Sofa cleaning in Dublin

Different furniture, same careful method

A good fabric sofa can last for decades, and so can a set of dining chairs or a buttoned headboard. What wears them out first is rarely the frame. It's grime, spills and the oils from hands and hair, worked into the fabric a little more every day.

We clean upholstery in your home anywhere in Dublin, using hot-water extraction with a small upholstery tool: hot water and cleaning solution rinsed into the fabric and pulled straight back out. The method is the same for every piece. What changes is the preparation, how much moisture goes in, and what we protect around the fabric. This page goes through the furniture we're asked about most. For the overview of how we check fabrics and handle stains, see our main upholstery cleaning in Dublin page.

The work is done by Ciprian, who set up Spotless, and his small crew. He completed Prochem carpet-cleaning training in 2018 (certificate no. 2018/020), and Spotless is fully insured on every job.

Three-piece suites and armchairs

The classic suite, a sofa and two matching armchairs, is still one of the most common jobs we see. In many homes it lives in the front room and looks fine from the door, until you look at the arms and the top of the back cushions.

• Clean the set together. A cleaned sofa next to uncleaned chairs makes the chairs look tired, especially in cream, beige or pale green.
• Show-wood frames. Older suites often have carved or polished wooden arms and feet. We keep the solution off the wood and wipe any splash straight away.
• Fixed and loose cushions. Loose seat cushions come off so we can clean the deck underneath, where crumbs and coins collect. Fixed backs are cleaned in place.

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Single chairs follow the same rules. Velvet and other pile fabrics are checked carefully first, because the pile can flatten or mark if it's treated like a flat weave.

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Corner, modular and sofa beds

Corner sofas have more fabric than anything else in the house, and most of it gets used. The corner seat is often the favourite, and the chaise end takes feet, pets and children all day.

• Modular sections are pulled apart a little so we can clean the sides and the joins, where crumbs and pet hair hide.
• Every cushion lifted, so the base, the seams and the backs of the cushions are done too.
• Drying takes planning. With this much fabric, we stand cushions up and set air movers going, and a morning booking gives it the day.
• Sofa beds are cleaned as a sofa, then opened out so the fold-out mattress can be done separately.

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Recliners

Recliners collect more than most chairs. The headrest takes hair oil, the arms take hands, and the gap at the footrest swallows crumbs, coins and the occasional remote control.

We vacuum the gaps first, then clean the fabric with the chair closed. On electric recliners, the chair is unplugged before we start and stays unplugged until it's dry, and water is kept well away from the motor and the mechanism underneath. Our work is mainly fabric upholstery; if your recliner is leather or faux leather, mention it and we'll tell you honestly whether it's one for us.

Dining chairs and headboards

Dining chairs

Dining chairs come in sets, so they're quick to do together. Most have a drop-in seat pad or a fixed upholstered seat, and some have padded backs as well. Light-coloured seats show every dropped dinner, and the front edge greys from the backs of knees.

We clean each seat and back, keeping solution off the wooden frame, and the seats are usually dry within a few hours. Leave them a while longer before anyone sits down in good clothes.

Headboards

Fabric headboards sit right where heads rest, so they pick up hair oil, make-up and hand marks along the top. Deep-buttoned headboards also hold dust in every button.

We clean headboards in place, with the bed eased out a little. The moisture stays low because the wall is right behind, and we work dust out of the buttons before the main clean. If the mattress needs doing too, mattress cleaning can be added to the same visit.

Zipped cushions and care codes

Why the covers stay on the cushion

A zip on a cushion cover looks like an invitation to wash it. It isn't. The zip is there so the cover can be fitted over the foam when the sofa is made. Machine-washing causes three problems:

1. Shrinkage. Even a small amount means the cover won't go back over the foam, or goes back on tight and wrinkled.
2. Colour change. A washed cover comes out a different shade from the arms and back, which can't go in a machine.
3. Damaged backing. Many upholstery fabrics have a coating on the back that cracks or peels in a washing machine.

Cleaning the cover on the cushion keeps every part of the sofa the same colour and size.

Reading the care code

Look for the label under a seat cushion or under the frame. In short: W means water-based cleaning is fine, WS means water or solvent, S means solvent only and X means vacuum only. We wet-clean W and WS fabrics, and won't wet-clean S or X. Our sofa cleaning guide explains each code properly, and our guide to sofa stains covers what to do before we arrive.

What to photograph for a price

Upholstery is priced per piece, so a photo of each one gives you an accurate figure:

You'll get a fixed price before anything is booked. If a sofa is past saving, we can take it away with our furniture removal service instead, and if you'd like the carpets done on the same day, see carpet cleaning in Dublin.

Sofa cleaning around Dublin

We clean sofas in every part of the city and county, and some areas have a page of their own, written around what we meet most there: velvet and button-back sofas in Rathgar, period suites and wingbacks in Dalkey, linen and cotton-blend sofas in Ballsbridge, fake tan and biro marks in Donnybrook, big corner sofas in Carrickmines, the good-room suite in Castleknock, modular sofas and sofa beds in Ongar and family sofas with kids and pets in Lucan.