Professional Upholstery Cleaning South London
In a busy family home or communal living area, furniture fabric can become dirty, greasy and stained. Our upholstery deep cleaning service will keep it looking and smelling fresh.
For Your Home or Business
We’re happy to clean a single armchair if that’s all that’s needed, but our powerful machinery and specialist detergents will make light work of a full suite in your lounge or sitting room, even it is heavily soiled. We have the experience (as both contractor and supplier to the trade for over twenty years) and the equipment to take on large contracts for multiple sofas and other items of furniture in commercial accommodation such as care homes and hotels.
Our professional service includes:
- Chair, Sofa & Couch Deep Cleaning to remove dirt, stains and odours;
- Headboard Cleaning to remove oils & dirt rubbed off the scalp (including hair product residue);
- Odour Removal including urine, vomit, tobacco, smoke, and pet smells;
- Disinfecting & Sanitising to BS / EN standards to protect public health;
- Expert Leather Cleaning to remove general dirt, soften & revitalise;
- Natural & Delicate Fibre Care including, wool, suede and non-washable / non-colourfast fabrics.
Techniques we use
Nearly all furniture fabrics except leather can be cleaned using one of these two methods:
- hot water extraction cleaning (the fabric is washable);
- solvent cleaning (the fabric is not washable, which is why this is also called ‘dry cleaning’).
PLEASE NOTE: we do not use steam (meaning super-heated water) to clean – click here to find out why.
Hot Water Extraction Cleaning
We use extraction cleaning on wet-cleanable fabrics like acrylic, cotton, hemp, linen, polyester and wool (using WoolSafe-approved detergents).
Preparation
The upholstery detergents we use are carefully chosen, and thoroughly tried and tested. Nevertheless, we always carry out a test (on a hidden part of the fabric) to check for colour loss, colour bleed (on patterned fabric) and/or texture change.
We’ll vacuum the furniture to remove any loose dirt and debris. If the fabric has become greasy in problem areas such as head and arm rests, or there are food and drink stains, we’ll apply a pre-spray using our foaming spray nozzle and agitate the surface with a hand held rotary soft brush attachment. The pre-spray will be left for a short time to break down the soiling.
We’ll dilute the appropriate fabric cleaning solution with warm/hot water at the right temperature (20-40 degrees Celsius, depending on the fabric) in our cleaning machine’s solution tank. You can read more about the professional equipment we use below.
Cleaning
Using our upholstery hand tool, we clean the fabric using slightly overlapping strokes. The hand tool sprays the cleaning solution at high pressure (around 150psi), penetrating the fibres and releasing dirt (and associated smells), before being vacuumed away.
Disinfection and Sanitising
If required, we can use special disinfecting detergents (rated to BS & EN standards) to neutralise or guard against bacteria (including E coli, Listeria, MRSA & Salmonella) and viruses (including Coronavirus, Hepatitis B, HIV-1, HBV, HCV, Norovirus, Ebola & Measles).
Solvent Cleaning
We use ‘dry cleaning’ detergents on fabrics that are not wet-cleanable such as silk, suede, velour, velvet and viscose. As with wet cleaning, we always carry out a test to check for any colour loss, bleed or texture damage. We will also vacuum first to remove what dirt and dust we can.
The detergent is applied with a sprayer and the surface agitated with a motorised hand-held soft brush. We then blot with a clean white towel to collect the released dirt. We only treat a small area at a time to ensure the solvent doesn’t have the chance to evaporate before blotting – otherwise the released dirt and stains will just dry back into the fibres.
Leather Cleaning
Preparation
As always, we’ll test first on a small, hidden area to be sure there is no colour loss or texture change. We don’t vacuum leather: the nozzle could scuff the surface. Instead, we’ll remove any loose debris and dust from the surface with a dry microfibre cloth and soft brush.
Cleaning & Conditioning
We apply our chosen leather cleaning solution carefully, using a clean white towel, and paying particular attention to any creases, seams, folds or button detailing. We then use a separate clean and damp towel to remove the dirt that is released together with the cleaning solution residue.
We finish with a leather conditioner containing natural oils to moisturise, soften, restore suppleness and lustre, enhance the colour, and protect from the cracking that can occur if the leather becomes very dry (just like human skin, leather needs to be kept moisturised to look and feel its best).
The conditioner is applied with a clean white towel, using circular motions on a small area at a time. It’s given a few minutes to be absorbed, before the surface is buffed to remove any excess.
Common Questions about our Upholstery Cleaning Services
Do you steam clean furniture / upholstery?
No, because steam produced by boiling water will ruin many fabrics: they’ll shrink and/or fade. It is easy to mistake the water vapour or ‘mist’ produced by the professional extraction cleaning process for steam, but it’s at a much lower temperature (60 degrees for carpets and sometimes as low as 20 degrees for your sofa or couch).
What equipment do you use for hot water extraction?
