how to keep your sofa as good as new | with tips for maintaining a sofa: sitting, folding, sunlight and pilling
Are the creases in your sofa slowly becoming visible? Or are you bothered by cushions that sag? Are you happy with the sofa, but are you bothered by a specific stain that you just can't get out? In this blog you can read all the do's and don'ts when using a sofa and what you should take into account in advance when purchasing a sofa. Because even the most reliable sofa sometimes needs a little extra attention. We hope this will take away some of your worries.
Your new sofa has arrived! You can start sitting in it.
Tempting, isn’t it? To immediately flop down in your favourite spot, when your new sofa is shining in the living room. However, we recommend that you regularly change your seat during the first 3 months to prevent sinking. By trying different sitting positions, the distribution of weight and pressure becomes more even, so that the sofa is occupied evenly. Don’t forget to regularly shake up cushions and seats to minimise wear, which we will discuss in more detail later in this blog. Active use of the sofa will soften and stretch the upholstery after a while. This will squeeze excess air out of the seat and back cushions. It sounds simple, but this phase of maintenance will significantly extend the life of your sofa. We all love years of comfort, don’t we?
what is wrinkling?
Crease formation means that folds or wrinkles appear in the fabric upholstery. You want to keep a tight sofa tight, but as soon as you start using the sofa, the foam will shrink slightly and the fabric will become looser. This causes folds. The fact that folds appear during active use of the sofa is a completely normal phenomenon and cannot be completely prevented. Depending on the type of construction, the foam will always form itself to your body by about 10%. Compare it to your new shoes or your jeans after wearing them; they also form themselves to your body. The same applies to the fabric of the sofa. Of course, we cover the sofas as tightly as possible. But the fabric of a sofa with upholstery that is too tight will tear at the seams. So there always needs to be some slack in the fabric that is around the sofa and the cushions. Crease formation therefore has nothing to do with the quality of a sofa.
Why didn't I have any problems with wrinkling with my old sofa?
Over the years, sofas are getting bigger and more often have a chaise longue. In addition, the chaise longues are getting wider, as are the seat cushions. In the past, a 3-seater sofa had 3 seat cushions and a four-seater 4 seat cushions; nowadays, these sofas only have 2 and sometimes even 1 seat cushion. This means that the fabric, which cannot be pulled too tightly around the sofa, has to span a longer distance and will therefore need more play in the same cover. This causes creases to form more quickly. And due to today's modern and sleek look, creases can also be noticed more quickly.
When is wrinkling really a problem?
In most cases, the wrinkle formation falls within the margin. For example, when smoothing out the wrinkles and folds by hand once or twice is sufficient to achieve a nice, even whole. If that does not work and you still have large wrinkles, then an easy-to-measure standard applies. You can measure the wrinkle formation using a 'margin'. The margin can be measured in the following way:
- Measure the width of the seat (often from seam to seam of the seat cushion)
- Place your hands on the buttocks and slide them towards each other so that 1 fold is created in the middle.
- Measure this fold height.
The table below then shows whether the fold falls within the margin.
In most cases, the fold falls within the margin. If this is not the case, a service technician can come to your home. The service technician will stretch the fabric or fill the filling, making the folds less visible. However, folds will never disappear, which is why it is important to carefully adhere to the 3-month settling period.
care of loose cushions
The loose (back) cushions have a filling of synthetic flakes. This means that the cushions need some care during active use. With a sofa with loose cushions it is very important to massage the cushions from the inside every now and then: open the zipper, put both hands in and loosen the synthetic flakes from each other. How often you can best do this depends on the intensity of use.
The cushions will take on the shape of your body and only if you loosen the cushions from the inside, you will enjoy your cushions for longer. Another tip is to swap cushions every now and then. It also helps to turn the back cushions every now and then and to distribute the sitting position of the sofa evenly.
