Furniture Cleaning Cost Guide and DIY Tips
Our homes are a sanctuary, a comfortable place that we look forward to going back to after a tiring day to relax and have a peaceful time. Other than flooring, furniture occupies a large percentage in our home. Furniture is among one of the most expensive items in your home. It not only plays a functional role, but it’s also a big part of your décor.
In fact, your furniture takes the focal point of your home aesthetically. The choice of your furniture can actually make or break your living space and home altogether. Homeowners go out of their way to carefully select the type of furniture fit for their home; the type that communicates their personal style and brings out the design and the décor of their home perfectly and tastefully. Your furniture sends a welcoming message to anyone visiting, and many aim to create a luxurious feel around their home using furniture.
In addition, furniture serves a functional role in your home. It provides comfort, and that’s why it has to be comfortable, soft, the right size and enough for everyone. Equally, you want it to be stylish and well designed to complement the overall look of your home.
We spend a lot of money on furniture in the hope that it will serve us for a long time without breaking down. Unfortunately, dirt and dust have a way of settling and accumulating on your treasured furniture. With time, your treasured stylish sofa or that beloved loveseat collects dirt and stains and may end up looking dingy and completely unappealing.
Its normal for dirt to accumulate on surfaces on your home including your furniture. Therefore, as a homeowner, you have to protect your investment and everything else in your home.
One of the ways we take care of our homes is through regular cleaning. It’s the only way to keep our homes clean, healthy and safe. However, a majority of homeowners, when doing their home’s general cleaning tend to overlook the cleanness of their furniture particularly the upholstered furniture. The furniture in your home should not be ignored during the general cleaning of your home. It should be a number one priority in your cleaning routine.
You would be surprised to learn that that dirt and viruses are more likely to settle on your upholstered furniture than any other place in your home. In fact, that comfy sofa you love so much is the number one breeding spot for viruses, fungi and all types of bacteria. To avoid the risk of getting infectious diseases and end up with a dingy looking house, it’s essential that we look at furniture cleaning in depth. Keep reading the guide to find out the importance of cleaning your furniture, how it would cost you and DIY tips.
Why Should You Clean Your Furniture Regularly?
We spend hours sitting in our armchairs or sofas than we do on floors or other surfaces in our homes. Basically, no wants to be associated with dirt. Remember, your home is constantly exposed to dust, airborne grime, and other pollutants which end up settling on your furniture and other surfaces in your home. If you are among the people who do not put much thought on the cleanliness of their furniture, you need to read the points below to get an insight into the reasons why having clean furniture is essential.
For Appearance Reasons
It is evident that no one wants to be associated with a dirty house, full of dirty stained furniture. A dirty sofa is repelling, not welcoming at all and there is no doubt that anyone would willingly want to seat on it. Regularly cleaning your furniture particular upholstered furniture maintains its original appearance and keeps it looking good all the time.
Dirt and stain can result to quick wear and tear. If you are not taking your time to oversee that your furniture is cleaned regularly, you will be spending thousands of money doing furniture replacement. Dirty furniture is unappealing to the eye, wears down faster and gradually loses its luster and beauty.
Regular furniture cleaning improves its appearance and the overall look of your home. It makes your home look spectacularly clean, welcoming and well kept. If you are having guests coming over to your home, you will not be faced with embarrassing situations of having stained seats that may make your visitors uncomfortable.
Through regular cleaning, you will be able to restore your furniture’s original beauty. Dirty furniture tends to lose its beauty and may end up looking dingy and unappealing over time. However, behind that dirty coating, is the beautiful piece that you fell in love with enough to buy it. Deep cleaning removes stains, dirt, and grime accumulated on your furniture leaving it sparklingly clean and attractive. With clean furniture, you can easily reclaim back the beauty of your house and enhance its overall appearance.
Maintain A Healthy Home
We spend a lot of hours in our furniture particularly upholstered sofas and ottomans, resting as we watch television or read a book or bond with our family members and friends. Your furniture, just like any other surface in your home, will attract dust, dirt, pollen, fleas, mold and other pollutants and pathogens that can lead to infections. You might not even be able to see all these elements with your naked eye, but if your furniture has not been cleaned for a long time, you will be seating and breathing in the pathogens and allergens without even knowing it.
Not only will you be breathing in the allergens and the grime in your sofas and armchairs, but you will also be dealing with unpleasant odors due to bacteria that has settled deep in your furniture. With dirty furniture, you and your family will be prone to frequent sneezing and other allergy-related symptoms. You will actually be risking your health and that of your family members by maintaining dirty uncleaned furniture in your home.
