I've mostly been getting good results with upholstery using water extraction. I definitely don't have the luxury of turning the work away or subcontracting.
I will just have to struggle with my slow method for now or maybe buy a wider head for my little extractor.
I use the PB3 ultimate water extractor from US Products and it does a great job. Also, Von Shreider upholstery cleaning machine is a great tool for cleaning microfiber and leather furniture
Cleaning Upholstery is a lot of work but profit is good !
Hi John,
I found that folex spot remover works wonders on those grimy head and arm rests. Also a good stain remover. It's non toxic and can be found at home depot. A V.S dry foam machine is a good "dummy proof" way to clean. In fact I have one that I'm looking to get rid of for cheapo. It's not faster than Marks method but it works better. Free free to email me if you want for information on it.
I did 3 upholstery jobs last week. This coming on the heels of my earlier post that I'd rather sub out the work. Truth of the matter if it's me I'll do the job.
I did a sectional sofa yesterday (composed of 2 sofas, one corner chair, and one "chaise"-type of seat.) It looked fearful at first, but once I started disassembling it, it turned out that mostly what it needed was a good dry vacuuming. Very few real spots, or areas with accumulated soil, at all. I billed it at $275 ($30 per seat, plus $65 for the chaise), and I was done in about 1.5 hours. This was on top of about $150 in carpet cleaning.
The heavy duty dry vacuuming was done with my Royal Dirt Devil so-called "Classic" model. It has strong suction AND a rubber belt-driven roller brush. It sells for about $80 at vac stores that sell Dirt Devil products. There is a cheaper model that has an air-driven roller brush, but the airflow isn't strong enough to keep the brush spinning when any pressure is being applied to the fabric.
I used a thumbnail here & there while dry vacuuming when I came upon any dried food residue, to pry it off and/or break it up into small particles. I used my 6" orbital stair tool with 8" damp pads to work on the areas which take more use, such as the top of the seat cushions and the arms. I spray cleaning solution lightly onto these areas with a 2-quart mini pump sprayer. I use the small pads by hand to wipe down the sides and back, and any other areas where little or no soiling is evident.