We use the same machine for both carpets and upholstery: an Ashbys ‘Enforcer’, which has:
- a heated cleaning solution tank to keep a steady temperature;
- two independent vacuum motors for variable suction power according to how delicate/old the fabric is;
- a 100 foot / 30 metre hose (we can often leave the machine outside the room we’re cleaning).
We pair this with an Ashby’s hand tool which:
- dispenses cleaning solution at high pressure to loosen soiling from upholstery fibres;
- immediately sucks the solution and trapped dirt from the fibres;
- has a slider to adjust vacuum power (to cater for either delicate fabrics and worn areas, or very dirty spots);
- has a narrow design for extraction cleaning on furniture with tight contours or corners;
- is specifically designed for low moisture cleaning (meaning that the fabric will not get too wet).
If we’re using a pre-spray then we’ll work this into the fabric with a hand held rotary brush (basically a drill gun with brush attachment). This is always used on a low-torque setting. This means that if we push too hard the brush will automatically stop, making it very hard to cause damage to delicate fabrics.
How long will it take for my furniture to dry?
No matter the type of fabric, drying time will be quicker when air is moving and/or warm, so we advise that heating is on and windows are opened. As using furniture is very likely to involve direct skin contact with the treated surface, we advise that customers do not use their furniture until it is completely dry. The following likely drying times are estimates only, assuming optimum drying conditions:
- hot water extraction cleaning: 4-5 hours minimum;
- solvent / ‘dry’ cleaning: 2-3 hours minimum;
- leather cleaning: 1 hour minimum.
Will my furniture be fragranced after it’s been cleaned?
If we use our standard detergent, yes. There will be a slight lemon fragrance: this will fade after around 48 hours. We can offer other fragrances, or a completely fragrance-free detergent if you wish.
Do your cleaning chemicals contain allergens?
Our preferred detergents and fabric protectors are not guaranteed to be 100% non-allergenic, but we do carry a special detergent which is not perfumed and does not contain any brighteners, soaps, enzymes or solvents.
Allergies or not, we always advise all customers to stay out of the room when we’re cleaning furniture. The detergents we use are formulated to leave next to no residue once furniture is dry, but exposure to cleaning solutions should always be kept to a minimum, which is why we always wear protective equipment and use dispensers that will not create an ‘aerosol’ effect. The best protection against any potential skin or nasal/throat irritation is to (a) stay well away from the room where cleaning is taking place, and (b) not re-enter it until the upholstery is completely dry.
Our Prices
Please note we have a minimum £50 callout charge.
Hot Water Extraction (wet-cleanable fabrics)
| soiling | LIGHT | MEDIUM | HEAVY |
| chair | £20 | £25 | £30 |
| sofa (2 seater) | £30 | £40 | £50 |
| sofa (3 seater) | £40 | £50 | £60 |
All necessary pre-sprays included. No extra charge for wool. HEAVY includes disinfecting and/or sanitising, difficult substance removal (e.g. oil, food dye).
Solvent/Dry Cleaning (water sensitive fabrics e.g. silk, velvet, velour & tapestry)
| item | CHAIR | 2 SEATER | 3 SEATER |
| cost | £60 | £80 | £90 |
No pre-sprays are used with solvent cleaning.
Leather Cleaning
| soiling | LIGHT | MEDIUM | HEAVY |
| chair | £20 | £25 | £30 |
| sofa (2 seater) | £30 | £40 | £50 |
| sofa (3 seater) | £40 | £50 | £60 |
No pre-sprays are used with leather cleaning.
Discounts Available
For larger jobs and scheduled service contracts please call to discuss your exact needs.
WE COVER CENTRAL & SOUTH LONDON WITHIN THE M25 AREA, INCLUDING:
| Addington | Addiscombe | Anerley |
| Balham | Banstead | Beckenham |
| Biggin Hill | Blackheath | Brentford |
| Brixton | Brockwell | Bromley |
| Camberwell | Caterham | Catford |
| Cheam | Chelsea | Chislehurst |
| Clapham | Coulsdon | Croydon |
| Crystal Palace | Dulwich | Epsom |
| Ewell | Forest Hill | Fulham |
| Godstone | Greenwich | Hammersmith |
| Hayes | Herne Hill | Hither Green |
| Kensington | Kingston | Leatherhead |
| Lewisham | Mitcham | Morden |
| New Malden | Norwood | Nunhead |
| Orpington | Oxted | Peckham |
| Penge | Purley | Putney |
| Redhill | Richmond | Roehampton |
| Sanderstead | Selhurst | Selsdon |
| Shirley | Sidcup | Streatham |
| Surbiton | Sutton | Sydenham |
| Thornton Heath | Tulse Hill | Twickenham |
| Wallington | Wandsworth | Warlingham |
| West Wickham | Westerham | Whyteleafe |
| Wimbledon | Woldingham | Worcester Park |