Upholstery Cleaning in Canberra

A lounge collects more than a carpet does. Skin oils, food, pet hair, sweat and dust settle into the seat cushions and the arms, and because the fabric is against your skin every day, it shows sooner. Most fabric sofas can be brought back with a proper clean. The catch is that "proper" depends entirely on what the fabric is.

Get a quote from photos. Take a photo of each piece, with any marks visible and the care tag if you can find it. Then email your photos to info@aussieduocleaningservice.com.au or text them to 0414 000 221. We reply with a fixed price, GST included.

Start with the tag under the cushion

Nearly every upholstered piece has a small sewn-in tag, usually under a seat cushion or on the frame. It carries a one- or two-letter code set by the fabric maker after testing, and it tells anyone cleaning the piece what is safe to use:

• W – water-based cleaning is safe. This covers most polyester, nylon and synthetic blends, and it is what allows us to use hot water extraction, the same principle we use on carpet.
• S – solvent only. Water can leave rings, browning or shrinkage that cannot be reversed. Often silk, some rayons and some wool blends.
• WS – either method, tested first on a hidden spot.
• X – vacuum or brush only. No liquid of any kind.

We read the code on every piece before we start. If the tag is missing, we identify the fibre ourselves and test a hidden patch rather than guess. This is the step that separates a safe clean from a ruined sofa, and it is why a hire machine or a supermarket foam is a gamble on anything other than a clearly marked W fabric. You can read more about what each code means in this guide to upholstery cleaning codes.

How we clean fabric furniture

For W and WS fabrics we use low-moisture hot water extraction with the truck-mounted Sapphire Scientific 370SS that stays in the van, and a portable unit for apartments where the hose cannot reach. Upholstery holds far less water than carpet and has padding underneath, so we run the tool with less moisture and finish with dry passes.

The professional standard for upholstery, IICRC S300, says pieces should dry as quickly as possible and gives six hours as the target. Drying time depends on the fabric, the airflow and the weather. In a Canberra winter, when daytime highs sit around 12 degrees, a sofa can take most of a day. Running the heating with a window cracked open helps more than people expect.

S-coded fabrics get a dry solvent clean and X-coded fabrics are vacuumed and brushed only, as explained in the methods below. Velvet, chenille and other pile fabrics are groomed as they dry so the nap sets evenly.

Mattresses

We clean mattresses the same way, with low moisture and thorough dry passes so the foam or springs are not left damp. A mattress is $75.90 ($69 + GST) when you book it with another service, such as a sofa clean, a carpet clean or an end of lease clean. Strip the bed before we arrive and let it dry fully before making it up again.

Who it suits

• A lounge that has not been cleaned in a year or more and looks dull on the seats and arms
• Homes with pets, where hair and dander have worked into the weave
• Households managing dust mite allergy. The National Asthma Council Australia lists upholstered furniture among the soft furnishings dust mites live in, and recommends removing the allergen and reducing breeding areas for people with a confirmed allergy. Extraction removes the loose material a vacuum leaves behind; it is one part of a routine, not a cure.
• Furnished rentals at the end of a lease, where sofas and mattresses have to go back in the condition they came
• Offices, waiting rooms and hospitality seating, done outside business hours

If something isn't right

If something we cleaned isn't right once it has dried, tell us within 5 days of the clean and we'll come back and re-clean it free. This covers the pieces and marks in your quote. It doesn't cover the limits we point out before we start, such as sun fading, dye transfer, ink or stains set into the foam, because those are damage rather than dirt.

Between professional cleans

The Victorian Government's Better Health Channel advises vacuuming upholstered furniture weekly, including the seams. Blot spills straight away rather than rubbing, and leave a stubborn mark alone until you have checked the tag. The wrong product on the wrong fabric turns a stain into permanent damage.

Where we clean

We clean upholstery across Canberra, including Belconnen, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, Woden Valley and Weston Creek, and see all our Canberra service areas. In New South Wales we cover Queanbeyan and Googong. Curtains can be done on the same visit with our on-site curtain cleaning, and so can the floors with carpet steam cleaning.