Expert Methods For Cleaning And Protecting Furniture

Furniture Cleaning Austin

Lots of people love leather furniture, but many people will buy leather furniture without realizing how to properly take care of it. To make things easier for you, let’s give you the expert methods for cleaning and conditioning leather.

What Type of Furniture Fabrics

If you’ve been under the impression that all types of leather take the same kind of maintenance, we’re here to let you know it's a little more complicated than that. It's very important to know what kind of leather you have before attempting to clean it.

Protected Leather- This makes up the majority of leather upholstery. Protected leather may also be labeled finished, semi-aniline, or pigmented leather. Protected leather, as the name suggests, is topped with a protective coating and is more durable than other leathers.

Unprotected Leather- Also called aniline, pure aniline, or unfinished leather, this leather has a more soft and luxurious feel. This type of leather is more sensitive to staining and is also more expensive than protected leather.

Furniture Treatment

When cleaning unprotected leather, you may use a slightly dampened cloth with distilled water, a dry cloth and vacuum (make sure you’re using the small brush attachment), or an approved leather cleaner. The specific manufacturer may have their own instructions, so be sure to check that out. But no matter what the method is, clean very gently with unprotected leather, as it is much more susceptible to staining.

Protected leather can handle a lot more, but you should still be careful to not use certain products. Clean with a vacuum and damp cloth, but only use approved leather cleaners.

An approved furniture protectopr should be applied every six to twelve months. To properly protect, add a small dollop of conditioner onto a small cloth and gently rub the conditioner all over the leather. This will keep your leather looking shiny and moisturized.

Steam Team Cleaning Professionals

But you have a busy schedule and you might not be able to do all of this yourself. If you need some help caring for your leather, we have you covered. The Steam Team can completely clean and condition your leather furniture for you. Feel free to call any time!

Pro advice on Cleaning Furniture and Textiles

Rug Cleaning Facility in Austin

You might hear people tell you that you shouldn’t get expensive furniture because it requires too much maintenance, but it doesn’t have to be hard to manage. In fact, if you know how to care for expensive furniture, it's rather easy.. Luckily for you, The Steam Team knows all about cleaning and protecting, and we’ve compiled this short guide to help you take great care of your furniture.

Managing Spills

The first thing you should be concerned with is avoiding spills, or if you do spill something on your expensive furniture, wipe it off quickly. When wiping a spill on furniture, use a soft, dry cloth and allow the area to air dry. If you aren’t able to find a cloth quick enough for whatever the reason may be, simply spread the spill towards the edge of the furniture and brush it off. Though this may sound like you’re just spreading the stain around, you’ll actually eliminate the outline of the watermark, which is the most obvious sign of a stain.

Why Protecting Furniture Matters

If your furniture is real cotton or wool, then it is necessary to protect with a quality sealant. Protecting the furniture can reduce staining, the burden of protection of the furniture falls on you, and you’ll have to do it regularly to keep the cotton and wool in good condition. It should be about every 6 to 12 months. For specifics, contact the manufacturer of your specific piece of furniture.

Steam Team Cleaning Experts

We understand that you’re probably a very busy person, and not everyone has the time on their hands to clean and protect their furniture on their own. That’s why we offer professional cleaning and protection services! For more information, please visit The Steam Team website.

What Do Customers Say About Their Steam Team Cleaning Experience?

cleaning services

If you’re dealing with water damage, a stained carpet, clogged appliances or many other issues in your home or business and you’re thinking about hiring The Steam Team, you might be wondering what previous Steam Team customers have to say. As a general rule, when you’re thinking about paying for the services of any company, it's always a good idea to look at customer reviews. So what do Steam Team customers say about the service they’ve received?

Customer Reviews

The Steam Team has been around a long time now, and we’ve been fortunate enough to receive lots of customer feedback! Let’s check out some of our reviews to give you a good idea of what we can do for you. One customer said, “The Steam Team cleaned my carpet today and brought a 15+ year old carpet back to great condition. I highly recommend this company!”. Another recent review said “I had my first experience with the Steam Team yesterday and couldn't have been more pleased! I had several large, old stains that I was sure would never come up - but I was proven wrong. Overall, it was a great experience”. 

