How Much Does Furniture Upholstery Cleaning Cost? [2024 Data]

“By hiring a professional upholstery cleaning company to clean your furniture, it will extend the life of the furniture and help to remove stains, scents, and bacteria from the fabric of the furniture,” says Asya Biddle, Angi Expert Review Board member and manager of The Dust Busters janitorial company in Williamsport, PA.

Upholstery Cleaning Cost Factors

The price range for upholstery cleaning is wide because several key factors influence how long the job takes and which cleaning solutions a professional furniture cleaner near you decides to use.

Material

Furniture can be made from an assortment of different materials, from silk to leather, each demanding a different solution for cleaning. Find out what you can expect to pay for the most common types of furniture materials below.

Furniture Condition

The condition of your furniture will play a role in what upholstery cleaning methods and tools your cleaner can use, as well as how long the job takes. Fabric that is older and has started to deteriorate may be too delicate for more abrasive cleaning products or methods. If your professional needs to choose a less intense and more time-consuming cleaning method to protect your upholstery, your price could end up being higher.

The soil level of the furniture also matters. Light soiling from standard use will usually fall toward the lower end of the price range, while deep cleaning for stains or odors from things like animal urine will usually add to the labor and the overall cost of furniture cleaning.

Cleaning Method

Depending on the type of upholstery you have and the condition of the fabric, your furniture cleaning company might be able to employ a few different cleaning methods.

Something like steam cleaning is fast and straightforward, so it’s often more affordable than using carbonation or a foam cleaner in combination with manual scrubbing to remove stains and odors. Less time-intensive methods will bring down your labor costs.

Labor

About half of your upholstery cleaning costs will go toward labor, so the more work that you need done, the more you can expect to pay. Larger pieces will naturally take more time to clean, as will a sofa with heavy staining compared to a lightly soiled couch that just needs a routine cleaning.

Location

As is the case with all home improvement projects, your location plays a role in your upholstery cleaning costs. You might see higher upholstery cleaning costs than average if you live in an area with a higher cost of living. Upholstery cleaning in New York and California is likely to cost more than it would in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Alabama, some of the most affordable states to live.

Upholstery Cleaning Cost by Type of Furniture 

Furniture comes in all different shapes and sizes, and each particular item demands cleaning and care in a slightly different way. Cleaning large furnishings like couches and loveseats generally requires more labor, materials, and special attention than your average office or dining room chair, for example. Find out what you can expect to pay for the most common types of furnishings below. 

Couches and Sofas

These pieces are the most costly to clean because of their size and the increased demand for materials and time. Cleaning suede and leather couches tend to be the most costly, ranging from $200 and $500 on average because of the specialty tools and materials required to keep the material intact. On the other hand, professional couch cleaning costs for similarly sized pieces made from other materials range from $100 to $300. 

Loveseats, Recliners, and Ottomans

The cost to have a loveseat professionally cleaned ranges from $60 to $120. Similarly sized reclining armchairs cost a bit less at $60 to $80 on average, and ottomans are even less at $20 to $50 on average. 

Chairs 

There are many kinds of upholstered chairs, and you’ll pay roughly the same amount to have each style cleaned. 

Armchairs

Because armchairs are typically larger than other types of chairs, they also cost more to be cleaned. You’ll pay between $40 and $80 on average for this kind of professional upholstery cleaning. 

Office Chairs

While cleaning office chairs definitely costs less than larger armchairs, the project may cost more than you think. This is especially true for office chairs with special adaptations (like a swivel or adjustable seat) because your professional cleaner will need to handle moving components with additional care. In general, you’ll pay between $20 and $40 for office chair cleanings. 

Dining Chairs 

Because they typically only feature a limited amount of fabric, upholstered dining chairs are the most inexpensive furnishing to have cleaned, at roughly $10 to $30 on average. Just keep in mind that most homeowners look to have multiple dining chairs—usually 6 to 8—cleaned at once, so your total project cost can still be high.

Slipcovers 

Slipcovers cost $10 to $15 on average to have dry cleaned, but in most cases, this extra service isn’t even necessary. Many options are made from washing machine-safe materials like cotton, so you can simply pop them into your next laundry cycle and forget about the rest. 

Additional Costs to Consider

There are some other costs you should think about if you’re looking to get the most accurate pricing possible.

Stain Removal

While many professional upholstery cleaners include stain removal for no additional charge, some may charge an extra fee of $20 per stain or slightly more, especially if it’s a particularly tough one. 

Protective Treatments

Most pros charge an additional rate for protective treatments like the use of stain-blocking solutions. Expect to pay $20 to $30 more for extras like this. 

Repairs

If your furniture needs repair, you could save some money by having your professional address the issue alongside the cleaning. Your total price will increase based on the type of repair and the extent of the damage, but you’ll save a bit compared to calling in two separate pros to get the work done.

Sanitization

If you’re having your professional clean your upholstery because of something like animal urine, you might have to pay separately for sanitization services, which are recommended in order to keep you and your family safe. Most professionals will be able to handle this for an additional $25 to $50 per piece, and it’s worth the money.

How Much Does It Cost to Clean Upholstery Yourself?

If your furniture is only lightly soiled, you could save money by trying to do the work yourself. On average, you could save between $75 and $200 per piece of furniture,

You can remove some light stains and soiling using household products like white vinegar and baking soda, while more pervasive stains may require renting a steam cleaner. We’d estimate an average savings of $150 per piece if you do the work yourself, although it’s important to remember that that’s not always a good idea.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Although it’s possible to clean furniture upholstery yourself, there are many cases where professional couch cleaning is worth it.

For example, if you’re dealing with heirlooms, furniture made with delicate fabrics like silk or leather, or expensive or custom pieces, any mistakes you make during a DIY upholstery cleaning could permanently damage your furniture. A professional, meanwhile, will ensure that nothing gets damaged during the process and everything looks as it should in the end. 

On the other hand, it’s safe to try your hand at cleaning fabric couches made of less expensive materials like cotton or wool, because the odds of damaging them are lower in the first place. Plus, you don’t need as many specialty tools or materials to make them shine like new, and you can safely see if household upholstery cleaning solutions get the job done before paying for professional services.

How to Save Money on Upholstery Cleaning Costs

Upholstery cleaning isn’t usually terribly expensive, but there are some things you can do to help keep costs down:

• Choose easy-to-clean materials. Saving money on upholstery cleaning can start before your furniture ever gets soiled. Choose materials that are easier and more affordable to clean, like cotton or polyester.

• Get multiple pieces cleaned at once. If you have a few pieces of furniture to clean, you can save on trip fees or cleaning minimums by having all of them cleaned at once.

• Keep up with routine cleaning. Regular, routine cleanings can help reduce your professional upholstery cleaning costs. Remove normal soiling regularly, and only hire a pro for spot cleaning or stain removal.

• Blot stains immediately. If you do see a spill or a stain on your furniture, blot the area with warm water right away. This will help reduce the severity of the stain and, likely, the cost to remove the stain down the road.

• Use slip covers. Whenever possible, use slip covers to protect your furniture. Cleaning a slip cover is almost always more affordable than cleaning the piece of furniture underneath.

Becca Stokes contributed to this piece.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We’ve surveyed thousands of real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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