Improve The Quality of Air in Your Home
Clean furniture improves the quality of air in a room. It gets rid of dust, mold, mildew, bacteria, and allergens. As your furniture ages, it tends to attract and receive more dirt, grime, and dust easily. More so, since we spend hours on end on our furniture as we gather around a TV, your furniture also becomes a favorable spot for dirt and bacteria. To avoid accumulating elements that may bring infectious to you and your family members, you need to schedule for regular furniture cleaning.
Of course, you need to make sure that your drapes, carpets, and air ducts are also cleaned regularly alongside furniture cleaning. This way, you will also be able to maintain circulation of clean air around your home and improve the quality of your living space. You will keep illnesses such as asthma and other respiratory infections under control with a regular furniture cleaning schedule.
Prolong The Lifespan of Your Furniture
When dust, grime, and dirt settle and penetrate your furniture, they will with time compromise the quality of your furniture. Your furniture will start to look old and dingy and lose its original color and style. Dirty, uncleaned furniture is also susceptible to wear and tear, and you find yourself spending lots of dollars on repairs and replacement.
When your furniture is regularly cleaned, the dirt and the grime that contributes to wear and tear of the upholstery fabrics, are normally broken down in the cleaning process and rinsed away. This way, your furniture stops looking unsightly, its restored back to its original luster, and its less susceptible to tear and wear. Besides, furniture is one the most expensive items in our homes, and so it makes sense to have its lifespan extended.
The above are just but a few critical reasons why you should regularly clean your furniture. Most importantly, you should maintain a clean home in all aspects including your furniture. Clean furniture improves the overall appearance of your home and enhances the quality of air indoors by keeping allergens and pollutants away.
Cost of Cleaning Your Furniture
Everyone wants a clean, organized and attractive home. All the aspects of your home are important, but your furniture is the focal point of your home. It’s the first thing that people notice when they walk and possibly the first thing they have contact with when they sit. Therefore, it’s prudent that your furniture stays clean and in good condition by maintaining a regular deep cleaning routine, spot cleaning, and vacuuming.
When it comes to furniture cleaning you can choose to have a professional furniture cleaning company do the deep cleaning for you, or, you DIY. The cost of professional furniture cleaning will vary depending on various factors such as:
✓ The number of furniture pieces that require deep cleaning- the more pieces, the higher the overall cost
✓ The size of the furniture pieces – larger pieces of furniture items that have large surface areas will require more time to deep clean
✓ The material/ fabric used on the furniture – some material composition are sensitive and require special handling and care
✓ The location of your home – if you live quite a distance from the cleaning company, the cost of cleaners might be slightly higher to include transportation cost
Most homeowners spend an average cost of about $170 on professional furniture cleaning. With professional cleaning, most homeowners expect excellent service with good prices. Most professional furniture cleaners assess the furniture to see if it requires special cleaning process and use the most suitable cleaning products with the right cleaning method. They handle your furniture with utmost care and make sure that there is no staining, tearing or shredding of fabric.
Let’s look at professional costs of cleaning different types of furniture pieces.
Cost of Cleaning a Sofa
The cost of professionally cleaning a sofa will largely depend on the size of the couch and its material. Professional upholstery cleaners generally charge an average cost ranging from $50 to $480 to clean a sofa. For example, a loveseat costs anywhere between $50 dollars for a smaller one to $250 for a larger one.
As we mentioned, the larger the sofa, the more you will spend on professional cleaning. In addition, couches made of materials such as suede and leather fall under high-end category and are more expensive to clean. Such materials require special handling and fragile cleaning methods which need specific cleaning products and chemicals.
When you are getting a professional sofa cleaning quote, its best to discuss with your upholstery cleaning company to see what will be required of you and what will be charged. Some may choose to charge per hour, while others may use the number of cushions in your couch to determine their charging rate; or, others may give you a flat rate.
