domestic
Upholstery and sofa cleaning
Upholstery cleaning costs £60 to £120 for a three-seat sofa and £30 to £50 for an armchair, with most firms setting a minimum around £60 to £90 for a visit. The label under the cushion decides the method, and it is worth finding before you call: a W code cleans with water, an S code must not get wet at all.
What this covers
What it costs. Upholstery cleaning costs £60 to £120 for a three-seat sofa, £30 to £50 for an armchair and £90 to £180 for a corner unit. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Fabric sofas, armchairs, dining chairs and headboards
- Leather cleaning and feeding, which is a different process entirely
- Stain and odour treatment, including pet odour at the foam
- Mattresses, usually priced alongside
- Fabric protector applied afterwards where wanted
What is involved
Upholstery carries a cleaning code on a label, usually under a cushion or on the underside of the frame. W means water-based cleaning is fine. S means solvent only, and water will mark it. WS means either. X means vacuum only, and any liquid at all will damage it. A cleaner who does not look for that label before starting is guessing with your sofa.
Leather is a separate trade within the trade. It is cleaned rather than extracted, with a pH-balanced cleaner and a conditioner afterwards, and the common failure is not dirt but a cleaner stripping the finish from pigmented leather and leaving it patchy. Aniline leather is more delicate again.
Pet odour behaves like it does in carpet: it is not on the fabric, it is in the foam beneath, and treating the surface makes it smell of cleaning product for a week and then of dog again.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask what the cleaning code is and let them find it. Somebody who quotes without looking under the cushion is quoting a method rather than a job.
Ask how long it will take to dry and whether you can sit on it that evening. Four to eight hours is normal for a fabric sofa with air moving.
For leather, ask specifically what they use and whether it is pigmented or aniline. The answer tells you whether they have done it before.
Common questions
What do the letters on the label mean?
W is water-based cleaning, S is solvent only, WS is either and X is vacuum only. An S-coded sofa cleaned with water will watermark, and it is permanent.
How long until I can use it?
Four to eight hours for fabric with a window open or a fan on, and immediately for leather, which is cleaned rather than wetted.