How to Clean Upholstery Without Ruining the Fabric

Start with the fiber, because it decides how far a clean can go. The care label is normally beneath the seat cushions or on the bottom of the piece. On a fresh spill on a synthetic sofa, blot with a towel and water, skip the scrubbing, and skip the spot cleaner. A deep clean is hot water extraction of the whole piece, with a treatment matched to the fabric and each stain, followed by a rinse.

Start with the fabric

Synthetic

Synthetic fabric gets the full clean, stain chemistry included.

Linen and cotton

These get a gentle refresh only. The chemistry strong enough to break down a stain would wreck the fabric, so we don't use it on them.

Wool

We do clean wool, but expect a smaller improvement than on synthetic. It holds dye loosely and dislikes strong chemistry, so we go lighter on it.

Silk, viscose and leather

We turn down silk and anything with viscose in it. Both shrink and bleed dye, and they need a shop where machines wash, wring and dry them straight away; that can't be done safely on a sofa in your living room. Leather is outside what we do: no cleaning, restoring or reupholstering.

The wrong treatment takes the fabric's color out with the stain, and some fabrics can't take alkaline products in any amount. That is why the fabric comes first. Can't tell what yours is? Send us a photo. We price it at the standard rate for its type and size, check the material when we arrive, and don't charge if it turns out we can't clean it.

A fresh spill: the first minutes

• Blot with water and a towel.
• Don't scrub, and don't use a spot cleaner.
• A store-bought cleaner rubbed into a stain can lock it in for good.
• Don't go on to wash a patch or one cushion yourself; it dries with a ring at the wet-dry edge.

The color of a coffee stain needs an acid-based product, and most household cleaners are alkaline-based, which does not remove that color.

Why the supermarket cleaner left the coffee stain — on the sofa page

Does steam cleaning remove stains from upholstery?

On synthetic fabric it can, though no stain is guaranteed. "Steam cleaning" is the everyday name for hot water extraction, which is how we clean: the fabric and each stain get their own treatment, then hot water goes in and comes back out with the dirt, and a rinse finishes the job. On synthetic, that means stain chemistry too, and stains and pet odors cost nothing extra. How it turns out depends on the fabric, the stain, how old it is and what has already been used on it. Linen and cotton don't get the strong stain chemistry. If a spot shows up or comes back within 48 hours, we return and re-clean it for free.

How to deep clean upholstery

• Inspection
• Fabric identification
• Custom treatment
• Deep extraction
• Rinse
• Final check with you

Every fabric surface we can reach gets cleaned, from the armrests and back to the seat cushions, back cushions and throw pillows. Extraction does most of the work, since water left behind settles deeper into the piece along with the dirt it was carrying. You can use the sofa again after about 3–5 hours, and it is fully dry in 12–24 hours.

Who can steam clean my couch?

We do, in your living room, across King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. It's one price per piece, whatever the fiber among those we clean, and pet hair is the one add-on, shown in the calculator before you book.

• Armchair or recliner$85
• Loveseat$105
• 3-seater sofa$155
• 5-seater sofa / sectional$250

There's a minimum order, shown in the calculator.

Linen sofa steam cleaning — what we do

Sofa cleaning cost in Seattle — one price per piece

Upholstery questions