Boston Upholsterers Boston, MA

Pet oils will destroy a couch: Be sure to pretreat

Ron Plourde, President
Custom Fabric Care of New England Inc., Wellesley, Mass.
sites.google.com/site/customfabriccareofnewengland/

Ron Plourde, general manager of Custom Fabric Care of New England Inc. founded in 1986, takes a service-related approach to his business. “We’re here to provide complete customer satisfaction,” says Plourde, a five-time Super Service Award winner. “That’s our core philosophy.”  

What's the best way to care for my upholstery as a pet owner?

Ron Plourde: "Pretreat your furniture's fabric with a protective bonding, sealing the fibers so the furniture becomes somewhat impervious to urine, vomit and fur balls. Dogs have a way of using the lower portion of a sofa as a napkin.

"Just like humans on rainy days, they want to be clean and dry. Dogs are known to rub up against the side of the sofa to dry off. Animal oils can cause color changes to the upholstery. However, the protective pretreatment should help repel some stains and spills.

"Upholstery is a lot like boxed cereal. It comes in many different shapes, sizes and textures. There is nothing basic when it comes to furniture. Unlike the standard chairs and sofas you'll find in Europe, most American furniture comes in overstuffed, oversized varieties, which cost a little extra to clean.

"Most upholstery cleaners will provide price quotes by phone. Cleaning an upholstered armchair will range between $28-$60. Coating an armchair with protective bond will cost between $24-$40 per piece, depending on its size and texture.

"Professional upholstery cleaners will treat nearly every type of stain and have a complete arsenal designed to eradicate them, including those from pets, red wine and coffee.

"Biodegradable products work best. They're more costly than what's available in commercial markets, but we insist on using them for the safety of pets, children and the environment.

"In addition, Microban can be used to sanitize the piece of furniture. It works great when we encounter water damage, because it doesn't just deodorize - it also kills mold, mildew and fungus. It's phenomenal for furniture damaged during flooding.

"Usually, water-based cleaning methods are used on upholstery, but for fine wool, linen, cotton and silk fabrics, we recommend a dry-cleaning method. Leather upholstery requires special cleaning as well.

"Cat claws can easily scratch and damage leather hide, especially to bold-colored sofas with hunter green, burgundy or midnight blue upholstery. However, you can have the leather dyed in its unique color to camouflage where it was scratched. And practically every type of leather can be pretreated for spills."