Fabric sofa THICK with building dust. Salvageable?

[BusyCee]

Me again. We had a relatively small amount of building work started at the beginning of the year(should have taken 4-6wks). Builders promised to sheet everything with fabric and then plastic sheeting. They didn't. And then they knocked down walls. And then they absconded. 5 months later we're finally coming to the end of the project and I'm starting to think about unpacking all our stuff. Our made.com Jonah sofa is now covered with. Building detritus, brick dust, plaster dust and the general detritus of 5 uncovered months. Can I clean it? If so, how? Is it a lost cause? Will clouds of dust poof out of forever more?

Suggestions please...

Pick any sizeable bits off it then vacuum, leave for a couple of days and vacuum again. If cushions are removable take them outside and beat them with a broom after vacuuming (like beating a carpet the very old fashioned way). That's what I'd do anyway.

I'm sorry you've had such an awful experience.

You might want to buy a cheap wet and dry type builders vac for the clean up rather than destroying your domestic one - I'm sure somewhere like Screwfix sells them.

Thanks. Hope is making a shy return, and the sun helps as now at least the DCs can get some outside action as well as being told off constantly for playing in our building site of a home.

Feeling more hopeful about the sofa now too...

DO you have the promise to cover everything in sheeting in writing? Have you raised anty concerns about this with them in the last 6 months? If so then write a letter of complaint to head office/the owner and ask for the replacement cost.

If not, as fudge says - remove anything you can actually pick up, lightly vacuum (don't press the detritus into the weave), take the sofa outside and beat the hell out of it with an old fashioned carpet beater (try a junk shop) or tennis racquet. Get some cheap paper masks for you and the kids from B&Q ( pretend you are aliens or something) this will kick up a LOT of dust.