Upholstery Cleaning – DIY or call the Pros?

Does your upholstery need some TLC? If you have light, solid color fabric upholstering your living room suite, you probably know when it needs cleaning. Spots show up easily, and there’s a limit to what a strategically placed pillow can camouflage. When a spill or soiling happens, acting quickly to keep your upholstery from staining is a priority.

Tips to Clean Your Upholstery

In most cases, starting off by removing any solids (such as food, vomit, or pet feces) is the first step. Next, a clean white cotton towel can be used to blot if there is any liquid. Fabric has natural lines or depressions depending on the weave, so the last thing you want to do is scrub or scrape – this will press the debris into the fibers.

A mix of equal parts mild dishwashing soap and water whisked into a froth is a good idea in most cases – drip some on the spot, wait a few minutes, and blot again with a dry white cotton towel. Repeat until the spot lifts. In cases of a liquid spill, pay special attention to the perimeter as this is where the spot will be most visible. BEFORE you try this on the area of concern, do a test spot in an inconspicuous place (where the cushion will hide it, if the fabric reacts negatively). If you have any distortion or concerns STOP & call The Dry Guys.

If you have a couch with dark, patterned, or rough woven upholstery, stains aren’t immediately visible and dirt and dust can collect sight unseen. You can wipe a white cloth over the surface, use a vacuum hose with a white piece of cloth stretched over the end to see how much dirt you are sucking up, pat the upholstery briskly to see if dust “puffs” out, and even take a quick close-up whiff to see if the fabric has an odor.

If your couch is soiled beyond a quick spot cleaning, or you can’t lift a stubborn spot, don’t assume you have to haul it to the curb and call for collection. The Dry Guys can expertly clean your upholstered furniture quickly and effectively using the Von Schrader Dry Foam Extraction System. It cleans your fabric-covered couch or chair with a fast working dry foam that sucks dirt, grime, and spots right out of the fibers and leaves your couch clean, newer looking, and has minimal dry time. You can use your furniture the same day, and there are no toxic chemical residues to worry about.

Cleaning your upholstery several times a year and spot cleaning in-between cleanings can save your thousands of dollars in furniture replacement costs. Call The Dry Guys and ask about tips on how to keep your upholstered furniture looking fresh and clean year-round.