Steamatic of Red River Valley cleaning a customer's upholstery

Best Ways to Clean Your Upholstery

Furniture is more than decor; it’s where many of your family’s best memories are made. That favorite living room sectional is a place to spend time together, from awesome Superbowl parties with friends to romantic movies just for two. Of course, between kids and pizza, upholstered furniture can get dirty after a while. Regular upholstery cleaning is important if you want to keep your couch vibrant, clean, and fresh.

What Are the Best Upholstery Cleaning Methods?

There are several options for cleaning upholstery fabric at home. The best upholstery cleaning depends on your furniture’s fabric, the amount of soil or oil, and any stains. Each option offers specific advantages.

 

Steam Cleaning

The high-temperature water of steam cleaning is effective at loosening dirt, sweat, and other soils from upholstered furniture. It can rejuvenate furniture, making it bright and beautiful again. Steam cleaning also helps to eliminate germs and allergens from fabric. At the same time the machine is cleaning, it extracts excess moisture. That way, your furniture dries quickly.

 

Hand Shampoo

If your living room furniture has stains from food or beverages, it needs some extra care to look clean again. Professionals use a special shampoo to lighten or remove spots. There are specific products for different types of stains (wine, barbecue sauce, crayons, lipstick, etc.). We use a sponge with the appropriate solution to gently wipe up spots without damaging the fabric.

 

Dry Cleaning

Delicate fabrics often don’t react well to water-based cleaning methods. For these luxurious, colorful materials, you need dry cleaning. Instead of using water or steam to clean upholstery, professional dry cleaning uses solvent. This can remove spots and restore your furniture’s original appearance. How can you tell if your couch requires dry cleaning? Look for an “S” symbol on the tag.

How Much Does Upholstery Cleaning Cost?

Whether you’re googling how to clean a sofa with carpet cleaner or looking for ways to get rid of a sudden wine spill, you should know that upholstery cleaning is affordable. The specific price depends on the type of furniture requiring cleaning and its size. For example, a large sectional usually costs more than an armchair to clean.

Another factor is the amount of spotting required and the type of stains. Pet stains are more complicated to eliminate completely, and more than one visit may be required. Some luxury fabrics require furniture dry cleaning services.

That said, it’s always best to contact our team when you have questions about upholstery cleaning. This is because we may be able to offer you a discount when you have several pieces of furniture cleaned at the same time. Many families in Red River Valley save money by scheduling upholstery cleaning along with carpet cleaning.

What Are the Benefits of Upholstery Cleaning?

Gorgeous furniture adds a lot to the decor in your home or apartment. It’s worth splurging on pieces that fit your design vision and personality. Keeping upholstered furniture clean is just as important. Here are several benefits of professional upholstery cleaning:

    • Helps furniture last longer: Built-up grease and soil can make fabric look worn or faded. With regular upholstery cleaning, furniture stays soft, fluffy, and attractive.
    • Prevents stains: Getting rid of spills right away can keep them from staining your upholstery.
    • Makes your home look beautiful: Most of the time, it’s your furniture that determines the way a room feels. Clean upholstery is bright and stylish, so it stands out.
    • Keeps rooms fresh: Everyone can tell the difference when upholstery has been recently cleaned. There’s no odor of sweat, pet hair, food, smoke, or dirt. The entire room smells irresistibly clean.
    • Reduces allergens: Cleaning upholstery fabric at home can get rid of dust mites, bacteria, pet dander, and other allergens. This can improve your home’s indoor air quality and protect your family’s health.

How Do You Deep Clean Upholstery?

If it’s been a while since your furniture was last cleaned, you’re probably wondering, “how to clean my upholstered sofa?” The answer is to call a professional for deep cleaning of upholstery. Over time, all upholstered furniture needs a deep cleaning, including sofas, sectionals, loveseats, ottomans, chairs, recliners — even outdoor furniture!

Does your couch look darker in spots, such as around armrests? That’s because of body oils that gradually build up. Cigarette smoke, food particles, and dirt also get ground into the fabric. The difference is night and day after upholstery cleaning.

Hot water extraction gets all of those body oils and soils to release from upholstery fibers, then rinses them away effortlessly. Professional upholstery deep cleaning gets rid of allergens and dirt, reaching far below the surface, so furniture stays clean — and smells clean — much longer.

What Is the Best Way To Keep Upholstery Clean?

Part of knowing how to clean a sofa with carpet cleaner involves preventing spots and stains. Follow these helpful tips:

    • Keep pets off: Pet stains can be removed from furniture, but the process is time-consuming. Avoid this issue by keeping pets off furniture if possible. Washable sofa covers and chair covers can help with pet hair.
    • Vacuum every week: It’s better for your couch and easier for your schedule to give furniture a quick once-over with a vacuum. This prevents crumbs and grease from getting ground into the fabric. Use a hose and upholstery tool attachment to reach edges and cracks between cushions.
    • Get rid of stains right away: When guests or kids spill something on the couch, blot up the stain using a white paper towel. Just blot, don’t rub or scrub. Then, call us to clean up the stain right away. We use the best cleaning products to prevent stains such as wine from getting fixed into fabric.
    • Avoid resting bare feet on fabric: Believe it or not, bare feet have a lot of oils. It’s tempting to put them on the armrest of your couch, but that attracts a lot of soil. If you like to lay on your sofa this way, arm covers give you the best of both worlds.
    • Use throws and accent pillows: Throws and pillows can also help protect your upholstery. They’re easier to wash, and they keep body oils and dirt away from the couch. Plus, these accents add major style.
    • Give leather furniture some love: If you own a leather sofa, don’t forget to regularly apply some saddle soap or leather hide products to protect it.

