Advice for your Sofas

Advice for your Sofas

Taking care of your sofas.

You’ll probably have more than one stain on your sofa, and you will possibly find dirt on your armrests. If a sofa is used regularly, you will notice that some areas in specific look more used than others. The sagging cushions in a sofa are also a sign of use and say a lot about the customs of their owners. It may be interesting to find out why do this damages occur so it can be avoided in the future.

ATTENTION! THREE FACTORS THAT ARE DAMAGING FABRIC FIBERS ARE : DIRECT CONTACT WITH SUN, DIRT, AND WEAR & TEAR. ALL OF THEM COMBINED CAUSE TRIPLE THE DAMAGE. IT IS TRUE YOU CANNOT AVOID ALL OF THEM, BUT IF YOU FOLLOW OUR INSTRUCTIONS AND ADVICE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY YOUR SOFA FOR A LONGER TIME. BE PRECAUTIOUS WHEN USING YOUR SOFA, TRY TO AVOID KIDS PLAYING ON IT AND KEEP YOUR HANDS AND FEET AWAY FROM IT. OUR SOFAS ARE DESIGNED FOR YOUR COMFORT AND SAFETY, WE HOPE YOU’LL ENJOY THEM.

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THE THREE FACTORS

PROTECT YOUR SOFA FROM THE SUN

You’ve probably already decided where are you going to put your sofa, but it may be interesting for you to reconsider after reading this text. Your living room can be divided into three areas : an area with full sunlight during the whole year, a dark area where there’s no contact with sunlight and an area in between. The ideal area for your sofa would be the dark one, nevertheless, if you decide to put it in a brighter area we recommend you limit the sunlight with curtains or blinds, as sun is the main factor of discoloration as well as weakening the fibers. The sunlight doubles the damage and so do heaters, radiators and any source of heat.

DIRT

Sofas should not get dirty, even though there are many types of dirt and it can be difficult to avoid them all. Sticky hands and pants full of sand will obviously dirty your sofa, but the fabric can also get covered with dust that many times is not visible. Many people eat and drink coffee while sitting on the sofa, which makes it almost impossible not do dirty it. In the moment you dirty your sofa, you should remove the stains immediately, the longer you wait the harder it will be to clean them off. Most of our furniture in FORMA MOBLES has been through a stain guard treatment which will make it much easier to remove stains. Remember to vacuum and clean your sofa regularly with recommended products. Do not clean feather pillows or cushions with the vacuum cleaner, simply toss them. Keep your sofa clean, not only for aesthetic purposes, but also to keep the fabric fibers away from deteriorating.

WEAR & TEAR

Wear and tear caused by use is an inevitable thing, but what you can do is avoid attrition occurring always in the same places. Do not clean the sofa by lifting the cushions, that way you will avoid breaking zippers. Do not drag the sofa in any way it frictions with the wall or floor, friction can tear the fabric of your sofa. Change places from time to time when sitting on your sofa to avoid sunken cushions, or if you are very used to a specific spot, you can always try fliping the cushions instead. If the sofa’s cushions are reversible, you should try and use both sides alike, don’t do the “I’ll keep this side clean for special occasions” thing. There’s also some types and parts of clothing that affect negatively the fabric of furniture, like thick fabric with a rough seam, the pockets of pants and the jeans rivets. All of these can cause really bad tear on furniture fabric.

CLEANING SOFAS

  • Remove the stain immediately. A little water should be enough to to clean it off.
  • If you do no know the nature of the stain we recommend you ask a professional about it, otherwise it’s very probable that you will worsen the stain or make it harder to remove.
  • To avoid damaging the fabric, it is best to test the cleansing product you are going to use in an area of the fabric where it’s not visible.
  • The stain should dissolve, there’s no need to rub.

Proceed as follows:

  1. Try to absorb the stain with a clean sponge or a cotton cloth.
  2. Put some stain remover product on a cloth. If the sofa is removable, we recommend to clean the stain from the back. Using a cloth as a base
  3. Soak the stain with the recommended amount of cleansing product and work from the edges toward the center of the stain.
  4. Move the base from time to time while preforming the cleaning operation.
  5. Rinse thoroughly when finished. If you use a specific cleansing product, follow the instructions written on it. If by mistake you put too much of the product on the stain, immediately soak it thoroughly with water and wipe it with a clean cloth. Too much cleansing product can leave stains too!

When you wash the covers in the washing machine:

  • Wash separately.
  • Carefully follow the label instructions.
  • Stretch the covers carefully when they’re still wet.
  • Hang them to dry.
  • Attention! If you decide to use a tumbler, do it wisely and carefully!
  • Iron inside out.
  • If you take it to dry clean , ask them to preform a cleaning test to ensure perfect results.
  • Leather is not resistant to solvents such as alcohol or cologne. You should wash all upholstery to avoid discoloration or color variations after washing!
  • Coffee/Tea:: Use a glycerin based cleanser.
  • Wax: Chill with an ice bag and peel the wax off. Place the wax remain between several layers of kitchen paper and use a flatiron, the paper will absorb the remaining wax. There may be some greasy spots left afterwards but they can easily be removed with an anti-grease solution.
  • Beer: A lukewarm solution of soap water and ammonia.
  • Chewing gum: Cool and scratch it off
  • Chocolate: Use a cleanser with glycerin.
  • Ketchup: Light soapy solution with ammonia (this is a very hard stain to remove, better consult with a specialist).
  • Liquor: Normally a little lukewarm water is enough, or a light soapy solution with ammonia.
  • Nail polish: Use acetone without oil (not on acetate fibers).
  • Unknown stains:Let it be checked by a specialist
  • Butter/Cream: Lukewarm soapy solution with ammonia.
  • Mayonnaise/Milk:Lukewarm soapy solution with ammonia.
  • Blood: A solution of 1tsp of salt per 5dl of cold water, or, a lukewarm soapy solution with ammonia.
  • Red wine: If the sofa covers are removable, cover the wet stain with a good amount of salt or potato starch. Let it absorb the wine, then wash the fabric, Old wine stains can be softened with glycerin, then apply a lukewarm soapy solution with ammonia. Then rinse thoroughly.
  • Juice/Jam: Apply a light soapy lukewarm solution with ammonia or a solution of citric acid.
  • Citric acid solution: 3tsp of citric acid (it can be purchased in a powder format) diluted in 2.5dl of lukewarm water. Try it out first in an area that is out of sight. Cotton, linen and viscose should not be treated with acids.
  • Ammonia solution: 1tsp of ammonia (25%) mixed with 2.5dl of water. Wool and silk should not be treated with acids.
  • Ammonia soap solution: 1 part of the solution with ammonia mixed with 1 part of the soapy solution.

OBSERVATIONS

Citric acid and ammonia may cause skin irritation and affect fabrics negatively. Be careful and rinse with water, specially after using an acid treatment. Be specially careful when using toxic and harmful products for the environment. Please, always follow the cleaning instructions of the fabric manufacturer. Keep toxic products out of children’s reach.