It is difficult to predict the time that it will take to clean furniture, especially if the item is made from natural fibers, has extensive or unusual staining issues or requires texture restoration afterward.

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Unlike carpet cleaning, where you can somewhat tightly schedule your cleaning jobs, the variables in furniture cleaning may create scenarios where you’ll feel the need to hurry through the job so that you won’t be late for the next one.

If you rush a carpet cleaning job, your risks are small, and likely would, at worst, involve a slow drying complaint or a missed spot.

If you rush a furniture cleaning job, the risks may be catastrophic. Skipping important testing and inspection steps, or leaving fabric too wet after cleaning, can result in very expensive damage claims.Keep yourself from getting into this type of situation by implementing the following tips.

Schedule sensibly

Never schedule furniture cleaning jobs, especially those that might be challenging due to construction or soiling issues, on a day that has many other jobs, or that you are otherwise feeling time pressure.

Your customers are more likely to be patient when awaiting a furniture cleaning job to be scheduled than they will be for carpet cleaning.

Prepare to reschedule early

If you discover issues during testing and inspection procedures that tell you that the job will take you twice as long as expected, either reschedule the next job, or stop and reschedule the furniture cleaning job immediately. Don’t hope it will somehow get better as you go along. It rarely does.

Clean in-plant

Not every cleaner has this option, but if you do have the ability to transport furniture to your location and if your customer can leave you a few days to have the furniture in your possession, you can clean, perform special stain removal procedures and do extensive texture restoration procedures at a pace that allows for attention to detail and time to do things over again until they are nearly perfect.

A respected colleague of mine told me years ago, “When you clean on location, time is your enemy. When you clean in-plant, time is your friend.”

Clean cushions in-plant

If you can’t easily take the entire piece of furniture in-plant, just take the cushions with you. The body of furniture is rarely as heavily soiled as the cushions are, and can be cleaned on location either at the time you are there initially, or when you return with the cushions.

The cushions are easier to transport, and the customer might be able to “get by” without the cushions for the time they are out of the home. And, since most heavy soil and stains are present on cushions, these items can then be cleaned with the patience and care that only in-plant cleaning can give you.

Thinking ahead and avoiding rushing through furniture cleaning jobs will lessen the stress and fatigue that such jobs cause. Most importantly, this will help you to avoid costly mistakes that will, at best, require re-cleaning and that will, at worst, require replacement.

An industry trainer and consultant, Jim Pemberton is the president of Pemberton’s Cleaning & Restoration Supplies in McKeesport, PA, and he has more than 30 years of experience in the cleaning and restoration industry. Jim is the Cleanfax magazine 2007 Person of the Year. You are invited to visit his website at www.ECleanAdvisor.com, or e-mail him at JimPem2@Comcast.net.