and recliners
- Dining chairs and seat pads
- Headboards and footstools
- Leather suites (cleaned and conditioned, a different process from fabric)
Why the fabric matters
Upholstery fabrics react very differently to water and heat. Cotton and linen can shrink or brown, velvet can crush, viscose can watermark, and some fabrics carry a code on the care label saying they should be solvent cleaned only. We check the label and the fibre before choosing a method, and test on a hidden area first.
Our sofa cleaning process
- Check the fabric, labels and any loose stitching or existing damage.
- Vacuum the frame, crevices and cushions.
- Pre-treat arms, headrests and seat fronts, where body oils build up.
- Clean with low-moisture extraction suited to the fabric.
- Groom the pile and leave advice on drying and when the suite can be used.
What goes wrong when sofas are cleaned badly
The usual problems are watermarks and rings on delicate fabric, shrinking cushion covers after they are washed in a machine, and brown edges where too much water reached the filling. Over-wetting can also leave a damp smell inside the cushions. Matching the method to the fabric avoids all of these.
Sofa and upholstery questions
Should I take the cushion covers off and wash them?
We would advise against it. Covers can shrink and no longer fit, and they will look different from the rest of the sofa. Leave them on and we will clean them in place.
Can you clean a leather sofa?
Yes. Leather is cleaned with products made for leather and then conditioned, rather than wet cleaned like fabric. Let us know the type of leather if you know it.