Upholstery
Cleaning

Why should I consider getting my upholstery cleaned by a Denver service provider?

• It sits in your house like any other piece of furniture, collecting dust.
• Then it gets lots of contact with people. We all have our favorite chair to read in, our spot on the couch to watch a movie. While we are enjoying our furniture, we are also mixing our body’s natural oils with the dust that has settled on the upholstery.
• It contains high amounts of Dust Mites that feed on dead skin particles, creating many allergens and dramatically reducing the indoor air quality of the home.
• Vacuuming alone simply will not remove the dust and dirt trapped in the oils on your upholstery.

The only way to remove this mixture of dust, body oils, dust mites, dust mites waste and spills is to have your upholstery professionally cleaned.Thorough cleaning requires proper application of specially designed cleaners to break down the soils, and hot water extraction to wash away the contaminants.

Is this a do-it-yourself project?

While there are some retail products that are available for “cleaning” upholstery in Denver, we are unable to recommend any of them.

• Most of these products contain optical brighteners. This is a florescent dye that changes the way light is reflected off the surface of the upholstery. These “cleaners” leave the spots, oils and dirt, while permanently discoloring the application area.
• Suspending the soil is only half of the cleaning process. The other half is flushing them out of the fabric. This requires carefully applying water and immediately extracting it. If the fabric is wet too long, colors may bleed or the piece may brown.
• None of the retail products available remove the dust mites and their allergen waste.
• Specialty fabrics. Not every piece of upholstery should be cleaned with water. A number of materials are dry clean only. Applying water to these will ruin the upholstery.

We do recommend our Spot Out, a complimentary product that we leave with all of our customers. This spotter is designed for treating spots and spills in carpet and upholstery, and does not contain florescent dye. If something is spilled, follow the instructions on the bottle. If the piece is soiled from use, call a professional.

Steps to properly clean upholstery

Here are the steps that we follow when we provide an upholstery cleaning service for our Denver clients.

• Identify the fiber: This is crucial. Synthetic and natural fibers are each cleaned differently, pose their own challenges, and require specific cleaners.The manufacturer’s tag must also be examined to determine if water can safely be applied or the fabric is dry clean only.
• Examine the piece: You should know what to expect from the cleaning. The technician should go over the piece with you, showing you areas that are worn, damaged, or have permanent color changes. If a technician promises the world, prepare to be disappointed.
• Test for color-fastness: Color dyes must be checked to see if they will transfer. This can be done in an inconspicuous area with a Q-tip, checking each color on the piece of furniture. If the piece is in the sun, an area that gets lots of sunlight should be checked also, because sunlight can make the dyes less stable and cause bleeding.
• Pre-vacuum: Remove all of the dry soil on the piece first, making the cleaning solutions more effective on deeper soils.
• Pre-spray: The entire piece should be moistened with an upholstery approved pre-spray .
• Agitation: The pre-spray should be gently scrubbed in, using a horse hair brush or a natural sea sponge. This will loosen the maximum amount of soil.
• Hot water extraction: Make sure your technician is using an extraction handle with the water jet located inside the vacuum chamber. This is the tool that will flush out the soils and extract them immediately instead of pushing them deep into the cushions.
• Apply Schotchgard: This is vital to maintain the appearance of furniture. It will protect from spills, make vacuuming more effective, slow the buildup of oils, and make subsequent cleanings more effective.
• Set the nap: Brush out the piece for faster drying and maximum appearance.
• Dry with fans: Colors are most likely to bleed right before they finish drying, and natural fibers will brown if they are wet for a long period of time. A true professional will prevent these problems by drying your upholstery.

We do recommend our Spot Out, a complimentary product that we leave with all of our customers. This spotter is designed for treating spots and spills in carpet and upholstery, and does not contain florescent dye. If something is spilled, follow the instructions on the bottle. If the piece is soiled from use, call a professional.

How often should I clean my upholstery?

We recommend having your upholstery cleaned every 12-24 months. The IICRC has set the standard for upholstery cleaning to maintain optimum indoor air quality at 12-24 months. For heavy use involving pets, children, or dining, we recommend every 12 months. If it the upholstery is rarely used, we recommend every 24 months.