A Guide To Good Furniture Care

A Guide To Good Furniture Care 
By Holly Linington, Fri Dec 9th 
During my long career in the furniture business I’ve often beenasked, “What is the proper way to care for my fabric?” Afterall, you’ve purchased your dream furniture piece but you’reterrified to use it out of fear of damaging it. But you don’thave to live in fear! After extensive research and testing Ihave found the following guidelines and suggestions to behelpful.

Upholstered Furniture Because of the wide variety offabrics and fiber combinations, there is no guarantee that thesemethods will be completely successful and I recommend that aprofessional upholstery cleaner be contacted in particularcases. However, these simple solutions will keep your newupholstery crisp and clean for years!

•Vacuum at least once a week to remove grit that can causeabrasion, and be sure to dust vacuum the top surfaces as oftenas possible. Professional cleaning is the best way to make aslightly soiled sofa look new again, but weekly vacuuming willmake professional cleaning a less frequent event. (Never brushany fabric with a stiff fiber or metal brush, since they’redestructive to the fibers. Instead, use your vacuum attachmentslike the upholstery brush or the attachment for dustingdraperies and furniture. The latter brush has longer bristlesand is less abrasive to your upholstery fabric. It may be yourbest option if your fabric deserves a softer brushing.)

•Reverse the cushions each week after vacuuming. Rearrange thefurniture occasionally to ensure even wear of the cushions andother areas. Cushions and pillows filled with down or similarcushioning material should be hand-fluffed and reversedregularly to retain their original softness and resiliency.

•Protect fabrics from the sun. Fabrics should not be placed indirect sunlight because the ultraviolet light will cause thefibers to degenerate and colors to fade. Occasionally dyes canfade from impurities in the air as well, but protection from thesun is a good way to prevent premature loss of color. 

•Keep pets off the furniture. Pet urine and pet body oil can bedifficult to remove.

•Use proper care with structural weave fabrics (where the designis created by the weave) to protect against snags. These fabricsmay be cleaned by sprinkling dry powder cleaner over the fabric,spreading it uniformly and letting it stand for the recommendedperiod before vacuuming with gentle suction. (However, I dorecommend professional cleaning with stains on a woven fabric.)

•Caution those wearing clothing with transferable dyes, such asblue jeans, that the dye could transfer onto light-coloredfurniture.

Fabric Cleaning Guide Today’s new fabric treatmentsimprove the chances of your fabric’s survival. Fabric protectionproducts are usually applied by the retail store for anadditional cost. Most of the various brands work the same way bycausing spills and soil to sit on the surface of the fiberinstead of migrating to the fiber’s interior.

Today’s fiber protection products are free of ozone damagingchemicals, and most are hypoallergenic and invisible to the eye.Some even provide additional UV protection from color fadingcaused by intense light. One of the greatest benefits of fabricprotection products is that they come with specific writtenwarranties that provide peace of mind.

Whether your new upholstery has been fabric protected or not,you should follow the same basic guidelines in cleaning liquidspills or surface soil that can’t be brushed off (such asnewspaper ink).

Fabric Cleaning Codes Before attempting to clean a spillor spot on your furniture, you should identify the fabric andthe correct cleaning method recommended by the manufacturer.This information is represented by a cleaning code (W, S, WS, orX) often found under a cushion, on the bottom of the furnitureor on the manufacturer’s tag. If you cannot find thisinformation, contact your salesperson at the furniture storewhere the item was purchased.

W – Spot clean only with water-based shampoo or foam upholsterycleaner.

S – Spot clean only with water-free cleaning solvent. Do notoverwet. DO NOT USE WATER.

WS – Spot clean with upholstery shampoo, foam from a milddetergent, or a mild dry cleaning solvent. Do not overwet.

X – Clean only by vacuuming or light brushing with anon-metallic brush. DO NOT USE WATER OR DRY CLEANING SOLVENTS.Do not use a foam or liquid cleaner of any type.

Never apply cleaning solutions to visible areas of yourupholstery fabric without first testing on areas that are notvisible. It is important to pretest for color loss and fabriccompatibility.

Cleaning Instructions As a general rule, when a spilloccurs, it is important to clean the fabric immediately. Thelonger a spot remains, the harder it is to remove. It may evenbecome permanent. 

Blot, don’t rub. If the spill is still “fresh”, use a clean, dryand very absorbent 100% cotton cloth. Should you have to usepaper towels to blot out spills, be sure the paper towel (orcloth) is white, as colors in the towel may, when applied to awet surface, fade onto the upholstery. Color from one fabric canrub off onto another fabric, even when dry -- a process known inthe industry as “crocking”.

If blotting with a dry cloth doesn’t quite finish the job andyou have cleaning directions from the furniture manufacturer,follow those. If none are available, use the instructionsprovided here. 

I hope this information has been insightful. Use these toolswhen necessary, but most importantly, enjoy your upholsteredpiece -- it was meant to be used!

GA-002

About the author:Holly Linington is a designer and the owner of Planet Sofa. For over 15years Planet Sofa has been providing customers with stylish,high quality furniture at affordable prices. They are committedto offering pieces that combine aesthetics and utility withergonomics and comfort, and their products are available on theweb.