While getting a couch cleaning quote, there may be some additional charges to take of the extra accessories. Expect the quote to cater for the following:
- The time required to complete the cleaning process
- Material/ fabric used on the sofa
- Equipment and products/chemicals needed for the cleaning process
- Labor charges
- Transportation charges
Before hiring an upholstery cleaning professional, you need to get multiple quotes and compare the cleaning costs. However, pay close attention to see what the cleaner is charging for and what is regarded to as additional costs. You do not want to be surprised when the cleaner charges extra costs for services that you assumed were part of the quote such as special cleaning chemical or equipment.
| Furniture Cleaning Costs | |
|---|---|
| National furniture cleaning –average cost | $160 |
| Furniture cleaning cost range | $120-$220 |
| Low-end costs | $50 |
| High-end costs | $320 |
| Upholstered furniture cleaning costs | $180-$230 |
| Leather and vinyl cleaning costs | $200-$480 |
| DIY cleaning solution | $10-$30 |
Professional Cleaning Costs for Leather and Vinyl Upholstery
Leather material typically requires special handling and cleaning chemicals that need careful application. Professional upholstery cleaners charge more for furniture items made with leather or vinyl. The cost of professional cleaning for leather or vinyl furniture will vary depending on the type of leather used in making the furniture piece, and it’s size. On average, the cost of cleaning a standard sized leather couch ranges from $200 to $480.
Furniture manufactured with the leather material is usually quite expensive, and that’s why you need to take care of it properly with regular cleaning if you want to maintain its value. Before getting a quote, it’s essential to give the professional furniture cleaner the details of your furniture item by checking the tag on the furniture piece. This way, the professional will be in a position to know the type of leather they will be dealing with and give you the right quote.
Upholstered Furniture Professional Cleaning Costs
Upholstered furniture is beautiful, stylish and aesthetically enhances your living space. However, upholstered furniture tends to attract dirty easily which penetrates into the fabric. Unlike other types of furniture, upholstered furniture is quite difficult to clean yet they have to be regularly cleaned to avoid permanent stain from developing.
The cost of professionally cleaning upholstered furniture varies greatly depending on the fabric used on the furniture item. For example, fabrics like silk are more expensive to clean as compared to cotton or polyester. Expect to spend about $180 to$230 on upholstery cleaning with average cost coming close to $200. One piece of upholstered furniture can cost you about $55 to $80 to professionally clean.
Another factor that can influence the cost of cleaning upholstered furniture is the size of the upholstered furniture item. Larger pieces will require more to time to clean and products especially the elaborate ones and will end up costing you more money than smaller pieces.
Let’s look at professional upholstery cleaning cost for different types of furniture pieces.
| Type of upholstered furniture | The average cost of cleaning |
|---|---|
| Sofa | $80-$130 |
| Loveseat | $50-$70 |
| Armchair | $30-$50 |
| Dining chair | $30-$50 |
| Recliner | $40-$55 |
| Ottoman | $30-$60 |
Type of Upholstery Material
As we indicated earlier, the type of material used on upholstered furniture will influence the overall cost of cleaning upholstered pieces. You will find that majority of the upholstered furniture is manufactured with a coded tag that has instructions on how the fabric is to be cleaned. The cleaning labels on your upholstered furniture will help the professional cleaner know the type of cleaning chemicals to use and the most appropriate cleaning method to apply.
Here are some the coders that you will find on your upholstered furniture pieces:
| Label code | Cleaning instructions |
|---|---|
| Code W | This code is usually found on human-made fabrics such as nylon, polyester, olefin, and acetate. Generally, code W represents fabrics that can generally considered to be on the lower end of pricing when it comes to upholstered furniture. Code W means that these type of fabric can be cleaned using water–based solutions. |
| Code S | This type of code represents organic fabrics such as cotton, linen, rayon, silk, wool, denim damask and velour. These types of fabrics that can be cleaned using water-based cleaners/ solvent-based solutions. Upholstered furniture made with code S fabric fall under middle to high-end price category. Cleaning solutions and treatment required for code S upholstery fabric are more costly. |
| Code W/S | Code W/S represents a mix of human-made fabrics and organic fabrics. Typically upholstered furniture pieces with code W/S can be cleaned with any cleaning solution. |
| Code X | Code X represents fabrics that must be strictly professionally cleaned. You can vacuum this type of fabric and carefully brush it, but you must not attempt to clean it with any type of solution. |
| Leather and vinyl | These are categorized as high-end upholstery fabric furniture. Both require a special type of cleaning solutions and treatment. Professional upholstery cleaners price these two types of fabrics highly as compared to other upholstery fabrics. |
Different Types of Cleaning Methods
There are different types of cleaning methods used on upholstered furniture. These are the types of cleaning methods that professional upholstery cleaners use to clean upholstered furniture item.
Chemical cleaning: in this method, there is less use of water. Instead, the cleaning involves the use of concentrated and pressurized chemical solution. With chemical cleaning, the furniture pieces take a short time to dry. However, this cleaning method is challenging when dealing with bulky or older pieces of upholstered furniture.