Don’t try to clean upholstery yourself. There’s just too much that can go wrong, from permanent stains to accidental fiber damage. Professionals have the expertise to recognize your fabrics and what type of cleaning is required.

Why Choose Steamatic Red River Valley for Professional Upholstery Cleaning

At Steamatic of the Red River Valley, we understand that your couches are the highlight of your living room. Not only do they provide a comfortable lounging experience for your family and guests, but they add aesthetic appeal to your living room. With this understanding, we are committed to helping you keep them clean and looking great for as long as possible. 

Since 1995, we have been helping Grand Forks and Fargo, ND, residents maintain clean and sanitary homes through cutting-edge cleaning services. If you are looking for a reliable cleaning service for your couches, look no further. Here’s a few reason why people have picked us since 1995:

  • Professional cleaning services: Our employees are professionally trained to handle clients’ onsite cleaning needs. They are knowledgeable in cleaning different types of couch upholstery fabric and designs.  
  • Proven track record: We are experienced working with clients across different settings, including residential, commercial, and industrial. You can check out our recent certifications and awards on our homepage.
  • Excellent customer service: Our decades-long success in the cleaning services industry is attested to our customer-centric approach. We deliver high-quality services, prioritizing client satisfaction. 
  • Environmentally conscious: We understand the impact on your comfort and health. Our cleaning products are environmentally safe, and our team is well-trained to use them.   
  • Flexibility: If you reside in Grand Forks or Fargo, ND, we can conveniently clean your couches inside your home. You do not have to stress about ferrying the couches out of your home and finding alternative seating.

Looking for Codes on Your Furniture

Furniture manufacturers embed cleaning code tags on upholstery for guidance on how to care for the fabric.

The codes are attached to the furniture, either on the sofa seat under the cushions if they’re detachable or on the cushion. If the cushions are not detachable, you can check the tags underneath the furniture. Assuming there are no tags, you can check the information on the manufacturer’s website or consult a professional upholsterer for guidance. 

Common upholstery cleaning codes include:

  • W – A ‘W’ code permits cleaning upholstery using water-based cleaners.
  • S – If the cleaning code is labeled ‘S,’ it means you should only use a water-free dry-cleaning solvent. 
  • S/W or W/S – A label with the S/W or W/S code means the upholstery can be cleaned using a combination of water-based cleaners and dry-cleaning solvent. 
  • X – An ‘X’ label means water-based or solvent cleaning is not permitted. You can only vacuum or light brush the fabric. 

Services We Offer

We offer a range of upholstery cleaning services, including:

  • Cleaning and stain removal: We use various cleaning methods, depending on the upholstery, such as dry cleaning, steaming, and hand cleaning. Our solutions can remove any kind of stain from your couch upholstery.
  • Fabric treatment: We offer fabric treatment for various materials, including leather, linen, cotton, microfiber, wool, and polyester.
  • Upholstery deodorization: We freshen up your couches by neutralizing the source of the odors to eliminate unpleasant smells permanently.

How Does Our Process Work?

Once our team visits your home, here is what you should expect:

  1. Examination of your upholstery to determine the best possible solution
  2. Spot-cleaning any areas that require extra attention
  3. Deep-cleaning upholstery to extract dirt and allergens 
  4. Inspecting the upholstery after our thorough cleaning, making sure it’s not only clean but that we’ve been able to eliminate any stains that have given you difficulty

Once cleaned, the upholstery takes a few hours to dry, depending on the cleaning method used and the type of fabric.

Going Beyond Your Upholstery

Steamatic of the Red River Valley services go beyond cleaning upholstery. We offer a range of cleaning and home restoration service. Some other areas we specialize in include:

  • Carpet
  • Commercial
  • Dryer vents
  • Hard surfaces
  • HVAC & air duct

Restoration Services 

We also offer resoration services for the following:

  • Art & document recovery
  • Content recovery
  • Dehumidification 
  • Electronics Restoration
  • Fire damage restoration
  • Mold Remediation
  • Water damage restoration
  • Wind & tornado

Get the Best Upholstery Cleaning Results With Steamatic of Red River Valley

At Steamatic of Red River Valley, we’re experts in upholstery cleaning. We perform high-quality work and provide amazing results every time. Protect furniture and bring it back to life again with professional upholstery cleaning. Our team takes care of everything, including deep cleaning and stain removal. We can also clean and restore water-damaged furniture after a disaster. Contact us right away in Red River Valley for help.

 

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