Now it's true that we’re not the only company that offers these sorts of cleaning and restoration services, you can certainly find others. But we’ve seen that our customers have noticed a difference. For example, one customer had this to say; “I used The Steam Team for dryer duct cleaning, and I’ll never again look elsewhere! The last time I had this work done, the company that came out used only a shop vacuum to clean the duct, and I had to call them back twice because they did a terrible job. This time, I called The Steam Team, and they came out with all the necessary equipment, and did a terrific job.”

Steam Team Technicians

So how does The Steam Team consistently get such positive customer feedback? Well, as that last review said, we ensure all of our technicians have the necessary equipment for the job, as well as the right training. But beyond that, our technicians want to get the job done right the first time, and to make sure you have a great experience all around. To see all the services our highly trained technicians offer, please visit The Steam Team website.

Maintaining Your Marble Floor The Professional Way

Cleaning & Restoration in Austin

Marble flooring is a great choice to add sophistication and beauty to any home, as long as you know how to properly take care of the marble. Marble can be more sensitive to cleaning solutions than other flooring may be, so we’re here to tell you about the professional way to maintain that sleek shine of your marble floor.

The Importance Of Polishing

Polishing your marble is extremely important to keep its deep lustre. Most marble will need to be polished at least every one to three years, and some may even last five if they’re properly maintained. If you don’t have it polished in this time, it will have dull, damaged spots from day-to-day things like spills damaging the floor over time. This occurs because marble is sensitive to anything acidic, and as the seal is worn down over time, the marble starts to become damaged. Marble also happens to be very porous, so dirt will settle into it if the seal is damaged. If you notice any of this occurring, you need to have your marble floor professionally polished as soon as possible.

Professional Marble Polishing

As we mentioned before, marble is extremely sensitive to anything acidic, which is why most household cleaning products are not a good choice for polishing marble. Only certified marble polish, marble cleaner and marble sealer should be used. Without the proper equipment and methods, you can’t polish your marble floor on your own. That’s why we recommend our professional marble polishing service. We’ve got our very own line of marble polishing products to give the shine back to your marble. So if it’s time to have your marble polished and renewed, give us a call and let our team of professional restoration technicians help you today! For more information, please visit The Steam Team website.

The Steam Team Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

When it comes to upholstery cleaning, it can be quite different from cleaning other areas of the home- especially since there are many different types of upholstery that require different cleaning methods. But you want it to get done right, especially since your upholstery is something that will be used every day by your family or by guests in your home. Here at The Steam Team carpet cleaning we want your upholstery to look its very best, too. Here’s how we can help:

Upholstery Cleaning: The Process

Different fabrics call for different types of cleaning- that’s why when you call in The Steam Team, our process will start by inspecting your specific upholstery and recommending the very best cleaning method that our technicians can find for your fabric. To make sure you’re satisfied with the results of the clean, they’ll use the prefered method on one small area of the upholstery and ask for your approval before completing the job. If you don’t like the results of that method, they can try a different one for you! Our technicians won’t quit until you’re absolutely satisfied with the way your upholstery looks!

We also recommend that you try out our special fabric protectant to keep your upholstery safe from spills, children and pets that may cause damage over time. Without the protectant, your upholstery could be worn down and you would need to get it cleaned again or replaced entirely after a while. But with our fabric protectant, your upholstery will be able to withstand anything and last much longer!

Leather Upholstery

Our professional technicians can even handle leather upholstery. They’ll remove all dirt and grime from the surface and replenish all the natural oils that the leather requires to keep in good condition. For more information on upholstery cleaning and our many other services, please visit The Steam Team website.

How Do You Clean Furniture?

ow do you clean your leather furniture? Not sure how to? Well, that’s okay because below, we have five tips for cleaning for leather upholstery! We’ll start with the basics, and move onto the tasks that require professional treatment. And remember, The Steam Team has over a decade of experience in caring for leather furniture. And we’re just a phone call away!

Dry Dusting

Dust builds up quite quickly; we just tend to ignore it, procrastinating the chore. But procrastinate no more! Grab your clean, white, microfiber cloth and begin at one end of the furniture, working your way to the other. This will pick up most of the dirt and dust.

