rough / abraded upholstery after professional cleaning - is this normal?

May 29, 2015 7:40 PM

We just had our couch, ottoman and thick, dense rug professionally cleaned. Now the couch and ottoman have a rough, crusty texture that the carpet guy said "will go away with use" - but they're pretty unpleasant to sit on right now. Both couch and rug look aged - like they were scraped pretty harshly. Is this normal? I was hoping having them cleaned would lengthen their lives, not shorten them. If not, what should I look out for to select a better cleaner next time? This outfit had pretty good yelp reviews.

more details:
All items are ~7 yo, not visibly dirty, but had minor soot exposure from a fire in our building. We had to have the cleaner come back a second time - the first time they missed the back of the couch, and after drying all items showed visibly more dirty patches and weird stripes etched into the pile. After a second attempt everything looks cleaner but more worn and feels rough.

posted by blu_stocking to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

That doesn't sound right. Generally, my family avoids "professional" cleaning services because we're wary of the chemicals they use and the results aren't any better than renting a steam machine and doing it yourself, but the few times we have had a cleaning company do our rugs and upholstered furniture, it's never felt crusty or looked visibly aged after the fact. I think you got a bum deal. It sounds like they didn't remove all of the chemical or soap residue and that's why it feels weird.

Ask amongst your friends and see if you can get a recommendation for a better company and have them clean everything again. If you can't get a solid recommendation, consider buying a steam cleaner from Costco or Bed, Bath & Beyond (20% off coupon) and doing it yourself. I did this when the kiddies were small and messy and it was a very good investment; it totally extended the life of our furniture and I sold the vacuum cleaner years later for close to what I paid for it new. Good luck.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 8:44 PM on May 29, 2015

Agree that it doesn't sound right. I've had my carpets and my upholstered furniture cleaned on several occasions. I've used Chem Dry, a traditional cleaner, and an eco/green cleaner. Nothing ever turned out crusty. Left too wet, sure, but not crusty. I think you should ask for a manager to come out and check it out. If they can't resolve the issue, you should get a refund and try a different service.
posted by vignettist at 8:52 PM on May 29, 2015

Response by poster: Ugh. We already had a manager out after the first go, and now I've noticed that they scrubbed out a bunch of the sculpted details on the rug and shrunk the skirts on our couch. :-(
posted by blu_stocking at 10:34 PM on May 29, 2015

They wrecked your rug and furniture. They're liable for it. I agree with vignettist that you're entitled to a refund. Document your issues and email them with a request for reimbursement. If they refuse, you may want to contact a lawyer with help in filing a small claims suit. Good luck!
posted by cartoonella at 7:06 AM on May 30, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks all. Thankfully we are getting a full refund, although that of course doesn't reverse the damage.
posted by blu_stocking at 9:51 AM on May 30, 2015

Blu_stocking, I'm sorry to hear that your rug and couch were permanently damaged. I don't think it's enough that you're just getting a simple refund in this case. Most companies like this carpet cleaning company that ruined your items are bonded and insured for damages such as this, so I think you should pursue it further and try to get replacement value for the things that they've ruined. Contact them again and let them know that you want to pursue a claim; if you get any blowback from them, you may need to pursue this in small claims court. Also, your home owner's insurance may cover the damages (but I'd be reluctant to go this route as it may raise your rates) or if you charged the service on a credit card, they may go to bat for you in regards to the damages. Call and find out.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 12:52 PM on May 30, 2015 [6 favorites]