Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Prices

Professional carpet and upholstery cleaning results by Elite Upholstery Care

Pricing Guide 2025

How Much Does Professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Cost?

Transparent guide prices from Elite Upholstery Care, covering South Wales and Bristol.

Pricing for carpet and upholstery cleaning is one of those topics where the internet tends to be either vague or wildly inconsistent. You will find everything from £15 a room to £150 a room depending on where you look, with very little explanation of what drives the difference.

This guide sets out our guide prices clearly, but more importantly it explains what sits behind those numbers. Understanding what you are paying for, and why the cheapest quote rarely represents the best value, will help you make a better decision regardless of which company you choose.

All prices below are “from” figures for standard residential cleans in South Wales and Bristol. Final costs depend on the factors covered further down this page.

Carpet Cleaning

Carpet Cleaning Prices

Carpet cleaning is priced by area, with each room assessed on size, pile type, soiling level and access. The prices below cover hot water extraction cleaning, which is the method we use for the majority of residential carpets. It is the most thorough method available and the one most consistently recommended by carpet manufacturers for deep cleaning.

Area Notes From
Single bedroom Up to approximately 10m² £25
Double bedroom Up to approximately 14m² £30
Living room Up to approximately 20m² £55
Hallway Standard layout, no dog-leg £25
Stairs & landing Up to 13 stairs plus landing £55

Multi-room bookings will usually attract a reduced overall price. Contact us for a combined quote.

Worth Knowing

Stairs are the most labour-intensive area of any carpet clean. Each step has to be worked individually with a specialist tool, and on heavily soiled staircases this process can take as long as cleaning an entire bedroom. A quote that prices stairs very cheaply is usually a sign that corners are being cut on the method or equipment.

Hot water extraction carpet cleaning in Cardiff
The Method

Why We Use Hot Water Extraction

Hot water extraction, sometimes called steam cleaning, injects a cleaning solution deep into the carpet pile under pressure and extracts it immediately along with the loosened soil, bacteria and allergens. Carried out with professional equipment, it achieves a level of cleanliness that surface cleaning and dry methods cannot match.

The machines available for weekend hire from supermarkets operate on the same basic principle but at a fraction of the water pressure, heat and extraction power of professional equipment. The result is often a carpet that takes 24 hours or longer to dry and retains much of the soiling it was supposed to remove.

Upholstery Cleaning

Upholstery Cleaning Prices

Upholstery cleaning is more complex than carpet cleaning and requires a different skill set. The method used depends on the fabric type, the construction of the piece and how the dyes were fixed during manufacture. Getting this wrong can cause shrinkage, watermarking or colour loss, which is why we assess every piece individually before we begin.

Item Notes From
Armchair Standard upholstered armchair £30
2-seater sofa Standard construction £60
3-seater sofa Standard construction £90
Corner sofa L-shape or U-shape configurations £120
Dining chair Per chair, upholstered seat and back £15

Prices may vary for oversized pieces, delicate fabrics such as velvet or silk blends, or items with significant pet hair or heavy soiling. We will always confirm the price before starting work.

Worth Knowing

Most sofas are cleaned less frequently than carpets but used just as heavily. An average three-seater sofa that has been in regular family use for two years will typically harbour more bacteria per square centimetre than a toilet seat. Regular professional cleaning removes the soiling that vacuuming cannot reach and extends the usable life of the piece significantly.

Before and after carpet and upholstery cleaning results
Pricing Explained

What Affects the Final Price

The “from” prices above represent a straightforward clean on a standard residential property with no complicating factors. Here is what can move the price upward, and why.

Soiling level

Heavily soiled carpets and upholstery require longer dwell times for pre-treatment, more passes with the cleaning head, and sometimes a second round of extraction. A carpet that has not been professionally cleaned in five or more years will take considerably longer than one cleaned annually.

Pile type and fabric

Thick or luxury pile carpets hold more soil and require slower, more careful extraction to avoid disturbing the pile. Delicate upholstery fabrics require specialist chemistry and lower moisture methods. Both add time and therefore cost.

