Your leather sofa needs love too

If I told you this leather sofa set was barely a year old, what would you say?

I'm assuming you're saying "Nooooo, I can't believe it!

But don't worry, because where make-up, sweat, soil and stain inducing jeans have been before, Art of Clean goes after.

The lads took one look at the sofa and armchair and said to themselves "Challenge Accepted!"

Using some of the best hands in the business (not kidding), our technicians use a variety of safe products that will ensure your valued leather sofa and chairs can be restored as close as we possibly can to the condition it was in when you bought it.

Why bother? Well, after than the initial cost, you don't really want to waste your money buying a new sofa every few years. Cleaning and protecting on a regular basis can save you time and money. When we say time, we're talking about the whole shopping and delivery process. Leather is timeless. Keep it fresh and clean and it'll serve you for generations. Art of Clean's work will protect your leather for anywhere between 2-4 years. Simply clean and sit.

Let's have a look at the procedure:

We're going to clean the leather with a specialised solution. So, with some light stroking and gentle agitation, we'll remove that grime, grease and ingrained soil. 

Next, we'll rinse the leather. So any left-over dirt is completely removed. 

The protection comes last. That's when the colour is restored, the cleanliness is established and the shine needs to be shown. 

Sitting down on your "New" leather sofa you'll feel a remarkable difference between how your sofa had been and the soft, supple feel it now holds.

Result! With a shine like that, how can you argue? 

Have a look at our article: HOW DO I KNOW MY LEATHER SOFA NEEDS PROFESSIONAL CLEANING?

Always call the Professionals. We are always here to help on 01223 863 632.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Buyer beware, all that looks like a silk rug, might not be!

Recently, a client brought into the offices of Art of Clean (Cambridge, UK) a rug she had purchased whilst on holiday in India.  She bought it during a busy shopping trip to a tourist market.  The rug had been sold to her as a genuine silk rug and she paid a considerable price.  On returning home to the UK, she had become suspicious about the rug and in different light conditions, our customer had noticed a stain and bought the rug to us to be cleaned.  

Unfortunately, for many tourists a rug which is sold as a silk rug commands a much higher price than other rugs.  It has also been known for the seller to offer a written guarantee that the rug is silk which further misleads the buyer.

Before we could clean the rug, our technicians had to make some checks to determine whether the rug was made from silk, because not all materials and fabrics are cleaned in the same way.  The results came back as silk, which was fortunate for the customer.

There are several ways to tell is your rug is made from silk but these are not things you could do whilst travelling.  

The first way is a bit destructive and requires snipping a small piece of the fringe and with a flame (we recommend leaving this to an expert, but the process is useful to know), light the material and quickly put it out again.  The smoke should smell like burning hair.  (Cotton will have a smell like paper).

Another way is to do a specialised chemical test, but once again this is best left to the experts.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Tapestry cleaning on a grand scale

At Art of Clean, we clean carpets, we clean rugs, we clean stone and wood and all manner of things. Above all, we love to see something new and interesting in the world of cleaning...and here it is, on a massive scale.

This video shows textile conservators going through the steps as they wash the 17th century 'February' Mortlake tapestry.

It was cleaned at Hampton Court Palace in a specially built bath and is usually displayed at Kensington Palace in the Privy Chamber. It is part of the Seasons series of tapestries, and is the last of the series to be conserved.

Just look at the size of it and it's not the only tapestry that needs a spring cleaning. All around the world we find rugs and tapestries of such outstanding beauty, it breaks our hearts to see them falling into a state of neglect. Luckily, some museums know just what to do. Hat's off to Kensington Palace.

Other iconic pieces include this, the Arbadil Carpet, commonly thought to be the oldest carpet still in the world and as you can see, clearly, one of the most beautiful. Almost a decade ago, the Victoria and Albert Museum took the measure to encase this priceless piece in a specially designed case and placed it on show, smack bang in the middle of Room 42, in case (ha ha) you're thinking of popping by for a look.

www.vam.ac.uk

We all know that colours fade over time and especially in the daylight and as such, the V&A lights the carpet only twice an hours and for only ten minutes at a time. So it's best to schedule your visit in advance. 

Here at Art of Clean we wash our rugs and carpets on a slightly smaller scale to that of the V&A and Kensington Palace, but it you can be assured that when we're done, they come up rather shiny and clean. In case you're curious, here's the monster cleaner we use. See, we got skills too!

www.cleanvac.co.uk

For a professional carpet or rug cleaning, call

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Leather. Low maintenance...No maintenance?

Do you remember the last time you popped by the furniture showroom? Of course you do, that smell wafted in and everything held the promise of a new look. You wandered the aisles, fended off the salespeople for a few minutes and when you stopped, just for a second at that luxurious, leather sofa set, he or she pounced.

You didn't stop to buy, you stopped to smell. You stopped to admire the feeling. So, at his or her behest, you sat...and that's when it happened. You said "Aaahhhhh".

It's all relative after that. You handed over the credit card and contemplated where on earth it would fit. After all, you live in a British house and they're notoriously cramped. Anyway, the day arrives and it's delivered. The burly chaps finagle it here and there. They chip the door frame a touch, but it doesn't matter because in a few minutes, they'll be gone and you'll be sitting on that fresh, new, clean smelling sofa and watching something on the telly.

The wrapper comes off and that waft hits again. "I'm so happy I Maxed-out my credit card" we hear you say.

The fellas leave, you boil the kettle and make a jam sandwich. You like jam sandwiches.

Sitting down, you flick the channel and absently reach for your snack...and that's when it happens.

Jam always falls face down, right. So, there it is, partially on your leg, but mainly on the arm rest of that beautiful new, cream leather sofa.

The scream rings out and the neighbours dog starts howling. You rush into the kitchen for a cloth and start scrubbing and the dealer's final words echo in your ears..."It's low maintenance".

He or she was right though. Leather is low maintenance, but that does not and we can't stress this enough, it DOES NOT mean, No Maintenance.

A light cleaning, a dusting, a bit of vaccing here and there and you're fine, but, if you neglect your leather assuming it'll be fine, you'll see the problems within a year. The colour will fade, the texture with harden and the shape with alter.

There are some great Leather Cleaning Kits out there (yes, we sell them), but that's not the point. The point is, prevention is better than cure. For a low cost and a very occasional cleaning, you can maintain that new look indefinitely.

Of course, things happen, life gets in the way and that echo from the dealer fades...so, that's where we come in.

Call us and we can and will be happy to clean and re-new that gorgeous leather sofa set.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Leather care
Chemspec-AOC shop

Remembering Robin Williams

Very sad news this morning at the loss of Robin Williams, one of the great original comedians.  He was one of a kind with his amazingly lively performances in movies such as Peter Pan, Mork and Mindy, and remember him in Mrs Doubtfire! Wasn’t he just an awesome character?
RIP Robin Williams, you will be missed but your legend will live on through your great work.