Steam cleaning: this the traditional way of upholstery cleaning. The method involves soaking the upholstery in water and a cleaning solution. The upholstery is then scrubbed out to remove all dirt, grime, and stains. The furniture is left to air dry, or you can fasten the drying process by vacuuming to get rid of excess water.
Stain removal: upholstered furniture can easily get heavy staining especially for homes with children and pets. Heavy stains on upholstered furniture will need to undergo a pre-treatment process. The cost of this kind of treatment will depend on the size of the stain, the number of stains and the concentration of the stain. Generally, professional upholstery cleaners charge $25 to $80 on stain removal pre-treatment.
Other additional costs
Professional cleaners or furniture sellers provide an option of protective sealant to prevent more staining in the future. The cost of this type of service will depend on the size of the furniture item. Typically, the service will cost you about $75-$160. Alternatively, you can choose to apply the protective sealant through DIY. Protective sealant products such as Scotchgard costs around $8.98 to $13.99 on Amazon or Guardsman fabric defense which goes for $7.80 on Amazon.
If your upholstered furniture pieces are older or delicate, you might be charged an extra 25% on the cost of professional cleaning. This is because such type of furniture requires careful handling which increases the cleaning work and time.
DIY Furniture Cleaning Tips
There are many ways to clean furniture pieces in your home. If you are up for the challenge you can clean some of your furniture items and cut down on the cost of labor to could have paid to professional furniture cleaners.
However, before you embark on the cleaning task, you need to check on the tag attached to the furniture piece to see the cleaning instructions and the recommended cleaning treatment and chemicals. Some furniture pieces are usually marked as dry cleaning only which means they are to be strictly cleaned by professionals. Most cleaning products cost an average cost ranging from$10 to $30.
DIY Sofa Cleaning Tips
You can regularly clean your couch or a loveseat through the following steps:
✓ The first step is to vacuum the sofa using a hand vacuum, or, you can use a vacuum hose attachment. The vacuuming will get rid of dust and any other debris that has settled on the surface of the couch. Make sure you vacuum thoroughly and pay close attention to the crevices where debris and dirt are likely to get stuck.
✓ If you have a pet in your home, it’s recommended that you use a lint roller to get rid of pet hair that might be hard to remove with a vacuum.
✓ Using a specialized wooden cleaner, or, dusting spray, wipe wooden surfaces to eradicate any traces of dust. The best way to do this is to use spray or pour the cleaning product directly on a piece of cloth or towel to avoid using the cleaning product directly on wood. This way, the product will not get in contact with the couch’s upholstery.
✓ As we mentioned earlier, sofas tend to attract dirt and dust easily. Make sure that you maintain a regular care routine to avoid permeant staining and wear and tear. The maintenance routine should include regular vacuuming of the entire couch surface including the crevices, pillows, and cushions.
✓ In addition, you should regularly wash removable furniture covers to get rid of dust, dirt, and grime. If you bought your furniture recently and its still under warranty, you can consult the manufacturer to know the recommended cleaning solutions and methods.
✓ Deep cleaning your upholstered couches regularly is essential. It maintains its appearance and prolongs its lifespan. Some people may attempt to DIY deep cleaning, but for better results, it’s best to hire professional upholstery cleaners.
DIY Cleaning Tips for Leather and Vinyl Furniture
Most leather furniture pieces come with a tag with instructions on cleaning methods and solutions from the manufacturer to avoid causing irreparable damages. It’s important to check the tag before you proceed with the cleaning process.
For some leather furniture pieces, all you may need is a damp cloth to clean the leather surface and remove stains. Or, you can clean leather using leather cleaner or saddle soap which effectively leaves the surface clean and shiny.
Here is a simple process of cleaning leather furniture:
✓ Dilute the leather cleaning product or the saddle soap in warm water.
✓ Use a cloth to apply it the cleaning solution on the surface lightly and make sure that you don’t soak the leather.
✓ If there are stains on the leather, use a damp cloth to blot them. Do not attempt to scrub the stains off; you will end up damaging the leather.
✓ To clean vinyl, you should use the specialized cleaners that are specifically meant for vinyl to maintain its excellent condition. Alternatively, you use baking soda on a damp rag and finish off with dishwashing soap. However, you should never attempt to use oil to clean vinyl furniture for it tends to make the vinyl hard and rough.
DIY Tips for Cleaning Wood Furniture
Cleaning wood furniture can be a pretty easy DIY task. You can choose to use store-bought cleaning products and follow the cleaning instructions on the label to clean your wood furniture.
