Upholstery cleaning, done the way it should be

Why the first two steps matter more than the machine

Most of what goes wrong in upholstery cleaning goes wrong before any water is involved. A viscose sofa wet-cleaned loses half its strength and can tear. Cotton velvet under an extraction wand comes out with crushed pile and watermarks that do not lift. An alkaline product on wool yellows the fibre. Aniline leather cleaned with a pigmented-leather product ends up permanently patchy.

None of those outcomes is about equipment quality. They are about identification. That is why the first thing we do on every job is find the care label and test on a hidden panel — a few minutes at the start that decides whether the rest of the visit improves your sofa or damages it.

The second reason results vary so much between companies is dwell time. Pre-spray needs eight to ten minutes of contact to break the bond between soil and fibre, and there is no way to make up for skipping it with more pressure or hotter water. A job done properly is slower than a job done quickly, and that is most of the difference you can see afterwards.

What we will tell you that others might not

Some things do not come out. Bleach damage is dye loss, not soiling — the fibre is a different colour now, and cleaning makes that patch cleaner rather than darker. A shiny, flattened sofa arm is abraded fibre and abrasion is permanent. Old oxidised red wine, curry oil, ballpoint ink and hair dye frequently do not fully lift, however they are treated.

We say this at the walk-through, before starting, and where we are unsure we will treat one area first and let you look at the result before you commit to the whole suite. Occasionally the honest answer is that a piece needs a leather repair technician or a textile conservator rather than a cleaner, and we would rather tell you that than take a fee for a result you will not be happy with.

How we price

Per seat, with published ranges, and the same rates everywhere we work. The only things that can appear on top are costs we actually pay out — parking where no visitor permit is available, and the Congestion Charge where an address falls inside the zone, which applies to almost none of our coverage. Both are itemised at cost and you hear about them before you book, not on the invoice.

The final figure is agreed at the walk-through, before equipment comes off the van. If it is higher than you expected you can send us away with nothing to pay. A quote is free whether we end up doing the work or not.