Utilizing the Vacuum

Your vacuum likely has a handy dandy attachment that’s perfect for your leather sofa! Use this attachment to reach areas like cushion corners and crevices, or even underneath your couch! If your vacuum lacks this attachment, skip to the next step:

Cleaning With a Moist Cloth

For light stains and stubborn areas of dirt, moisten a microfiber cloth and wipe gently. Be sure that you’re thorough, as you’d hate to have to redo your cleaning job!

Using Soaps and Detergents

If that bit of moisture doesn’t lift the dirt from your leather, try rubbing the microfiber cloth across a bar of mild soap. Do not rinse your furniture. Instead, buff it dry with a new, dry cloth. It’ll get the job done!

Steam Cleaning for the Best Results

For best results, we always recommend steam cleaning. Steam cleaning can achieve a clean that you’ll hardly be able to even believe. And what’s even better- it can all be done by the professionals. You don’t even have to lift a finger.

For help cleaning your leather furniture, don’t hesitate to call The Steam Team! We have over a decade of experience and expertise, plus all of the right equipment for the job! 

How to Help Upholstery Furniture Last Longer

Upholstery Cleaning Austin

Upholstery furniture is already known for its longevity- that’s one reason why we love having it in our living rooms! It looks beautiful, sustains wear and tear like a champ, and lasts longer than other materials. But with a few simple tips and tricks you can help it last even longer. All you need is a little consistency, the right cleaning formulas, and some well-practiced routines! And as always, The Steam Team is here to help! Furniture cleaning experts!

Thorough Cleaning on a Routine Basis

That upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner has never come more in handy! Use it to clean the nooks and crannies of your couches and sofas, and remove tons of dust, debris, dander, spilled cheerios- you name it. You can also dry dust with a soft, clean microfiber cloth. Your guests will be pleasantly surprised at the clean and pristine state of your furniture!

Proper Conditioning with Proper Supplies

When it comes to cleaning and conditioning your furniture, we suggest avoiding DIY techniques. Leave the olive oil, essential oils, and mayonnaise for your dinners and diffusers! Make sure you’re using either a formula specifically made for upholstered material, or another mild option: distilled water and a clean cloth.

Letting the Professionals Step in

Ah, the good ‘ol “Let us take care of it.” It’s true, it’s far easier and convenient to let the professionals come in and take care of your upholstery for you. This way, you avoid further damaging that precious ottoman of yours, or ruining your favorite reading chair! Professional companies like The Steam Team know exactly how to treat your furniture, and will treat it as if it were their very own. So don’t be afraid to put your trust in The Steam Team; not only are we properly experienced, but we’re experts! We know what we’re doing! We clean all types of textiles and furniture. 

3 Common Upholstery Cleaning Mistakes

Upholstery Cleaning Austin Texas USA

By now, we’re sure you know how important it is to clean your upholstered furniture - not only does it improve the aesthetic appeal of your sofa, but it also increases the overall longevity of the furniture. However, more often than not - people are making mistakes when cleaning their upholstered furniture. Whether cleaning your ottoman, loveseat, or even drapery - next time it’s time for a little spring cleaning - avoid these common mistakes.

Improperly Trying to Remove Stains

Every fabric responds to stains differently - using improper techniques to try and remove these stains could actually make them bigger. If not, you could damage the fabric of your furniture, leaving another permanent stain. Although, in some cases - the product you choose to use could be the real culprit.

Using the Wrong Products

Not all cleaning products are safe to use on every fabric, and you could end up causing more damage to your furniture rather than cleaning it. While you should always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines, they may not give you specific products to use. Don’t forget to check labels and ingredients - some products can lead stains to become permanent if used on the wrong fabric. Of course, test the product on a small area of your furniture (that you wouldn’t normally see), to ensure the fabric won’t have an abnormal reaction.

Not Hiring a Professional

While you may not consider hiring a professional for the “small” problems - improper techniques and damaging products can often turn a “small” stain into a “big” one. Whether it be for small stains or a regular cleaning, steam cleaning is one of the most effective ways to clean your upholstered furniture - especially when hiring the professionals. A reputable company with experienced technicians will use truck-mounted steam cleaning systems, providing stronger suction (thus, a better clean). When in doubt - always hire a professional!