10 Frequently Asked Questions About Upholstery
- Q: Do professional upholstery cleaning crews need licenses?
A: For the most part, reputable upholstery cleaning businesses should have proper and up to date licenses. These certify that they have been adequately trained in the craft and know exactly how to handle the equipment and materials involved in the process. It is therefore important as you are on the market for an upholstery cleaning crew that you ensure to ask about their licenses. This will give you an indication as to whether or not you are dealing with a trustworthy business.
However, it is important to understand that different jurisdictions have different licensing rules and requirements with some not necessarily requiring businesses to have more than just a business permit to practice. So be sure to do some research on your local regulations before you rule out a potentially trustworthy business.
- Q: How do I know if I am being scammed by my upholstery cleaners?
A: Like any other home improvement industry niche, there are an unfortunate number of scams when it comes to upholstery cleaning. The range from price markups to providing lower quality services than what was advertised.
Fortunately, there are very many signals that could alert you to an unscrupulous business so you can get away before you are scammed. One of these clues is a business whose prices are either suspiciously higher or lower than the market average. You could also learn a lot about the legitimacy of the business from their reviews.
- Q: How is upholstery cleaning different from carpet cleaning?
A: More often than not, carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning are services offered by the same business. This is because, for the most part, the services are pretty similar. They use more or less the same equipment, cleaning products and even techniques.
However, they are not exactly the same. This is because, with upholstery, you have factors like the furniture’s design and padding material affecting the cleaning techniques and drying time. Therefore, when you are looking for a business to clean your upholstery make sure that you get the very best in this service. You might get great carpet cleaners with very little experience when it comes to dealing with furniture and this will end up being a total disappointment.
- Q: What could go wrong if I chose not to get my upholstery cleaned?
A: As a homeowner, it is very easy to be tempted to ignore your upholstery when you are planning for professional cleaning sessions. I mean it really doesn’t need much more than a good dusting every now and then right? Wrong.
Like any other fabric, upholstery becomes more vulnerable to issues like fading and tearing when it is left uncleaned for long. This doesn’t mean that you have to get it cleaned every other week; not at all. However, scheduling a session about 2 to 3 times every year will definitely do it a lot of good.
- Q: Is all leather upholstery cleaned the same?
A: Leather upholstery is very interesting to deal with as it is paradoxically both resilient and fragile. You therefore need to work with a professional upholstery cleaning crew that understands the specific cleaning needs of the material.
What’s more important is finding a crew that understands that not all leather is the same. This is because different varieties of the material have different cleaning needs and risks. Having someone who understands this means that you will get the highest quality results without putting your upholstery at risk of damage.
- Q: Is there anything like 100% guaranteed stain removal?
A: Unfortunately, the answer here is no and any business promising you 10% guarantee is not really being 100% transparent. Stains are very dynamic and how easy it is to get rid of one depends on a lot of factors.
What caused the stain in the first place? What did you do to try and clean it up? How long was it left on the upholstery before it was cleaned up?
All these play a role in determining how tightly the pigment particles hold on to the fabric. As a result, it is not very easy to predict which ones you can get rid of completely and which ones have become permanent. So there is no guarantee other than you have a better chance of removing the stain with professional cleaners that with DIY methods.
- Q: Can I have my furniture upholstery serviced away from home?
A: This completely depends on the company that you end up working with. Some of them offer pick up and drop off services where your furniture is cleaned, reupholstered or restored elsewhere and returned when ready to use. More often than not this will cost you extra than having the services done at your home.
However, the pick up and drop off offers the convenience of not having noisy and disruptive work interrupting the peace in your home. It is also a great alternative if you are not very comfortable having a bunch of strangers running around in your home.
- Q: How can you prepare for a professional upholstery cleaning session as a homeowner?
A: If you are working with a truly professional crew, there is very little for you to do in preparation for the upholstery cleaning. The most you could do is move décor accessories like pillows and the furniture that isn’t getting cleaned out of the way. For the most part, the crew will take care of all of this including moving carpets, removing the furniture and setting everything back in place after the job is all done.
- Q: Are upholstery cleaning chemicals pet and child-friendly?
A: Yes; if you choose to work with a reputable business. Legitimate upholstery cleaning businesses use cleaning products that are environmentally friendly and also safe for pets and humans. This means you do not have to worry about your furry little buddy or your little baby rolling around on the couch after it has been cleaned.
- Q: What is the point of investing in professional upholstery cleaning when I can do it myself?
A: A lot can go wrong with DIY upholstery cleaning from personal injury to damage of the fibres. It is best to spare yourself the stress and inevitable additional costs and just work with professionals from the get-go. Their skill, experience and resources ensure that you will get the very best services with high quality results that are definitely worth the investment.
