Upholstery Cleaning Information & Procedures

Pricing and Income Potential

Consider the following guideline for pricing your upholstery cleaning services:
Synthetic $8 - $10 per Ln. ft. for maintenance cleaning and $10 - $15 per Ln. ft. for restorative cleaning
Blends $12 - $15 per Ln. ft. for maintenance cleaning and $15 - $20 per Ln. ft. for restorative cleaning
Naturals $15 - $20 per Ln. ft. for maintenance cleaning and $20 plus per foot for restorative cleaning.
Silk $20 per Ln. ft. +, depending on the piece

This pricing equates to approximately $150 - $200 per man hour average income depending on fabric and fiber construction, soiling condition and overall technician experience.  Many companies demand rates considerably higher than this depending on their target market and whether or not they perform “in-plant” vs “on location” cleaning.Upholstery cleaning has taken on many changes over the last decade or so.  The introduction of some new cleaning tools, combined with the furniture industry’s push to produce and sell more “family friendly” fabrics has led the cleaning contractor to believe he can clean virtually any fabric with his standard carpet cleaning chemicals and his upholstery tool.  However, this is not the case.  It is still extremely important to follow proper cleaning fundamentals when cleaning upholstered fabrics.

There are many companies around the country that clean only furniture and avoid carpet cleaning altogether.  They do this because of the lack of competition and the profitability of furniture cleaning with a lot less equipment cost.  For example, you don’t need an expensive truck mount to clean upholstery. 
Most upholstered fabrics are a blend of more than one fiber, typically containing a natural fiber such as cotton.  Every occupied structure you enter has upholstery cleaning opportunities.  The right tools, such as the Hydro-Force Hydro-Kinetic tool combined with the right chemistry, such as The Bridgepoint Avenge Upholstery Cleaning System has made cleaning these pieces easier and more profitable than ever before.

Product List   (Suggested items to perform this service)

Upholstery tool,     Synthetic sponge,     Disposable nitrile gloves,      Horse Hair Brush hand size Lint roller,      Dry Cleaning Sponge,      Bone Spatula,      Small measuring cup,     Spotting towels 2-qt pump sprayer,     Fan Jet spray Trigger sprayer,      Pill Remover,     Handi Brush                Whiz Groom,     Air King Plus air mover,     Avenge HD Upholstery Prespray,    Dye-Loc,  Upholstery Prespray,    Fabric Shampoo,     Acidic Rinse,     Upholstery Protector,            Upholstery Training Module,    Spotting Kit 

Educational Resources

   • Fast Track Upholstery Cleaning Guide • Quick Reference Guide for Upholstery Cleaning                • JumpStart Technician Training Module
   • Fast Track Upholstery Class                                                                                                            • IICRC Upholstery/Fabric Cleaning Technician School

Marketing

There are many avenues and many target markets to advertise your upholstery cleaning services which include, but are not limited to:

• Show upholstery cleaning on all forms and communication such as business cards, invoices, thank you letters, van or company vehicle, web site, referral coupons, etc. • Send reminder postcards to all existing customers. • Offer bundling packages when combined with other services such as carpet cleaning.
• Target furniture stores, interior decorators and furniture re-upholsterers to build a referral network. • Target auto and RV dealers for cleaning and protection services.

With the proper tools and equipment, upholstery cleaning is easy to learn, very profitable and is a much needed service among your current customer base.  Talk to your Interlink Supply Distributor today about getting started.