Fabric Care

How to care for your Fabric Furniture

Having made an investment in your Upholstered furniture, you will be wanting to do everything you can to extend your furniture’s life, and value. We have included some recommendations to help with the day-to-day cleaning and care of your Fabric furniture.

General Care

For general care of your Fabric furniture, we recommend that you refer to the Fabric Care label if there is one attached to your product. If not, then a cross-check on the Warwick Fabrics’ comprehensive Fabric Care site, will assist in checking the appropriate fabric care.

Spot Cleaning

For any spot cleaning, remove as much of the excess spill as possible by gently scraping with a knife, ensuring you work from the outside in to avoid spreading any further, and gently blot the area with a damp cloth to remove the stain. Similarly, for a liquid spill, use a dry towel to blot the excess. Do not over-wet any spill, or leave the area wet, as this may leave a water mark on the fabric. Always test on a hidden area of fabric first.

• For non-oil-based stains Use warm water and non-toilet soaps which do not contain optical brighteners (consider Velvet soap, Lux Flakes, Softly). Mix a small amount of soap and warm water solution and apply to the stain, rubbing gently. Blot dry with a clean towel. Apply cool water (preferably filtered or distilled water) and blot dry again. Then with a hair dryer, working out from the centre of the stain, dry quickly to prevent rings forming. It is generally preferable to clean whole panels of fabric in this way rather than trying to spot clean specific areas.

• For oil-based stains following the same basic guidelines as above, apply a proprietary brand solvent based cleaner and try to clean generally in panels rather than spot cleaning specific areas. A helpful industry ‘secret’ for spot removal of oil based biro marks is by the application of conventional hair spray.

We also recommend Warwick’s Halo Fabric Care Kit for spot cleaning. This kit includes Halo spot cleaner for most household stains, Halo fabric deodoriser to help neutralise pet and general odours and Halo fabric protector to restore liquid repellency on fabric sections that have been spot cleaned.

Fabric Protection

To help enhance the wear of your Fabric furniture, we recommend Microseal Fabric protection. Microseal offers permanent stain resistance, along with significant sun fade resistance on most fabrics, and can enhance fabric life through added resistance to wear and abrasion.

Day-to-day Care Tips

• Vacuum all surfaces, and cushions regularly. Accumulating dust is abrasive and will accelerate wear if regular vacuuming is not carried out.
• Rotate or reverse cushions regularly when the design permits. Do this monthly to minimise wear from the ‘favourite spot’ syndrome, and to enhance the overall life of each piece of furniture.
• Plumping cushions will also make a huge different to the overall comfort over time.
• Tight, and attached, seat and back cushions on all new upholstered furniture, will soften after delivery, and wrinkle after use.
• Feather and Down cushions have excellent recovery, but much like down duvets and pillows, they need to be fluffed more frequently to restore their loft. Feathers can also find their way through their lining, and the weave of the fabric. This is not considered a fault of the product.
• Pilling can occur on some fabrics and should not be considered a fabric fault. Fibre pills can be easily removed using a battery-operated de-pilling tool, available from most haberdashery stores. This will not damage the fabric if used correctly.
• Prevent ultraviolet (UV) damage. Our UV light is far more severe on all household products than you may realise. Keeping furniture away from direct sunlight will help minimise fading and/or fibre damage.
• Try to keep pets off the furniture as their fur may cause discolouration. Be careful with belts, toys and watches as they may pull or cut the fabric.
• Please do not sit on the Armrests and Backrests,. They are not designed for seating and could potentially damage the frame

We are here to help, at DA Lewis. If you still have questions about how to best care for your fabric furniture, please get in touch.

Luxurious Fabric Sofas & Lounge Chairs | DA Lewis Furniture