Banquet chairs, convention hall seats, auditorium seats and theater seating all fall under the commercial upholstery cleaning heading. Event seating often are exposed to food, drink, ink, gum and personal care products. Commercial upholstery can be made out of different types of textiles, vinyl and leather. Some that are easier to clean than others.
How much does it cost to clean them?
Cleaning price can vary depending on the amount of chairs available to clean at one time, type of fabric, amount of staining, time of cleaning and the location of chairs. (Are they stacked up? Do they have to be moved?) In general chairs a fabric backing and fabric seat can cost anywhere from $1.50- $5.00 each to clean
What kind of spots & stains do you come across?
Common commercial upholstery cleaning spots and stains would include blood, ink, soda spills, gum and grease. All require understanding what type of spotter to use. A good idea is to have a protein spot remover, gel type volatile solvent spot remover, a reducing agent and a tannin stain remover on hand.
What is the best way to clean them?
Pretreat the seats by making up a foam lather and apply by hand using a sponge mitt or by a spray application of an upholstery pretreat. Follow by rinsing using an upholstery water extraction hand tool.
Should I apply a Protector?
Many fabric chairs have had a fabric protector applied at the factory. Flourochemical protectors like Teflon® and Scotchguard® can be an appropriate application after cleaning. After multiple cleanings the protector may start to wear off. The additional cost can range from 1/4 to 1/2 the cost of the cleaning. If your thought is that you may not have to clean as much if you apply a fabric protector. Think again. This treatment will not prevent them from future soiling. I would recommend the application of a flourochemical to protect chairs from future staining.
** Always read the manufactures commercial upholstery cleaning label or follow manufactures cleaning guidelines.
written by Doug Bradford CEO of Eco Interior Maintenance 301-261-1966(MD DC & N.VA) and Strategic Maintenance Services 407-855-8584(Central Florida)