Upholstery cleaning FAQ

Unfortunately, our beautiful furniture and upholstery doesn’t always come with detailed care instructions, or care instructions that we understand. Have questions about cleaning your upholstery? We have answers!

How often should I have my upholstery professionally cleaned?

It’s recommended that upholstery be cleaned every one to two years. If your furniture experiences heavy use, however, you may want to have it professionally cleaned more often.

Since many carpet cleaning services offer upholstery cleaning services, it may be beneficial to have your upholstery cleaned at the same time, on the same annual schedule.

How often should I apply a stain-resistant finish?

This depends on the type of stain-resistant product you are using. For professionally applied stain-repellent finishes, it is recommended that the finish be reapplied every two or three years. For consumer products which are applied by the customer, such as ScotchGard (TM), more frequent application may be necessary, as these products are not as durable as those professionally applied.

Additionally, because of the nature of upholstery cleaning, the cleaning process may reduce the effectiveness of the finish, and so should be reapplied after cleaning. It may be well also to clean upholstered surfaces before applying stain-proofing finishes, to prevent dirt and soil from being trapped between the fabric and finish.

What kind of fabrics can be cleaned?

There are too many different fabrics in the world to offer a comprehensive list, but we can say that the majority of fabrics used for upholstery of household furniture today (cotton, polyester, acetate, acrylic, linen, olefin, silk, rayon, nylon, etc.) can be cleaned. If you are unsure of the composition of your upholstery, a professional cleaning technician should be able to evaluate the fabric and determine whether it can be cleaned, and the best method of cleaning.

Note that the cleaning method described on the manufacturer’s tag may not be the only acceptable cleaning method--often these are recommendations rather than prohibitions.

What kind of stains can be removed?

There are a million ways that your furniture could become stained, and there is no way of guaranteeing that a stain could be removed--some are just too severe or set in, or the fabric too delicate to withstand removal. However, we’ve had experience removing all sorts of stains, from pet stains to red wine on a white couch; we’ve even been able to repair bleach stains, in some instances.

If your upholstery could use a cleaning, call Rug Rover today.