Faux Suede Upholstery Cleaning in Teignmouth TQ14 – Choosing the Right Cleaning Method
Not every piece of upholstery should be cleaned in the same way.
Today, the MASTERCLEAN® team were in Teignmouth, Devon TQ14, cleaning a large six-seater corner suite upholstered in a faux-suede fabric — a material sometimes referred to within the cleaning industry as buffalo hide.
Although its appearance resembles suede, this type of upholstery is actually a man-made fabric. And over many years of cleaning these suites, we've learned that understanding the construction of the fabric is every bit as important as choosing the cleaning solution.
Why We Didn't Use Our Extraction Machine
For most suitable upholstery, professional hot-water extraction is an extremely effective cleaning method. But professional cleaning isn't about automatically reaching for the most powerful machine available.
It's about choosing the method appropriate for the individual fabric.
This particular type of faux suede consists of a very fine synthetic flock bonded to a backing material. It can be highly resistant to water passing through its face, while excessive moisture and suction can create unnecessary problems with the bonded construction.
The upholstery tool itself can also tend to lock onto the fabric under strong vacuum.
For those reasons, trying to force an extraction-cleaning process onto this particular suite would have added complication without adding any benefit.
A Controlled Low-Moisture Approach
Instead, we used a carefully controlled detergent free cleaning solution, applied directly to the upholstery.
The fabric was then thoroughly agitated by hand to release accumulated soiling from the surface and fine synthetic pile.
Once the cleaning solution had done its work, the upholstery was extensively hand-towelled using clean absorbent towels. This simultaneously removes the released soil and moisture while allowing our technicians to continually inspect the fabric as they work.
It's a relatively simple process — but one that relies heavily on technique, patience and knowing how the material behaves.
And importantly, it avoids unnecessarily saturating the upholstery.
The Cleaning Method Should Fit the Fabric
There's an important point behind today's job.
A large extraction machine may look impressive, but professional upholstery cleaning isn't defined by the machine being used.
Different fibres, dyes, backing materials and fabric constructions can require completely different approaches. Before cleaning upholstery, we consider the material in front of us and select the method we believe will achieve the best result while minimising unnecessary risk.
Sometimes that's hot-water extraction.
Sometimes it's solvent cleaning.
And sometimes, as with today's faux-suede suite in Teignmouth, a carefully controlled low-moisture hand-cleaning process is the better choice.
“Looks Amazing!”
Most importantly, our customer was delighted with the finished suite.
On today's MASTERCLEAN® Customer Satisfaction Report, the overall experience was rated Excellent. Our customer confirmed that she was happy with the cleaning results, found our technicians polite and professional, and would recommend MASTERCLEAN® to others.
Her additional comment summed the job up rather nicely:
“Looks amazing!”
A great end to another successful day. Visit our Upholstery Cleaning in Teignmouth TQ14 page to learn more or find MASTERCLEAN® Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Near You.
Trusted across Devon for over 60 years – based in Exeter.
