Deep clean for sofas

You don't see it on the sofa. You see it on the towel after someone has lain there. Or on the headrest, which has taken on a darker, slightly shiny tone where heads rest. The sofa has been in daily use for six years, and in all those years it has taken in skin oils, sweat, skin cells, food residue and dust — every single evening, for hours at a time.

This is why a sofa doesn't get clean from being vacuumed. The dirt isn't on the textile, it's in it.

What we actually do

We begin by reading, not by washing.

1. The label. The care code decides the entire job: W and WS tolerate water-based cleaning, S requires solvent, X should only be vacuumed. We read it before we apply anything at all. A sofa that cannot tolerate the treatment does not get it, and we tell you so.
2. Colourfastness test on a hidden area, typically under a cushion or behind a leg.
3. Dry work. Full vacuuming with a brush nozzle, in the seams, under the cushions and along the edges, and compressed air where the vacuum cannot reach. Sand and grit left behind before wet work begins grinds down the fibre.
4. Stains are pre-treated by type. Grease, protein, sugar and colour are dissolved separately. The wrong agent on a protein stain — milk, blood, vomit — sets it instead of dissolving it, and then it is there for good.
5. Extraction. Hot water in under pressure, dirty water out under suction, in several passes, until what comes out is clear. Armrests, headrests and seat edges get their own rounds, since these are the three areas that take the most.
6. Loose cushions are cleaned on both sides, not only the side facing up.
7. Leather sofas are treated differently: pH-neutral cleaning with a soft brush in seams and perforations, followed by a conditioning product that keeps the leather supple and counteracts cracking along the seat edge.
8. Controlled drying, always. We never leave upholstery soaking wet.

Why it pays off

A sofa is one of the most expensive pieces of furniture in the home, and one of the few that wears from the inside. Skin oils break down and cause odour. Sand in the fibre cuts the threads from within every time someone sits down. Leather that receives no care dries out — and dry leather cracks along the seat edge, damage that cannot be cleaned away.

Then there is indoor air quality. A sofa in daily use is one of the largest dust reservoirs in the living room. For households with allergies, this is one of the few measures that makes a noticeable difference without having to throw anything out.

And the arithmetic: a clean costs a fraction of a new sofa, and often makes the difference between "we should replace it" and "it's fine, actually".

How often should you have it done?

Once a year for a sofa in daily use. If you have a dog or cat on the sofa, or small children eating on it, twice a year is more appropriate. Deal with stains while they are fresh — a fresh spill lifts easily, a year-old spill has bonded to the fibre.

How long does it take?

Around 2.5 hours for a three-seater sofa, plus 4 to 6 hours of drying time before it is ready for use.

Book an inspection for sofa cleaning — you will receive a fixed price in writing within one working day.