So today I wanna talk about starting this eco-friendly upholstery cleaning thing in Bryn Mawr. Honestly, it started 'cause my buddy Vinny asked me to help clean this ancient, nasty couch he scored off the street for his garage. Figured, how hard could it be?

The Stupid Mistake That Started It

Bought some strong cleaner spray from the supermarket. Smelled like poison, stung my eyes just opening it. Sprayed it on Vinny's couch and holy crap. First, it didn’t really lift the stain much. Second, the area turned this weird, patchy color. Third, the smell? Awful. Couldn’t breathe near that thing for days. Felt like a total idiot. Vinny wasn't thrilled either. Definitely not what I wanted for my own kids or pets, y'know?

Googling Like Crazy for Safe Stuff

Got totally frustrated. Started reading online reviews late at night. Everyone kept saying "eco-friendly this," "non-toxic that," but most sounded fake. Or crazy expensive. Saw words like "baking soda" and "vinegar" a lot. Felt skeptical – how could kitchen stuff beat proper chemicals?

My Embarrassing Home Experiment

Okay, here’s the silly part. Found an old cushion cover we were gonna throw out anyway. Sprayed different spots with:

• Just warm water (did nothing).
• The harsh spray I bought earlier (bad smell, bad look).
• A mix I saw online: distilled white vinegar + warm water (50/50). Took some scrubbing, but lifted some coffee splotches and didn't stink!
• Another spot with a paste of baking soda and water. Let it sit, scraped it off, then vacuumed. Worked on dirt!

Felt pretty dumb elbow-deep in vinegar fumes, but seeing it actually work without melting the fabric? Win.

The Actual Business Angle

Started asking Bryn Mawr folks – parents at the playground, people walking dogs. Everyone HATED the chemical smell left by regular cleaners. Worried about pets/kids. Wanted something actually safe they didn’t have to leave the house after. But nobody knew where to go for it.

So I’m trying to build this little service. Using stuff like:

• Plant-based cleaning liquids I found (no harsh fumes).
• Steam cleaners (mostly just heated water!).
• My trusty baking soda paste for tough spots.

It's slower than those chemical trucks. Takes more elbow grease sometimes. And figuring out pricing? Yeah, still working on that headache. Also realized I gotta be super careful where I dump the dirty water – can’t just pour it down the storm drain at 6am.

Point is, finding truly safe options ain't always obvious, and it takes effort to ditch the nasty chemicals everyone grabs first. Still figuring it out myself!