Pet hair and odour

Pet hair embeds itself deeply into carpet fibres and upholstery weaves in a way that standard cleaning cannot fully address without additional preparation. Pet odour often requires specialist enzyme treatments applied before and during the clean.

Room size and layout

The guide prices assume standard room dimensions. Unusually large rooms, rooms with extensive furniture that needs moving, or awkward layouts with alcoves and built-in furniture all require additional time on site.

Access

Properties without ground-floor access or with limited parking for our van and equipment can affect the time taken to set up and operate, particularly for upper-floor rooms requiring longer hose runs.

Stain complexity

Most everyday staining cleans out during a standard hot water extraction clean. Older set stains, bleach damage, red wine, ink or permanent marker may require additional spot treatment or, in some cases, may not be fully removable regardless of the method used.

Before You Book

What a Very Cheap Quote Usually Means

Carpet and upholstery cleaning is an industry with low barriers to entry. A second-hand machine, a van and a basic website is enough for someone to start quoting for work, and price is often the only differentiator they can compete on.

The consequences of a poor clean range from disappointing results to genuine damage. Over-wetting a carpet without sufficient extraction can cause shrinkage, delamination of the backing, and mould growth within the underlay. Using the wrong chemistry on upholstery can strip dyes, cause watermarking or weaken the fabric structure permanently.

When comparing quotes, the questions worth asking are: what method will you use, what equipment do you operate, and what happens if I am not satisfied with the result? A professional operator will answer all three without hesitation.

Professional upholstery cleaning result
Our Guarantee

You Know the Price Before We Start

We provide a fixed price before any work begins. If we arrive and find anything that would affect the cost, we will discuss it with you before we touch anything. There are no surprise additions on the invoice.

Every clean is also covered by our 7 Day Happiness Guarantee. If for any reason you are not fully satisfied with the result, contact us within seven days and we will return and re-clean at no charge. In over 20 years of operation, we have found that this commitment costs us very little because the standard of the initial clean rarely requires it.

Optional Add-On

Stain Protection Treatment

Stain protection treatment is applied after the cleaning process and works by coating individual fibres with an invisible barrier that causes liquids to bead on the surface rather than soaking in immediately. This gives you time to blot a spill before it becomes a stain.

It does not make your carpets or upholstery indestructible. A red wine spill left overnight will still stain even on a treated surface. What it does is significantly extend the window between a spill happening and damage being done, which in a busy family home or a property with pets is genuinely useful.

Protection is most effective when applied to a freshly cleaned surface, which is why we only offer it as an add-on to a professional clean rather than as a standalone service. It needs to be reapplied periodically as it breaks down with foot traffic and cleaning over time.

Stain Protection

+50%

of the clean price, per treated area

  • Applied after the clean, once fully dry
  • Available for carpets and upholstery
  • Invisible once dry, does not affect texture
  • Recommended for high-traffic areas and homes with children or pets
Carpet and upholstery cleaning before and after South Wales
The Process

What to Expect When You Book

We can usually provide an accurate quote over the phone or via a short message with a description of the areas you need cleaned. For larger or more complex jobs we are happy to visit and assess in person at no charge.

  • Fixed price confirmed before we arrive, no surprises on the day
  • We bring all equipment and water, no access to your supplies needed
  • Pre-treatment applied to soiled areas and allowed to dwell before extraction
  • Hot water extraction carried out with professional van-mounted or portable equipment depending on access
  • Carpets typically dry within two to four hours depending on ventilation and pile depth
  • Upholstery typically dry within one to three hours
  • Stain protection applied after the clean if selected, dry within one hour
  • 7 Day Happiness Guarantee applies from the date of the clean

Get a Free Quote for Your Property

We cover Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cwmbran, Merthyr Tydfil, Barry, Llantrisant, Neath, Pontypridd and Bristol. Get in touch for a no-obligation price.

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