How to choose a couch or carpet cleaner

Choose on answers you can check, not on the advertised price: ask each company the same things and compare what they write down.

WATERFALL's answers: an organic shampoo worked in and pulled out by steam extraction, a fixed price for each piece, and payment after the work in any form. The price you see is the price you pay: nothing is added when we arrive. If you don't like something, we come back and redo it. Text a photo of the tag and the marks to (747) 214-6199 before you book.

• Get the total in writing before the visit: the pieces, the method, the price with fees and taxes, and what costs extra.
• Ask how they will check the fabric: the cleaning code on the tag, a photo, and a test on a hidden spot.
• Ask what can go wrong on your fabric, such as bleeding, shrinking or water marks, and what will not come out; be wary of anyone who promises a result before seeing the piece.
• Ask who will come to your door and what upholstery training that person has.
• Read reviews that are dated and name the job, and ask what the company does if you are not happy.
• Pay after the work, once you have looked at the piece.
• Walk away from pressure to book today, a price that grows at the door, or a demand to pay in advance by gift card, wire transfer or crypto.

Ask every company the same questions and compare the written answers, not the advertised price.

WATERFALL's answers: shampoo and steam extraction; carpet at a fixed price per room, on the prices page; you move the furniture that sits on the carpet; drying that depends on the pile, the pad, the weather and the airflow; and payment after the work.

• Do you price by area or by room, and what is the total with fees and taxes?
• What method do you use, and do you vacuum first?
• Do you move furniture, which pieces, and does that cost extra?
• What costs extra: stairs, heavy soil, pet stains, deodorizer or protector?
• How long will it take to dry, and when can children and pets walk on it?
• Who will do the work, and what training do they have?
• If a stain comes back as the carpet dries, what do you do, and is that in writing?
• When do I pay, and how?

Ask how the mattress is dried, and how much water goes in. A mattress holds water, so the company should use extraction to pull it back out and tell you how long it takes to dry.

WATERFALL cleans mattresses at your home by shampoo and steam extraction; the guide to steam cleaning a mattress explains the steps, and the mattress cleaning page lists the sizes.

Either can do good work, so compare the two written quotes, not the names. A national brand usually works through locally owned franchises, so the price, the method and the policies depend on the branch; a local mobile cleaner sets its own prices and brings its machines to you, and its reviews come from your area.

Ask both the same things: the method for your fabric, the total in writing, how drying works, what costs extra and when you pay. WATERFALL is a mobile cleaner that serves Los Angeles County: a fixed price for each piece on the prices page, a couch by its seats, an organic shampoo with steam extraction, and payment after the work. WATERFALL is not a franchise: the owner works on jobs too.

Yes, on site. We clean the piece where it stands, on a drop cloth, with the machines we bring, so it is cleaned in your home and you do not wait for it to come back.

The pieces, the method, the total price, what costs extra, when and how you pay, and what the cleaner does if you are not happy. A quote that leaves out the total or the extras is the one that grows at the door.

WATERFALL's answers: the pieces and the price on the booking form, shampoo and steam extraction, payment after the work in any form, with an invoice on request and a receipt when you pay by card. The price you see is the price you pay: nothing is added when we arrive. If you don't like something, we come back and redo it.

Some do, for a set number of days, and the written terms decide it: a good policy names the stain, the days you have to report it, and whether the company returns to clean again or only to inspect. If you don't like something, we come back and redo it.

A stain can come back as a couch dries, when moisture pulls residue up from the cushion; this is called wicking, and problems after cleaning explains it. Be wary of any cleaner who promises a result before seeing the piece; the guide to which stains can be removed says what changes the result.

A very low advertised price that grows at the door is the usual sign, and the others are in the list below.

Search the company's name and phone number with the words scam and complaint before you book. If you already paid and suspect a scam, call your card issuer to dispute the charge and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Ask for the total before you book, and decide before the work starts. The price you see is the price you pay: nothing is added when we arrive. Payment comes after the work.

• No company name, no written total and no way to reach the company after the visit.
• Fees per seat or per stain, and add-ons you did not ask for, that appear at the door.
• Pressure to decide today.
• Payment demanded before the work, or only by gift card, wire transfer or crypto.