Smart Velvet sofa needs cleaning - advice needed

[SM33]

We have a velvet sofa that needs cleaning. Label says dry clean only. Got a couple of quotes and so expensive for a dry clean. Has anyone just had their velvet sofa steam cleaned?

How bad is it? I clean mine with a damp cloth with fairy liquid.

Unfortunately definitely needs more than this. But the cost of dry cleaning is extortionate, so was considering taking a chance with booking a steam clean.

The covers come off then yes? But too expensive to dry clean?

I can take the covers off but that leaves the rest of the sofa. The arms are particularly bad. Was hoping someone might have used a steam cleaner on a velvet sofa and could tell me what the result was.

If it's cotton velvet, a steam clean should be okay so long as you pass over the fabric quickly and lightly.

It it's Dralon velvet, DON'T! The steam melts the very tips of each fibre so that they end up like tiny ball-point pens and impossible to repair.

My qualification is that for several years I was a customer services adviser for a steam cleaning company and this was a regular disaster we heard about!

Thank you! So helpful- not sure which one we have but think I’ll just have to get it dry cleaned!

I don't think anyone will take your money to steam clean a sofa with a dry clean only label on it anyway.

This is very helpful! Could anyone more qualified have spotted this thread?! Won't make that mistake with mine!

I was actually going to hire one- so very happy I posted here first!

My bad, I read from "had it steam cleaned" that you meant having someone clean it.

Glad you have had the expert advice though!

Just reached that point with my loaf sofa - it was so dirty that I decided that I could not live with it as it was so took a risk and ignored the dry clean in situ (wtf) label and took the covers off and shoved them in the wash - used my Shark stainstriker on the arms etc (wet clean) the thing looks like new but I was prepared to swap it for something much cheaper if it didn’t work

This was my thinking with the steam clean! Is yours velvet?

Mine is the cotton velvet rather than the true velvet - do you have any small throw cushions? I washed one of those first to check that it didn’t end up dolls house size

I do have some smaller cushions- a great idea! Thanks!