Q. My daughter has asthma, is your cleaning system safe to use in our property?
A. Although everything we use has been designed to be non-toxic, child and pet friendly, it is impossible to guarantee 100% that no one will have an dverse reaction to something we may use if they are particularly sensitive. Although it’s unlikely your daughter would have a problem, our advice would always be to exclude any young or elderly members of the family, or pets from the areas cleaned until they are dry. Please consider though that regular cleaning of soft furnishings is one of the best ways to promote a healthy, dust free environment.
Q. I’ve been told that ‘truckmount’ cleaning equipment gives the best results – is that what you use at A Brighter Home?
A. No we don’t use ‘truckmounts’, but there are several reasons why. Although ‘truckmount’ systems can indeed give excellent results, they
unfortunately come with many downsides – because the machine stays on the van (hence ‘truckmount’) and runs hoses into the property, it has to be parked very close
to the property, which can sometimes be difficult, and often can’t reach up to difficult to access properties such as offices and flats. Powered by diesel or petrol generators which aren’t especially environmentally friendly and are very noisy which can often be annoying for your neighbours! After extensive research and investment we have now sourced what we believe to be the most effective portable equipment on the market. In 99% of cases we find that it matches the power and cleaning ability of a ‘truckmount’, but without any of these disadvantages.
Q. Do you also clean leather upholstery?
A. Yes – we can clean most types of leather upholstery including leather sofas, leather armchairs and leather car interiors. See our Leather cleaning page
Q. My sofas were Scotchguarded when I bought them. Is your process safe to use on furniture treated with Scotchguard?
A. Absolutely. However, please consider the following – Any of the protectors such as ‘Scotchguard’ and ‘Guardsman’ are a coating that is sprayed onto the fabric. Over time this coating gradually wears off with general use causing it to work less effectively. We always recommend reprotecting your upholstery each time you have it cleaned by us.
Q. My sofas say ‘dry clean only’ on the label – can your process clean them?
A. It depends! Some materials are dry clean only because a ‘wet’ clean such as we use may damage the look or feel of the pile – in these cases it is difficult to advise without more information. We don’t offer a dry clean service because we do not believe it provides an acceptable clean. However, if you have one of these fabrics that are damaged by water then chances are it is probably already damaged just through use. If it is badly soiled it is unlikely dry cleaning would work effectively anyway, so it may be a case of clean it with a method such as ours and accept the pile looking a little ‘different’ or buy new.
Q. Can you clean dining chairs?
A. Yes of course – most fabrics used to cover dining chairs are safe to be cleaned
Q. Do you clean unusual fabrics such as ‘Buffalo’, ‘Chenille’ or ‘Velvet’?
A. In most cases yes. Our process is perfectly safe to clean nearly all buffalo and chenille type materials. True velvets (these are made with natural ibres) are usually not safely cleanable, however we can usually clean the more common man made types such as ‘dralon’. In all cases our highly trained operators will thoroughly check the material and if necessary carry out a spot test somewhere inconspicuous before cleaning.
Q. Do you carry out on site quotes before the day of the clean?
A. In most cases this simply isn’t necessary (except for commercial cleans). Our team on the phones have many years of experience and in 99% of cases can provide you with an accurate quote. All of our operators are highly trained and will carry out a full survey of the clean with you before they start – any potential issues or pre-existing conditions will be highlighted at this point. If your item is not safe to be cleaned or we do not believe that we can achieve the required results then we will not charge you – although in our experience this is very rare.