✓ Alternatively, you can make homemade cleaners that work effectively on wood furniture. To make the homemade wood cleaner, mix four tablespoons of boiled linseed oil, with two tablespoons of gum turpentine and add the mixture to a gallon filled with hot water. Generally, turpentine gets rid of accumulated dirt, grime, wax, and polish, while linseed replenishes the wood and leaves it with an attractive finish.
✓ Make sure you protect yourself while using the homemade furniture cleaner by wearing gloves. Use a soft cloth to clean by dipping it into the mixture, rinse it out to remove excess cleaning solution and then wipe the wooden surface.
✓ You can also clean your wood furniture using mineral spirits by pouring a little bit of it into a soft cloth. Make that the cloth is clean. Wipe the wood surface by gently rubbing it to ensure that the spirit dissolves dirt, grime, grease, oil, polish, and wax build up on the wooden surface. After cleaning with mineral spirits, you can wipe the surface with lemon oil on a clean cloth to replenish the wood and give it a nice finish.
DIY Cleaning Tips for Older Furniture
As we mentioned earlier in this cost guide, older furniture will cost more to clean professionally. Antiques and older furniture require careful handling during cleaning. If you plan to clean old furniture through DIY, you need to be careful with it. Some older furniture pieces and antique, have some finishes and lacquer that may be damaged by the common cleaning solutions we have nowadays.
Here are some DIY tips that can help you clean your older furniture:
✓ For wood finishes, you can use a damp cloth to wipe off dust lightly or, use a mild soapy solution and wipe with a soft cloth to wipe off dirt, grime, and dust from the wood surface.
✓ When dealing with older furniture items with lacquer, you need to know some oils interfere with lacquer by breaking it down. To clean lacquer, use a damp cloth and wipe away the dust or use mild soapy solution with a soft cloth to wipe the furniture piece. But if you notice that color seems to be coming off together with grease, you have to reapply the lacquer. Sometimes you can’t stop the lacquer from disappearing when cleaning.
Spot Cleaning DIY Tips
Although spot cleaning usually not recommended, you can try it sometimes when you not ready to hire an upholstery furniture cleaner. However, you need to be extremely careful with spot treatment, or otherwise, you risk spreading the stain or permanently embedding it on the fabric and the fibers. Most of the time, you are only recommended to use a spot treatment on a fresh stain.
Use these tips to spot clean your furniture and remove stains effectively.
✓ Before applying the spot treatment, you should test a small area of the fabric to see its reaction. If there are adverse effects, stop the treatment. If it responds well, you can proceed to spot clean the affected area or remove the stains.
✓ To spot clean, you will need to apply the spot cleaning solution on a cloth and then proceed to blot the stain. Make sure you use different sections of the cloth every time to blot.
✓ Give the furniture time to dry.
✓ If the upholstery appears rough after spot cleaning, you can vacuum it or brush it with a soft brush to restore its texture.
How Often Should You Clean Your Furniture?
Generally, furniture tends to accumulate dirt, grime, and stains with time. For this reason, you should have your furniture cleaned at regular times more so, on a semi-regular basis. This way, you will maintain a clean room, avoid health issues related to allergies and bacteria, and also prevent wear and tear. If you neglect your furniture, stains, and dirt may end up tearing down the fabric and leaving holes which may cost you a lot of money to patch up.
You can easily maintain your furniture using simple cleaning tips that are inexpensive. For example, if your sofas have removable covers, you can regularly wash them after every six months to remove dirt, dust, and grime. If the sofas have permanent covers, you can still maintain them clean by regularly vacuuming them and wiping the surface using a damp cloth.
However, if your furniture has deep stains and dirt and grime build-up, you need to organize for professional furniture cleaning to deep clean your furniture. This will involve the use of heavy duty cleaning solutions that will yield effective results and restore your furniture to its original state.
Conclusion
Furniture plays a big role in our home. Furniture serves as a decorative masterpiece for our homes and creates a visual focal point in a room. It also serves a functional purpose in our home and its prudent that we take care of it. With time and continual use, furniture accumulates dust, dirt, grime, stains, allergens and other pollutants. As a result, it starts to show signs of wear and tear, sometimes even dents and holes with embedded stains.
Fortunately, you can restore your furniture back through regular professional deep cleaning and simple DIY cleaning routine. Keeping your furniture clean can make it look attractive always, and prolong its lifespan. It will also keep your home smelling fresh with quality air. Maintaining your furniture clean all the time doesn’t have to be a hassle. All you need to do is regular dusting, and vacuuming; and, organize for semiannual professional furniture cleaning services. This way, you will keep your furniture looking fabulous and attractive all the time.