sofa upholstery cleaning birmingham, sutton coldfield, solihull,

Sofa Upholstery cleaning birmingham sutton coldfield solihull coleshill

"...What will you do when some untrained cowboy
("50% off" Leaflet)  — permanently wrecks
your upholstery?

There is no second chance with upholstery cleaning. You either get it right or wreck it!  Here's why...

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 upholstery 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 cleaning 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 sofa, settee or chairs.

This is where loads of upholstery cleaning training, plus years of experience comes in.

You have to be able to spot potential upholstery 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 cleaning 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 cleaner 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 cleaning 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 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 (see the video above).

I 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 . You can see it in action in the video above.

These tools thoroughly clean 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 clean. Anyway, back to business, people ask...

"So, when you are at my house, what do you actually do?"

Ok, here's what we do...

1/ Test for "cleanability" (wet or dry cleaning. 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 cleaning. 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. If everything is OK, we then start work (well not quite yet).

First we have to make sure we don't cause any harm in your home. I do not want to alarm you here. It's just a case of why take any unnecessary risks? You see...

Here is a confession...

We have occasionally, during  the last twenty years, broken things. it very rarely happens but it would be a lie to say it never has.

That is why the full cover insurance premiums are extortionate and why we have to be vigilant. We have not had a claim in maybe the last fifteen years but we still need to have the cover. Next...

 We ask you to safely remove your breakables. After that, we have a quick look around for any other potential problems e.g.. low hanging lamps / lights that may get caught; open fireplaces where you may get soot blow out onto the newly cleaned upholstery, that sort of thing.

Right... so down to business (at last)...

4/ We come in and put (clean) 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 cleaning both carpets and upholstery is removing the dry dirt and dust. This stops it being turned into mud when moisture is added.

To do this properly, we need another "specialist" tool.

The reason I'm telling you this now is simple. So that you do not freak out when you see it. The first time I used it, I forgot to tell the lady of the house what I was up to. It scared the living daylights out of her and I do not want that to happen again. So, here goes. This tool is called...

... a baseball bat!

That's right, I'm being serious. 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.

A few careful, gentle taps with the round surface of the bat and all that dust is loosened (ready to be vacuumed away). It works in the same way as your beater bar on your Hoover.

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. It is also gently massaged into the fabric with either a micro fibre cloth or super soft brush.

In this way, the dirt is loosened so that it can be easily extracted. We only have to lightly pass an extraction (rinsing) tool over it (rather than scrubbing with the tool like the cowboys do).

...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.

Actually, what I said above about rinsing is not completely true.

 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 cleaning tool is this big (and sometimes has to be passed over the same spot two or three times). Can you imagine how long that takes?

Upholstery Fees.

Upholstery work (all inclusive)...
Final upholstery 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.☺

Price... from £ 130.00

Upholstery protector. Ask about special combination (clean + protect) deals.