Do you clean upholstery?

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Swani
I've avoided many upholstery cleaning jobs in the past because I flat out couldn't ID it and I didn't know which process to use. I'd even lost some carpet cleaning jobs because I declined to clean the furniture and the homeowner wanted the carpets and furniture all cleaned at the same time so they didn't have the hassle of several appointments, and I can't blame them. In an effort to prevent losing customers or destroying some high dollar piece of furniture I decided to do something about it and attended Jim Pemberton's Fine Fabric Care Workshop. We learned how to ID and clean every fabric we encounter in the field. I've got a whole new level of confidence and knowledge. This was by far the best class that I have attended. It was limited to 15 people which was nice because Jim was able to help us individually. We had a wide variety of cleaners with some that had less than 1 year and some that had around 40 years. It wasn't some class trying to sell me products or tools. It was a straight up hands on class with information I'll use every day in the field. Sorry for the long post but I felt it was important to give an honest testimonial.
 

DAT

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I would like to buy bolts of fine fabrics and make square cushions for practice cleaning and experiments for stain removal. Also to see what and how chemical react to natural fibers and other sensitive materials.
 
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you should be

but now you know you don't have to be afraid of 78.649% of the upl you see.
and BTW, you can still decline (and maybe should) the 12.378% you might encounter


..L.T.A.
The only thing I'll really decline is something that another cleaner attempted to clean incorrectly. I'm not about to make some cleaners problem, my problem.
 
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I would like to buy bolts of fine fabrics and make square cushions for practice cleaning and experiments for stain removal. Also to see what and how chemical react to natural fibers and other sensitive materials.
We had several cushions in class that were natural, synthetic and blends. Silk really surprised me on several levels on how treatable it is if done correctly.
 

darcie smith

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We had several cushions in class that were natural, synthetic and blends. Silk really surprised me on several levels on how treatable it is if done correctly.
One of those cushions used to reside in my garage, haha. So glad the class was helpful to you. Jim is a great instructor.
 

Cleanworks

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I would like to buy bolts of fine fabrics and make square cushions for practice cleaning and experiments for stain removal. Also to see what and how chemical react to natural fibers and other sensitive materials.
Go down to a thrift store. Some times you will find fine fabric cushions for under $5.
 
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I'm thinking of buying a dedicated enclosed trailer to pickup furniture so I can do it in shop rather than doing in the customer's home. I also would like to get into rugs.
 

Mikey P

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Put me in a room my Porta Power, a bucket of Releasit, my double stripe mitt, a SSUP hooked to my 370 and 100 different sofas, blindfolded, and I bet 90 of them pass the test.


The other 10 we can put on Marty's porch.
 
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Cleanworks

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I'm thinking of buying a dedicated enclosed trailer to pickup furniture so I can do it in shop rather than doing in the customer's home. I also would like to get into rugs.
Most furniture you can do in a customers home. Anything you don't feel comfortable doing, decline it. You will need a second person to help you load and unload and I think the cost would be prohibitive. Rugs can be profitable and most of the time can be handled by one man. Until you start getting 10x14 British Indians or larger. I limit the size of rug I do to 10x14 and sub out the rest. Just like upholstery, you need some training on rugs you dont need all the latest equipment to start a garage shop but do need to be able to identify the fibre content and how to clean it.
 
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BIG WOOD

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I'm thinking of buying a dedicated enclosed trailer to pickup furniture so I can do it in shop rather than doing in the customer's home. I also would like to get into rugs.
Does your customer really want you to take their furniture that they sit on every day for a few days? I could see if it was a $10k couch that had some sort of delicate Egyptian fiber, or whatever.

But for a microfiber or some other different looking polyester couch with maybe a little cotton interwoven in it, just clean it dude. Go get a couple different tools, watch a few videos one day you're not working, test on your furniture and some friends to get started, schedule a time to take Jim Pemberton's class and go to work.


