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Upholstery cleaning is a pretty tricky business. You will find that there are so many things to watch out for when it comes to specific stains on specific materials, that it can be hard to drum up the courage to get going with it in the first place! However, the reality is that it is not too difficult to get smaller stains out, but wholes sofa cleaning can be pretty tricky, and is best left to the professional cleaning services. If you wanted a brief over view on both sides of the coin, then you should have a look at the following ideas, to see how you feel about getting the job done for your upholstered furniture. Stain removal.You will find that, as with all stains on fabric, you need to keep the stain wet for as long as possible. Allowing the stain to dry out will immediately make your job harder, and the fact of the matter is that you will have a much higher risk of the stain being permanent if it dries in to the fabric. Having kept the stain damp with some water on a cloth, scrub a little upholstery cleaner, or carpet cleaning shampoo into the area. Only use a little bit, and start by using a finger through a tea towel, so that you can see where you are aiming the soap. If this is not shifting the stain at all, then use the rough side of a sponge, and give it a bit more force. Use a little more cleaning product if it is not helping at all, but be aware that you should not let the padding underneath the stain get too wet, as this can make issues surrounding the drying time, and the potential for damp and mold to grow in the area. If the stain is grass, blood, chewing gum or any other protein based stain, you can use digestive enzyme food supplements for the job. They will break down protein strands and make it a lot easier to get rid of the stain. If a stain will not shift, then it is time to call in the professionals, who will be able to apply the methods mentioned below to a smaller area, and get rid of a stain easily. Professional cleaning of your upholstery.When you are hiring in a professional to clean your sofa, you will find that there are a few different methods that they will use. For a start, some professionals will offer a better version of the scrubbing method, but if you are paying to have someone come out to clean, then you will likely want to have a more in depth and specialist job done. So, you can get the sofa dry cleaned or steam cleaned. Both are very effective, and the main difference is the amount of moisture involved. Neither process gets the upholstery properly wet, but steam cleaning will leave it feeling slightly humid, and perhaps slightly damp. You will find that with dry cleaning, the solvents involved will pull the dirt form the fibers and dry up completely, leaving the cleaner able to vacuum off any residue. In steam cleaning, the cleaner will use a steamer to push the steam through the fabric, breaking down the adhesive bonds in the dirt, and sucking them back into the cleaning unit. You will find that both are extremely deep cleaning methods, which will be effective in making your sofa look as good as new, but it is down to which you prefer and can afford as to which you go for.