How do YOU clean upholstery?

The soil and staining conditions of the upholstery dictate the speed. Speed up on the clean areas and slow down on the soiled areas.

I’ve spent a lot of time getting better at fiber ID and any special processes based on the fiber type. Lots of good tips on cleanfax.com. Practice on your own upholstery.

I was trained at Heaven’s Best initial class, then trained by nearby operator who’s territory I purchased when I purchased mine (he was IICRC certified in Upholstery cleaning), then I took an IICRC upholstery cleaning class, and finally took the leather cleaning class at the Vegas Heaven’s Best Nat’l convention. Every class I was hoping for a “secret” that would shave a bunch of time off the cleaning, and I have yet to find it. Upholstery takes time to do it right, and I always tell customers it doesn’t clean up as nice as carpet does for many reasons. I agree with Rick. Fiber identification helps. I do the same process you do, although I usually finish by using a towel after extraction. Shows me what is left and if I need another pass or three. Finish with a fan. Sutton is right as well, just like carpet cleaning, spend more time/effort on the dirty parts than the clean parts. I charge $99/couch, $89 Loveseat, $49 recliner, and $15 ottoman as my standard rates. Cotton, cotton blends, leather, extremely soiled or animal hair covered upholstery, and tons of pillows all can add to that price.