Find a furniture cleaner near you

From your carpets to your drapes to your furniture, all fabrics need to be cleaned. Cleaning upholstery, or the fabric on your furniture, removes the dirt and oils that are transferred to couches and chairs through regular use. Because furniture upholstery can be delicate and colors can fade easily, it’s often a good idea to let professional sofa cleaners handle the job. They’ll determine the type of fabric — usually cotton, linen, wool, suede or microfiber — and the appropriate method for cleaning it, either steam-cleaning or applying a dry-cleaning solvent. In general, cleaning an entire piece of furniture includes a pretreatment, cleaning, and neutralizing rinse to the body, plus removing and cleaning all cushions and cleaning all crevices.

An upholstery cleaner may clean the entire piece of furniture, on a regular schedule or by request, or do spot treatments to remove pet, food, drink, or oil and grease stains. Furniture can also be deodorized to remove the smell of pets or tobacco smoke. Furniture that’s used often, like that in your family room, should be cleaned once a year to keep it fresh and extend its life. Sofa cleaners often also offer repair services to mend tears in fabric or patch holes in leather.

The cost to have your upholstered furniture cleaned depends mostly on two factors: the size of the furniture and the type of fabric. The national average cost of upholstery cleaning ranges from $120 to $150. Most people have multiple pieces cleaned at once, but sofa cleaners will come to your home for just one heavily soiled couch or to spot-treat stains. The smaller the furniture, the lower the cost: A lounge chair may cost an average of $50 to clean, while a couch costs an average of $135 and an L-shaped sectional costs an average of $190. Delicate materials such as antique fabrics or suede upholstery are more expensive to clean than sturdier ones. Having the sofa cleaner do repairs will also add to the cost. Repairs such as mending a tear in fabric or patching a hole in leather may be charged by the task or by the hour; in general, repairs cost an average of $15 each. Special or delicate fabrics may cost additional fees, too.

Even if your furniture doesn’t appear dirty or stained, your couches are collecting just as much dust, pollen, germs, pet hair and dander, and even food crumbs as your carpets. In general, the same professionals who clean your carpets and drapes can also clean your couches. Carpet cleaners usually offer upholstery cleaning services as well, and may offer a discount if you have your carpets cleaned at the same time. Alternatively, you can choose from a range of professional upholstery cleaners in your area who specialize in cleaning different types of upholstery fabrics, including delicate antique fabrics and other hard-to-clean materials such as suede. In addition to deep-cleaning the entire piece of furniture, sofa cleaners can spot-treat food, pet, and oil and grease stains. Most professionals also offer services to sanitize and deodorize your furniture and apply protectants to prevent future stains. As with carpets, experts recommend that you have your upholstered furniture cleaned once every year or two, depending on how much use it gets and whether you have children and pets.

Deep cleaning a house goes beyond the surface level to clear out the dust, grime and gunk that’s collecting on the fan blades, hiding in the blinds, and built up inside the refrigerator drawers. Deep cleaning of a home or apartment costs more than regular house cleaning because it takes more time, effort, and cleaning products. You may choose to have a deep cleaning once or several times a year in addition to your standard cleaning services. You may have a one-time deep cleaning to prepare for company or to clean after a house party. Companies may charge an hourly rate or a price per square foot, or may offer you a flat rate after they have visited your home and estimated work time. The national average house cleaning price is $110-$150, with rates ranging higher for deep-cleaning services. Here are some examples of how a company may calculate their deep-cleaning prices:

• 10 cents per square foot (compared with 5 cents per square foot for standard house cleaning).
• $300 for a 3,000-square-foot home.
• $25 per hour per worker for deep-cleaning services.

There are many questions to ask a cleaning service before you hire them to make sure they’re the right fit. These questions might include:

• How much do you charge?
• How do you set your prices -- per hour or per square foot? Or, do you charge a flat rate?
• What is your past work experience? Can I see a list of references?
• Are you accustomed to working with different home or apartment types and sizes?
• Can you work with children or pets in the house?
• What types of cleaning products do you use?
• Do you bring your own cleaning supplies and products?
• How often can you clean my home?
• Is there anything you recommend I do (or don't do) to my home before you arrive?

For more tips on how to hire the best maid or house cleaning service, read our smart hiring guide.

A basic house cleaning typically includes tasks like carpet cleaning, wiping countertops, taking out the trash, doing the laundry and washing dishes. A deep house cleaning is a much more involved process, where all aspects of the home are given full attention for a cleanout. In a deep house cleaning, the cleaners will wet-wipe everything from door frames to light switch plates, making sure to also clean walls, windows, air vents, ceiling fans, furniture and more.

There are several things you can do in preparation for a house cleaning to improve the efficiency and quality of the job. If you’re unfamiliar with a cleaning service, hiding and locking away any obvious valuables lying around can offer great peace of mind.

Depending on the preference of the cleaner, you may need to lock up your pets before the cleaners arrive. Washing dishes and decluttering the house allows a house cleaner to do their job more effectively. And leaving special notes for the cleaners about certain areas in your home that need attention is also helpful.

Ask house cleaners near you about their tips to help you prepare for their services. 

Tipping between 15 and 20 percent is considered an appropriate tip for maids and house cleaners — just as it would with a barber, food delivery driver or taxi operator. During the holidays, you might want to consider tipping a bit more. 

It’s important to note that some housekeeping and maid services might include a tip within the service fee, which should be explained to you in the service contract. Talk to house cleaners in your area to find out what's included in their fees.

The frequency you should have your house cleaned depends on several factors, and the best professional house cleaner can give you a rough estimate of costs so you can budget how often you need someone to clean your home. 

Daily house cleaning may be necessary if you have a home with a large number of bedrooms with young children and kids, although other homeowners may benefit from weekly house cleaning. A weekly cleaner can clean the bathroom, kitchen, do laundry, vacuum and mop. An occasional deep house cleaning is most beneficial for people who have recently renovated a home or are looking to do a spring clean. 

Although some house cleaning and housekeeping duties might overlap, a house cleaner is charged with the top-to-bottom cleaning of a home. House cleaner duties typically include basic and deep house cleaning, such as washing and sanitizing countertops, floors, tubs, toilets, kitchens and more.

Housekeepers or maids are hired to lightly clean and maintain certain aspects of the home. This might include dusting, washing dishes, changing sheets, doing some meal preparation and restocking the client’s groceries and personal care products.

It’s also worth noting that a housekeeper or maid is usually one individual employed to a home (sometimes hired as a live-in), while a house cleaner is oftentimes accompanied by a team of cleaners.