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FABRIC FURNITURE CARE GUIDE

Caring for your fabric upholstery

Helping you choose your fabric furniture

It’s important to understand the features and benefits of different components when choosing your fabric sofa or chairs, as they can affect the look and durability. To help you make the right decision, we’ve put together some basic information on the different types of materials and interiors we offer.

Upholstery furniture always starts with the frame, which generally dictates the final look of the furniture. Frames can be constructed using various timbers and particle board, the most durable being hardwood frames that are screwed, glued and dowelled.

The sit and feel of upholstery furniture can depend on the type of suspension units used. These come in a variety of forms, such as highly resilient elasticated webbing, zig zag springs or coil springs. Interior fillings also affect the sit and maintenance of furniture, the main types of which are feather, polyester fibre and foam, or a combination of these fillings. Foam core interiors generally offer maximum resistance to settlement, whereas feather and fibre interiors offer less resilience and require greater maintenance.

The final part of upholstery makeup is the chosen fabric, this not only affects the look of the furniture but also has a bearing on the durability of it.

Types of fabric

  • Calico - A tightly woven cotton type fabric, either plain or with an all over print.

  • Chenille - A thick soft tufty yarn susceptible to pile crushing and shading.

  • Damask - A glossy jacquard fabric, usually made from linen, cotton, rayon, silk or blends. The patterns are flat and reversible, and the fabric tends to be heavy

  • Microfibre - Ultra-fine manufactured fibres using microfibre technology to produce a gentle fabric with superior softness.

  • Nap - A fuzzy, fur like feel created when fibre ends extend from the basic fabric structure to the fabric surface.

  • Pill - A tangled ball of fibres that appear on the surface of a fabric as a result of wear or friction. Some fabrics are more prone to ‘pilling’ and this is a natural feature

  • Velour/Velvet - Velvet and velour are luxurious fabrics, but as they have a raised surface texture they can be prone to shading and creasing with pile pressure.

    • Please note that due to the sumptuous nature of chenille and velvet, crushing may be apparent from new and will change with use

    Seat cushion fillings

    Our seat cushion fillings are produced to offer maximum comfort for the style of your chosen furniture.

    It is common that interiors will lose at least 10% of their density in the first 3 months, increasing to 20- 30% over time. To prolong the life span of interiors where possible, cushions should be rotated or seating positions changed regularly.

    Where fixed seat models are chosen, particular care is needed to avoid ‘side sitting’ (lying or sitting on the edge of interiors) as this can cause excessive dipping of the interior.

    Daily maintaining is required by vigorously plumping cushions to offer maximum performance, particularly fibre and feather fillings.

    Fabric upholstery care

    Soft upholstered furniture gets just as dusty and dirty as cabinet furniture - the difference is you can’t always see it. Upholstery should be viewed in a similar way to clothing, ie. it needs regular cleaning, ideally by a reputable cleaning company. The following are basic guidelines to follow to ensure your fabric chairs or sofa stay in great condition for years to come.

    The dos and dont's of fabric furniture

  • Try to keep pets off the upholstery and be careful of sharp objects such as belt buckles, toys and watch straps snagging the fabric. If snags do occur, carefully cut off the loose ends with scissors or tuck back in - do not pull them under any circumstances.

  • Discourage lively children from using your new suite as a climbing frame if you want to prolong its life span.

  • Use protective arm caps where possible as this is the area most likely to show wear.

  • Reversible seat and back cushions should be turned regularly and plumped up to maintain their shape. As a guide these cushions should be attended to at least on a weekly basis, but may require daily attention dependent upon the type of filling and usage.

  • Upholstery can be lightly vacuumed or gently brushed to remove dust.

  • Strong sunlight can cause fabrics to fade.

  • Certain non-colourfast clothing such as denim can stain light coloured fabric if it comes into regular contact.

  • Sitting on the front edges of cushions or on the arms of furniture may cause distortion or damage.

  • Wood or decorative facings require minimal maintenance, and should be occasionally wiped with a damp cloth to remove dust.

  • Do not use spray polishes or solvent cleaners, as these can have a damaging effect on both the facings and adjoining fabric.

  • Fringes and ruching should be treated with care, especially when vacuuming.

  • Caster cups are useful to reduce indentations on carpets and wood flooring.

  • To avoid damaging your upholstery, if you spill something on it, simply act quickly and mop up excess liquid with a clean white cloth.

  • Do not rub and do not use detergents.

  • Vacuum or brush clean your upholstery weekly to remove accumulated dirt, which can cause colours to look faded or dull, but take care if vacuuming delicate fringe and braid details.

  • Plump the cushions at the end of every day of use, particularly those filled with feather or fibre, and also smooth out the surface to prevent permanent creases being formed. Where you can, turn the cushions regularly to equalise wear.

  • Always follow your manufacturer’s cleaning and care label instructions. Clean your upholstery regularly and before soiling becomes ingrained.

  • Clean all parts of a suite together as slight colour changes can sometimes occur.

  • Motion furniture has many different designs and functions, and it is very important that the manufacturer’s operating and care instructions are correctly followed.

  • Loose covers should be cleaned regularly in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

  • Some slight shrinkage may arise on initial cleaning, but sufficient tolerance will have allowed for this.

  • When removing and particularly when replacing loose covers, always take care with the carcase and cushion cover zips. Your covers are tailored to snugly fit the carcase, so make sure you identify the correct shapes prior to fitting. If washed, replace the covers when just slightly damp to ensure a better fit and less shrinkage or creasing. Do not replace covers if they are wet, as this could damage other materials.

  • Ironing should not be necessary, but if this is required, iron the covers on the furniture using a damp cloth.