In short: An oversized cream sectional and the large area rug under it, cleaned in one visit in Tiburon. Doing them together is the point — a freshly cleaned sofa standing on an uncleaned rug makes the rug look worse than it did before.
The situation
A long cream sectional, more than a dozen cushions between seats and backs, standing on a large patterned area rug in a bright Tiburon living room. Both had aged at the same rate for several years.
The original booking was for the sofa alone. We suggested adding the rug, and not to raise the ticket: cleaning one and not the other reliably makes the other look dirty, and the customer notices it the moment we leave.
What we did
- Cushions off and counted. Every cushion photographed in place first, so a sectional this size goes back exactly as it was.
- Sofa frame and deck first. Frame, deck and outside panels cleaned while the cushions were off.
- Cushions cleaned on both faces. Then stood on end in rows with air movers running.
- Rug cleaned in place. Cleaned on site with the floor protected underneath, then groomed and dried with air movement.
The result
The sectional came back even across its whole run, and the rug under it came up several shades brighter — which is exactly why it would have looked wrong left as it was.
Full day on site. The room was usable the same evening, with the rug fully dry by the next morning.
Questions people ask about this job
Should I clean my area rug and sofa at the same time?
If they sit together in the same room, yes. They soil at the same rate, and cleaning only one makes the difference between them obvious. Doing both in one visit also costs less than two separate appointments.
Can area rugs be cleaned at home, or do they have to be taken away?
Most synthetic and wool-blend rugs clean well in place, with the floor protected underneath and air movers to dry them. Antique, silk and hand-knotted rugs are better taken off site, where they can be washed and dried flat under controlled conditions.
How long does a large area rug take to dry?
Eight to twelve hours in place with air movement, longer for dense wool. We leave air movers running and the rug is normally dry by the following morning.
Sofa and rug that have aged together? Do them together.
Calculate my priceFreshTouchSF provides carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, handyman services and pressure washing in Tiburon and across the San Francisco Bay Area. See more jobs in our project journal.