There was one time in my career that I had that suggested to me of taking the furniture off site. It was a man who sold me my tm that I bought in Texas. He was the ONLY one who ever said that. take a hint
 
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BIG WOOD

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Just ask questions. The first question if you don't know what fabric it is: How much did you pay for it, and where did you buy it? That will tell you 99% of the time if it's a cheap poly or some stupid luxury fiber
 
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Brian H

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Taking furniture off site opens you up to a host of issues:

  • Damage to the furniture while moving it out of the home.
  • Preexisting damage to the furniture that was not noted that is blamed on you since it was out of the customer's home.
  • Damage to the home itself when moving the furniture out of the home.
  • Preexisting damage to the customer's home that was not noted that is blamed on you from moving the furniture.
  • You will need a decent size pick-up/delivery vehicle.
  • You will always need at least two people.
  • The customer has limited places to sit while the furniture is out of the home.
Those are just some issues off the top of my head...
 
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Does your customer really want you to take their furniture that they sit on every day for a few days? I could see if it was a $10k couch that had some sort of delicate Egyptian fiber, or whatever.

But for a microfiber or some other different looking polyester couch with maybe a little cotton interwoven in it, just clean it dude. Go get a couple different tools, watch a few videos one day you're not working, test on your furniture and some friends to get started, schedule a time to take Jim Pemberton's class and go to work.


There was one time in my career that I had that suggested to me of taking the furniture off site. It was a man who sold me my tm that I bought in Texas. He was the ONLY one who ever said that. take a hint
I already took Jim's class. My market is also probably a little different than yours. I would say around 75% of my cleanings are vacation homes that people have spent a great deal of money decorating. Some of these people I have never met because they're never there when I am. So in some cases it's not that big of a deal if I remove the piece from their home. I'm not going to be taking microfiber or poly out of the home. Only delicates. For the people that are there, after I've been cleaning 1500 to 2000 sq. Ft. Of carpet in a 3 level home. I don't want to start cleaning a velvet chair that might take more then one application to clean or treat a stain. I may be misquoting this but "time is our enemy in the customer's home, but time is our friend in our home shop" meaning the customer wants you the hell out their home, they don't want you there all day.
 

Jim Pemberton

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Some good advice from both sides of the issue here.

Contact me privately Nick and I'll share some ideas to fine tune this for you, including the experiences of companies who have made this work nicely for them.

It was good meeting you, and I'll look forward to helping you reach your goals.
 

The Great Oz

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bryan
We clean high-end (goofy) furniture, have two man delivery trucks, and take only a small percentage of furniture to our shop.
I don't want to start cleaning a velvet chair that might take more then one application to clean or treat a stain.
That's one reason to take something off-site; you can look at it after it dries and do some more cleaning or grooming. Having compressed air to use is handy as well.

Some stuff needs to be dry-cleaned or have a dry solvent used for spotting, and many customers don't want it used in their home. Sometimes potential/imagined damage to the room may be a greater risk than moving the piece out for cleaning.

Having the ability to move stuff from a house being renovated to a storage area after cleaning may set you apart. Don't be shy about charging enough to make the furniture handling profitable.
 

Cleanworks

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Years ago, I was working for a company that did specialty upholstery. We had to remove a large sofa from a condo, take it to the shop, clean and return it to a new home. Only problem was, the piece was too big to get out of the doors. Apparently, it had been assembled in that condo. We had an upholster take apart the fabric, saw the sofa into 2 pieces, then put it together again after it was cleaned and delivered. No idea what the company charged but i'm sure it was worthwhile.
 
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BIG WOOD

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I already took Jim's class. My market is also probably a little different than yours. I would say around 75% of my cleanings are vacation homes that people have spent a great deal of money decorating. Some of these people I have never met because they're never there when I am. So in some cases it's not that big of a deal if I remove the piece from their home. I'm not going to be taking microfiber or poly out of the home. Only delicates. For the people that are there, after I've been cleaning 1500 to 2000 sq. Ft. Of carpet in a 3 level home. I don't want to start cleaning a velvet chair that might take more then one application to clean or treat a stain. I may be misquoting this but "time is our enemy in the customer's home, but time is our friend in our home shop" meaning the customer wants you the hell out their home, they don't want you there all day.
Now that makes more sense. I thought you meant all upholstery in your original post. I think you're coming up with a good plan if you're wanting to take care of the more delicate fibers
 
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Now that makes more sense. I thought you meant all upholstery in your original post. I think you're coming up with a good plan if you're wanting to take care of the more delicate fibers
Thanks Matt! I should have been more specific in my first post. I always appreciate your input!
 
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