Upholstery cleaning starts with reading the tag. Most furniture has a cleaning code: W means water-based cleaning is fine, S means solvent only, W/S means either, and X means vacuum only. We check the code and test a hidden spot before we clean anything, because some fabrics bleed dye or shrink with water.
For most synthetic fabrics like polyester and olefin, our upholstery cleaning uses a low-moisture extraction with a small upholstery tool. We vacuum first, pre-treat spots and arm rests where body oil builds up, agitate with a soft brush, and extract. Natural fibers like cotton, linen and some velvets get gentler treatment and less water so they don't brown or water-mark.
Microfiber is common in Spanish Fork family rooms because it holds up to kids, and it's often labeled S. We clean it with a solvent-based product and brush the nap afterward so it doesn't look blotchy.
Upholstery cleaning is also part of water damage recovery. If a basement flooded and a sofa sat in clean water for a short time, it can sometimes be dried and cleaned. Furniture that sat in sewage or outside floodwater usually can't be saved, since the foam cushions and wood frame soak up contamination. We sort that out during the content pack out inventory.
Most upholstery dries in a few hours. Leather is a separate process, and we'll tell you up front if a piece needs a leather cleaner. For the carpet under the couch, see carpet cleaning.
