When people call about a couch, they almost always tell us how old it is first, usually with a little apology. Eight years. Twelve. "It was my mother's." Then they ask if it's worth cleaning or if they should just replace it.
Usually it's worth cleaning. Most furniture gets replaced because it looks and smells tired, and that's a dirt problem. Body oil darkens the arms and headrest, dander and crumbs work into the seams, and the cushion everyone fights over turns a shade darker than the rest. That comes out. Torn seams and sagging springs don't, and if your sofa has those, a cleaning won't help much.
The cleaning code comes first
Somewhere on the piece, usually under the deck or stapled to the frame, there's a tag with a letter on it. W means water-based cleaning is fine. S means solvent only. WS allows either. X means vacuum only, no liquid of any kind. Your technician checks that code before anything else, then tests a hidden spot to see how the fabric and dye react. An X-coded piece gets vacuumed and that's it. We won't gamble with it.
Fabrics and pieces we take on
Sofas, sectionals and love seats are the bulk of it. We also do recliners, ottomans, upholstered dining chairs, headboards, mattresses, desk chairs, and the cushions off a covered porch set that spent a summer collecting pollen and humidity. Fabrics include microfiber, cotton, wool, linen and synthetic blends.
How the visit goes
Your technician walks through the pieces with you, asks about spills and pets, and gives you the price before any cleaning starts. The arms, headrests and seat fronts get a pre-treatment to break down body oil, since that's where most of the grime lives. Then the fabric is cleaned with a carbonated solution and a light hand on the water. Cushions come out damp and never soggy, which matters a lot in a Blythewood summer, when a soaked foam core can take days to dry and start to smell.
Most furniture is ready to sit on in a couple of hours. Leaving a fan on it or running the AC speeds that up.
Pets on the furniture
Dog hair, dander and the oily patch where a cat sleeps all come out with a normal cleaning. Urine is a different story because it sinks into the foam, and very old accidents can take more than one treatment before the smell is completely gone. A look at the cushion and a sniff usually tells the tech how deep it went. When it has gone deep, our urine and odor treatment can be added while the tech is there.
Leather, and protecting fabric afterward
Leather gets its own cleaner and a conditioner afterward to keep it from drying out and cracking. Fabric pieces can get an optional fiber protector once they're clean. It won't make a sofa spill-proof, but it buys you a few seconds to blot before a glass of sweet tea sets in.
One tip while you wait for us: blot a spill, don't scrub it, and go easy on the water. On microfiber especially, a scrubbed spot dries into a ring that looks worse than the original stain.
Prices and booking
Furniture cleaning carries a $25 discount, listed with our other current coupons. Give us a rough list of the pieces when you call 803-393-7625, or type it into the contact form and we'll call you back. If carpet is on the list too, a carpet cleaning can happen during the same visit.