Good news first: preparing for an upholstery cleaning visit takes about ten minutes, and none of it involves cleaning anything yourself. But those ten minutes decide whether the technician spends the visit cleaning or moving your stuff. The checklist, in order of importance.
The essentials (do these)
- Clear the furniture itself. Throws, pillows you do not want cleaned, laptops, chargers, toys, the TV remote. Under-cushion archaeology is real — we find everything, but finding takes time.
- Make a path. The machine is suitcase-sized and needs to roll from the door to the sofa. Shoes in the hallway and the drying rack are the usual blockers.
- Point out every stain and its story. Before we start, not after. “Red wine, March” and “unknown, old” get different pre-treatments (why the walkthrough matters).
- Secure pets in another room. The machine is loud, doors open repeatedly, and anxious cats are escape artists. For the same reason, tell us about the pets — enzyme pre-treatment gets packed when we know.
- A working outlet near the furniture. Rarely a problem; worth knowing if your living room runs on one power strip behind the bookcase.
Building logistics (NYC-specific)
- COI: if your building requires a certificate of insurance, say so at booking — it is routine paperwork done in advance, not at the door (the full co-op guide)
- Elevator rules: some doormen buildings restrict service visits to certain hours; check with the front desk when you pick the window
- Parking is our problem, not yours — part of what “local” means (borough logistics)
What NOT to do
- Do not pre-scrub stains. Rubbing sets stains and abrades fiber; whatever is there, leave it to the pre-treatment (myth #8)
- Do not apply store products the night before. Foam residue complicates extraction chemistry — arriving to a freshly “Resolved” sofa is arriving to two cleaning jobs
- Do not move heavy furniture yourself. Sofas we clean in place or shift ourselves; your back is not part of the service plan
- Do not vacuum for us. Included, and our vacuum pass is part of the process anyway
Planning the rest of your day
A sofa runs 45–90 minutes; add a mattress and you are near two hours (times by job). After we leave, fabric needs 2–6 hours of airflow to dry — crack a window, run a fan, keep pets and juice boxes off until dry to the touch (drying details). Evening guests? Book a morning slot (timing strategy).
Prep FAQ
Should I wash the slipcovers and cushion covers first?
No — leave everything as is. Machine-washing covers separately causes color mismatch with the cleaned body of the sofa.
Do I need to be home?
For the start and the end. Offices and rentals often hand us keys; for homes we prefer you see the walkthrough.
Anything for kids to know?
Only that the couch is off-limits until dry — the hardest rule in the checklist. Booking during school hours solves it: +1 (631) 829-4082, from $99.
