Keeping upholstered furniture clean is essential, but some fabrics are much easier to work with than others! Here’s which fabrics are easiest to keep clean, and how we can assist in cases where professional help is the best option.
Low-maintenance fabrics
- When it comes to fabrics that are easiest to keep clean, prepared leather and vinyl top the list with ease. Although not as soft and sumptuous as other upholstery fabrics, these have the benefit of being able to be wiped clean.
- If you are looking for a velvet that is easy to keep clean, we recommend choosing a polyester velvet when shopping for a new piece of furniture or re-upholstering. Poly-velvet resists fading, crushing and stains, giving you the best of both worlds.
- If your furniture is used by children or pets, then it is going to be more vulnerable to staining. You should opt for microfibre fabrics and certain faux suedes where you can, as they are largely stain-resistant, and spills can be cleaned up with a damp cloth.
- Cotton and linen blends are becoming more and more popular, thanks to the durability that they offer. Pure cotton and linen are a timeless choice, but caring for them can sometimes be complex. Blends are a much more practical choice, as they offer a much greater degree of stain resistance.
A note on natural fabrics
While natural fabrics can require more dedicated care, there’s nothing to say that they should never be used for upholstery. Always buy your furniture from a trusted supplier who can provide plenty of information on how to care for the fabric, and if you are re-upholstering shop around to find natural fabrics that are suitable for the level of wear and tear seen by furniture in your property. We have lots of experience cleaning natural fabrics, so will be able to help you keep yours looking fantastic for as long as possible.
Silks are luxurious and look wonderful, but always find a specialist cleaner who can care for this fabulous fibre. And always remember that about 85% of quality furnishing fabrics are “Dry clean only” according to the manufacturers.
We’re on hand to help
We know our fabrics and provide a soft furnishing care cleaning service that is tailored to suit the needs of each customer. With a wide range of cleaning materials at our disposal, we will quickly be able to settle on a plan of action for your upholstery.
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Testimonials
"You are a genius! Our curtains look fantastic - and the pelmets and tassels so much better than I ever hoped. I can't thank you enough for all the time and attention and extra care you gave them. It did make a huge difference even from the way they looked."
"I wanted to take a moment to say 'Thank You' for making it possible to get my curtains hung the other day. Your technician was extremely experienced, professionally and frankly an all round nice 'Scot'!"
"Very pleased with the result of their cleaning my lounge curtains. French fabric, slightly faded 10 year old linen curtains which they cleaned beautifully and put back up resulting in them looking better than originally hung when new."
"Ian and his team came and rehung the curtains and pelmets. They all look GREAT and I can't thank you enough for all your kindness, attention, and skill - we hope for no further dramas, and to be able to sit in the room and enjoy the results of your labours."
"Today I had the pleasure of one of your employees visiting my house in Richmond. To my shame I did not catch his name. I thought it might have been on the estimate/pro forma but I cannot find it. I just thought you would want to know that I cannot imagine having a friendlier or more knowledgable person. If your other staff are at this level you are a very lucky employer indeed."
"Gregory has done a great job for us. What a great guy!"
"Have used twice for carpet cleaning and once for upholstery cleaning. Very professional."
"I just wanted to let you know how happy I was with the work you recently did for us cleaning rugs and curtains. Your representative Ian was especially good, courteous, efficient, knowledgeable and helpful. I just wanted to pass that on to you, and hopefully you will let him know."
"A note to say thank you for doing such an impressive job in cleaning my bedroom curtains. They look amazing and your service was quick, courteous and efficient. I will definitely recommend you."
"I just wanted to thank you, and your colleagues, for the lovely blinds you made for us. I have been very impressed with all aspects of your service (the speed of your initial response, Gerry's knowledge and approach when he came to measure up and the speed with which you made and delivered the blinds) and we are delighted with the finished products. Please pass our thanks onto your colleagues."
"I just wanted to say thank you so much for arranging the carpet cleaning and for fitting this in the diary so quickly, we really appreciated it. Ray and John have done a great job and I am amazed that the stains in the carpet seem to have vanished!"
"Well I was on site yesterday and Gerry did a fabulous job and the curtains, all things considered, look great. Well done – great job!! Thank you."
"What a pleasure to meet Roger – what an expert and I really appreciate your follow-up and all details. Professionalism in feet and inches… love it"
"I just wanted to thank you again for today. I believe it is Gerry I met and he was absolutely wonderful in re-fitting the curtain and pelmets and extremely helpful."
"I have recently had my lounge suite cleaned, having used your company to clean curtains and a rug last year and was very impressed.The staff on the phone are very friendly and efficient as well as the staff who visited the house,combined with the super quality of service and results and extremely good value, yours is the only Company I would ever use or recommend.Thank you."
"Many thanks. It is always a pleasure to do business with your company. You always do what you say you will do!"
"I just wanted to write to let you know how delighted I was with my curtains. They came back yesterday and two lovely gentlemen took great care in hanging them. The additional blue material has been so beautifully added. The workmanship is of such a high standard. I wanted to express heartfelt thanks for your assistance and to all that worked on them. It just leaves me to wish you and the company continued success. I am sure I will be using your services again."
We had a post builder sparkling clean and the service was exceptional. Nothing was too much trouble, Maria and the team were extremely accommodating, and the house was spotless when they left. We look forward to bringing them onto many projects in the future.
Immaculate service. From booking, through estimating, to cleaning. They have knowledgeable employees who are thorough and care. Amazing results too. They do things correctly, the first time, with the right attitude (which I find isn't often the case here in London!).
My large white curtains and blinds were cleaned, washed and rehung to perfection during November 2020. When Ian, who was extremely helpful, professional, friendly, prompt, and knowledgeable, rehung these in several rooms, they were gleaming white, clean and fresh, just as though they were brand new again. Pilgrim Payne is the tops and Ian is a fine ambassador for such a superb company. MANY THANKS
I always have my curtains and upholstery cleaned by Pilgrim Payne. They do a fantastic job, are reliable and trustworthy. They are not cheap but are worth every penny. In particular I want to praise John who gets out stains that I didn't think were possible to remove. On his recent visit he transformed my 7-year-old white sofa so that it looked like a new purchase! And he magicked away two unsightly spots from a cream curtain. He is Mr Magic Man!!
Great customer service! And very skilled people! This time for my small studio I wanted REAL professional and skilled people to do my cream carpet. And I was most happy to have great service from Chris for estimates and Charlie who did a fabulous job making my carpet come back to life! Money well spent!
Jamie from Pilgrim Payne has just left, and all the rugs look new, thanks to his care and attention. A lovely friendly person to have in the house - and the dog thinks so too.