One of the most common complaints we hear about upholstery cleaning is that it takes too long, or that it is not profitable (which means the same thing!) In addition, many cleaners find upholstery cleaning to be very hard work.

Simply stated: It tires you out and you hurt when it's done!

While there is no doubt that it takes more time and skill to clean upholstery fabrics, especially when the fabrics have delicate textures or sensitive fibers; there are some basic steps that can be taken to make the job easier and less painful to both the back and wallet.

One of the most over- looked ways to produce better and faster results is the use of "dwell time" in the cleaning process.

Of the four principles of soil suspension (Chemical, Agitation, Temperature, And Time), the principle of "Time" is generally ignored or misunderstood. There are a great number of cleaners who feel that "Time" refers to the length of time it takes to clean an item; this is absolutely not the case.

Time in this sense means "dwell time", the time that the cleaning agent has to work on the soil before being removed.

No matter how powerful your cleaning equipment is, and no matter how strong your cleaning agent is, if you don't allow time for a preconditioner to work, you will work too hard to get out too little soil. Carpet cleaners may seem to "get away with" over-looking this principle and get apparent satisfactory results, but upholstery cleaners find it much harder to do.

When cleaning upholstery, practice applying a preconditioner appropriate for the fabric and the system of cleaning that you are using, and then Let It Work!

Begin cleaning the outside arms and back, as well as other lightly soiled areas while your preconditioner suspends the heavy soils on the arms and cushions. By the time that you are ready to clean these soiled areas, you should find that the soil releases more readily, with less wetting of the fabric (a definite "plus" to you and your customer).

If during your cleaning of these areas you find that the fabric still isn't coming as clean as you'd like, apply more preconditioner, gently agitate, and let it sit while you clean other areas. You'll often find the area that you retreated will respond better than if you had continually scrubbed and flushed the area with excessive moisture or solvent.

As with any rule, there are exceptions! Fabrics that might not be colorfast, such as some natural fiber jacquards, may be risky to leave any cleaning agent work on for more than a few minutes. Also, natural "raw" cotton, such as Haitian Cotton, should not have any preconditioning agent left on it for extended periods, as it may contribute to browning later.

If you use this principle properly, and with a little care, you'll find that you'll use less water (or solvent), leave less residue, and actually save time, with "dwell time"!