An upholstery inspector once told me: "Mike you could throw a couch in a lake and if you could get it to dry in 20 minutes there would probably be no harm to even the most delicate fabric".

So we always knew that dry time was key to safety. The Vonschrader machine was excellent at this. Most fabrics dried within 30 minutes regardless of how many times you went over an area.  So there was no risk in repeating a cleaning procedure 4 or 5 times to get the best result on the arms or seat cushions.

With all of the other forms of cleaning, the more you go over the fabric the wetter it gets and the longer the dry time. And of course the higher the risk of something going wrong.  Bleeding, brownout and fugitive dyes are the most common issues cleaners face. I cant tell you how frustrating it was to throw a whole years worth of upholstery profit out the window because we had to buy a 5 thousand dollar couch!

The problem was, the machines were very high maintenance for us. We often only had 2 out of the 3 working at one time due to one failure or another.  Plus whenever the machine went down we usually had to wait a long time for parts. Don't get me wrong we loved the machines effectiveness. It just had a hard time holding up to the volume of use we were giving it.

So, around this time we started to experiment with devising our own system using the mechanics of what we had learned from the Vonschrador machine.  Now, when we cleaned with the Vonschrader machine we were creating a very thick foam almost like a thick lather. This foam mixed with the dirt and brushed nicely into the material. 

The foam came directly out of the brushhead while we massaged the brush into the fabric.  The more we brushed with the motorized brushhead, the more the foam seemed to release the dirt. Allot of times, the foam would turn brown as we powerbrushed it.

Then we would take the little vacuum head and just vacuum the foam off.  There was no moisture or rinsing agent  being injected into the fabric at all. This worked great.  The fabrics dried quickly and the customers loved the results. We set out to replace the Vonschrader machine with our own manual system. Here is what we came up with......

Prochem Fine Fabric Shampoo

After about a years worth of researching,  we found a product called Prochem Fine Fabric Shampoo. This is also a foaming type of cleaner that is very neutral so it can be used on pretty much any fabric. It cleans well , but the biggest key is the foaming action it creates. Its nice and thick just like the Vonschrader product. This is the only product we ask you to carry for upholstery cleaning. Here is a link to purchase this.  Prochem Fine Fabric Shampoo

So ultimately there are only 4 tools you need for upholstery cleaning:

Prochem Fine Fabric Shampoo	Upholstery Horse Hair Brush	Hand Pump Sprayer	Upholstery Handpiece

We came up with a 5 step procedure using this product.

You should be able to clean any upholstery fabric with this procedure.  it does not matter if the fabric is marked wet clean or dry clean only. This procedure is safe, its effective and its simple.  Just like the Vonschrader system.  

Of course there are many schools of thought as to how upholstery should be cleaned. And without question there are techniques that are much more aggressive then our process. But in terms of safety and risk management, I feel this is the best method we can employ. The fact of the matter is, our company has never damaged a piece of upholstery with this method.

A Brilliant Technique For Adding Upholstery While In The Home

How A Small White Cotton Towel  Can Create Dramatic In Home Sales.....

Our company utilizes a very specific demo technique to add upholstery as an In Home Sale. We consider this technique to be one of the most highly effective techniques ever devised for upholstery add-ons.   When  you identify  upholstery  that  could  benefit  from cleaning please use the following 6 step procedure to offer the service.  You  will  find  this  to  have  a   very high closing percentage.

Step 1	First we must make sure we have an enthusiastic customer who is thoroughly impressed with the initial service. This is critical. if the customer does not consider the initial service to be superior, this technique is not effective. (We should be at least 75% done with the initial service before proceeding to step 2)
Step 2	First explain to our client that there is a "cleaning result" you would like to show them "for future reference" "or maybe for the next time we come out"  ,  when you are done with the current item you are cleaning. (Example: The item could be a room of carpet cleaning you are finishing).  By offering this cleaning result for "future reference" you are showing a passive approach that is much more comfortable for the client. And you are eliminating the normal anxiety that gets created by up sales.  Also by explaining it as a "cleaning result"  the customer will have less concern of a sales experience..
Step 3	Pick the upholstered  item we are going to demo and ask the client to please come over to you.  Then use the following script: "I don't want you to think that I'm saying you need your upholstery cleaned today but this service is actually one of the best services we do and I just want to show it to you before I leave" "We have a solution that just works magic on upholstery"
Step 4	Take your vacuum hose and disconnect it from your wand.  Place a white towel over the mouth of the vacuum hose so air is being sucked through the towel. Spray a fine mist of  fine fabric shampoo over the towel. And rub the towel and hose end over the arm or seat cushion of the piece you have selected. As you rub the towel and hose end over the material, the towel should turn dark from the combination of solution and suction going through the towel. Show the customer the towel. (Even if the upholstery does not look dirty the effect is usually very dramatic).
Step 5	Next use the following script: "I'm going to go finish the last area / item I need to clean and when I'm done I'll give you a price quote so if you ever want to get this upholstery cleaned,  you will have a quote for it".   First, notice we are just offering just a price quote. Not the service. Again, this creates total comfort for the client. Second, by offering the quote at a future time point , and explaining that you do not expect the service to be done today, this creates additional comfort level for the client.
Step 6	Upon completion of the service. (Before putting your equipment away) take your invoice and list a price quote using the following format. remember that all clients that have been scheduled by our sales department,  where sold using a sale offer. So, you are simply continuing that format in the home.......   Mrs Jones here is the price for your sofa.........               $129.95   (Anytime of the year price)       $109.95  (Available whenever we run a sale offer. )       $89.95 (And I know you were not planning on it but...... If you do it today,  there is  no service charge, because I'm already here)                              *If you need assistance determining your quote simply call your helpline 1-877-456-0423                                                                                                                                                                                               Use the following Script:   "I gave you 3 prices. The $129.95 price is good anytime.   Whenever our company runs sale offers, there is a sale price of $109.   And I know you were not planning on it , but , if you wanted to have it done today; because I am already here, there is no service charge.  So, you can actually have it done for just $89.95 if you want to add it to today's service)   Now, simply Let the customer come to their conclusion.