Cleaning Solutions for Leather and Upholstery

Cleaning your upholstery regularly is essential to preserve its original look and condition and maintain hygiene. As a company we have years of experience in cleaning every type and style of upholstery and soft furnishings.

There are many different types of upholstery fabrics, some of which contain fibres unsuitable for wet cleaning using the Hot Water Extraction Method, so we carry a wide range of Prochem products, enabling us to carry out Dry Cleaning using the correct solutions and equipment for the job.

During our free survey visit we will carry out a full inspection of your upholstery to assess its general condition and level of soiling, including stains. We will also carry out a number of tests to help us determine the fabric and fibre type to enable us to use the correct solutions, system and method, to achieve the optimum cleaning result. These tests identify the fibres and check for dye stability, shrinkage and susceptibility to water marking, amongst others. Anybody intending to clean your upholstery should have a thorough knowledge of all fabric and fibre types and construction and most importantly, the advantages and disadvantages each one has in relation to different cleaning solutions and methods. No cleaning attempt should ever be made unless the tests described above have been completed, or carried out previously. Wet cleaning a dry clean only fabric will result in damaged furnishings.

Upon entering your home or premises we will wear overshoes so as not to bring more of the outside in. Prior to cleaning we will deploy a number of blankets or covers to protect any larger items at hand as well as your floorcoverings. Our machines will be safely sited with rugged waterproof matting underneath to ensure further protection. We will first remove any cushions then dry vacuum the main carcasses and/or chairs plus any loose cushions using a professional triple HEPA filtered vacuum. Specialist brushes will be used to garner troublesome pet hairs that are resistant to vacuuming and all other loose items, food will be removed. Any coins found will be returned to the customer!

The next stage involves an application of water and/or oil based pre-treatments to help emulsify or loosen the the dirt and stains in the upholstery, particularly around arm and head rests, prior to cleaning. Once applied the pre sprays may be agitated with the use of specialist upholstery brushes or cloths, depending on fabric type. Please note this stage may not be suitable for all fabric types.

We then set about cleaning your upholstery using our professional, state of the art Prochem equipment. At the inspection stage we will have determined the fabric construction, level of soiling in your upholstery and the subsequent cleaning system required to achieve the best results. The three cleaning systems we employ are Preventive, Corrective and Salvage – together they have a total of 9 different cleaning methods! Depending on the type of upholstery, we may use various low-moisture water or solvent hand cleaning methods with machinery that helps reduce drying times. The most common method of cleaning we carry out is using a Corrective System with a Hot Water Extraction Machine. All our Prochem products are 100% safe for children and pets, many are Woolsafe and all produce superior cleaning results compared with similar products. All upholstery is deodorised as standard. Once cleaned, the fabric quality and appearance will be improved and your furniture will be cleaner and fresher with no dirt attracting residue left in the fabric, to ensure future re-soiling is kept to a minimum.

We then identify any stains that may not have been removed during the cleaning process and accurately identify the best way to remove them. It is important that stains are not treated before the main clean to minimise the risk of ring marking. Each stain is then removed using exactly the right products for both the stain and your type of upholstery. Please note that on Dry Clean only fabrics it is not possible to remove water based stains. Any older or impossible to remove stains will be brought to your attention, but there aren’t many things we can’t remove!

If you have opted for this service, and your upholstery is suitable, at this stage we would apply a Protector to provide your furniture with a high level of stain and soil resistance. Protecting new furniture may require a pre-treatment and re-visit to apply the treatment, depending on fabric type.

Once we are happy your upholstery is clean as possible, we will place back furniture into its original position, possibly using foam or foil protectors for legs and other contact points to ensure wood dye and stud marks do not transfer colour onto any cleaned carpet Any loose or removable cushions may be ‘tented’ which involves stacking the cushions in an ‘inverted V’ shape to aid drying. A fan or ‘airmover’ may also be employed during the cleaning process to further reduce drying times. It is important that cushions are not placed back on to carcasses until they are completely dry.