This is how you can prevent pills and lint on the couch
Pilling is also called fluff formation. This often occurs due to rotating movements on fabric furniture, causing loose fibers to clump together. Natural fabrics such as wool and cotton often pill the most because the fibers are made up of loose scales. Synthetic fabrics are made of long filaments, which means that pilling is much less. Only the loose fabric in and on the cushions then causes pilling. It is a normal phenomenon that is easy to prevent and treat.
With an upholstered sofa it is important to vacuum regularly. This removes excess fibres early, which can no longer form balls. However, do this with a soft nozzle to protect the upholstery.
If the sofa is already pilling, it is easy to remove using a lint roller or lint remover. With these two tools, lint is easy to remove.
How do I get stains out of the couch?
It happens to everyone: spilling food and drinks on the couch. It depends on the type of substance whether or not it is easy to remove. Sofas with a light or uni upholstery will be extra vulnerable to stains. That is why it is important to impregnate the sofa when purchasing it. Impregnation protects the sofa against external influences. The upholstery is given a protective layer by the stain repellent, which makes it harder for dirt and moisture to penetrate. This makes stains easier to clean.
When buying a sofa, we recommend using Protexx . This stain-repellent agent can be used for any upholstered furniture. Read the instructions for removing stains from the sofa carefully beforehand. Protexx can easily be ordered when purchasing your sofa.
If, against all expectations, a stain has appeared on your sofa, you can remove it in a few simple steps. At Protexx you will receive a stain spray that you can use for this purpose. Spray the product on your stain and let it soak in for a moment. Then carefully dab the stain away with a dry cloth. Try not to rub, as the stain may then penetrate deeper into the fabric or spread further.
For more information about impregnation, you can always contact our customer service.
What to do against discoloration of the sofa?
The colour and fabric of all furniture are affected by direct (bright) sunlight over time. Bright and dark colours and natural materials suffer the most. For example, look at your black T-shirt that has been washed many times. It will fade faster than your beige sweater. Therefore, never place the sofa too close to a heat source or in direct sunlight. When purchasing the sofa, it is important to take into account the lightfastness of the fabric . This refers to the resistance to fading from sunlight. The degree of discolouration is expressed on a blue scale from 1 to 8. Where 1 indicates the lowest lightfastness and 8 the highest lightfastness. When ordering the colour samples, you will find the lightfastness score for each colour sample under 'product information'.
vacuuming fabric sofa
Do you recognize that layer of dust that can (unfortunately) be found on the bookshelves and slats every week? It may not come as a surprise, but it is a place that is often forgotten during the weekly vacuuming - the same dust and dirt particles also end up on your fabric sofa. But what is the best way to vacuum your sofa? We are happy to give you these tips.
- How often do you vacuum your couch - This depends on several factors. In general, we recommend vacuuming your couch once a month. Is your couch used every day, are there children, pets or serious allergies? Then you can always speed up the frequency.
- Use the right attachment - use the upholstery brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. The attachment is specially designed with soft bristles to keep the fabric of your sofa nice and intact and thoroughly remove dirt and dust without causing damage.
- How to vacuum your sofa - work in narrow sections, moving slowly from top to bottom to get every bit of it. Use the crevice tool on your vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean the cracks and seams of your sofa. These are often places where dust and crumbs collect. Don’t forget your cushions during this process.
There are many benefits to vacuuming your sofa. For example, it contributes to a clean and fresher appearance and ensures that dirt does not settle so that the fabric stays beautiful for longer. Also very nice: you reduce the chance of mold and bacteria - we all love a fresh sofa.
discoloration and wear from clothing
Sofas with light upholstery are extra sensitive to discolouration and wear from dark clothing. Especially new, dark jeans can give off colour due to excess dyes. Therefore, be careful with new jeans, for example. Denim is rich in dyes and the material is rough, which can cause it to rub against upholstered furniture.
Do you have any other questions or need more tips? Then of course you can always contact us. We are happy to help.
