How to Look After Your Fabric or Leather Furniture

If you have a beautiful leather or fabric sofa, dining chair or armchair, it’s important to look after your piece in order that it lasts as long as possible and continues to look great within your home or place of business.  

Fabric Sofa, Chair and Armchair Maintenance

Fabric sofas are often said to not be as durable as leather sofas and this puts many people off them but, with the right level of care and maintenance, fabric upholstery can remain in tip top condition for many years.

To make sure your fabric sofa, armchair or other type of chair remains in the best condition possible, it’s important to clean it regularly. Cleaning your fabric regularly will ensure the fibres in your upholstery don’t collect too many dirt particles that can be hidden beneath the surface and affect the overall integrity of your furniture.

In order to keep your fabric furniture looking its best, we recommend gently hoovering it regularly to draw out and loose dust and dirt from the surface and below the surface. The attachments that come with your hoover are a great way to do this and will allow you to get into every nook and cranny to ensure they’re kept clean. Just be sure to use a gentle brush attachment and don’t rub surfaces aggressively.

Fabric friendly cleaning products can be used on a semi-regular basis to keep your fabric furniture in top condition and can also be used on any spills. We always recommend testing a small patch of fabric on a hidden part of your furniture to ensure the fabric isn’t ruined by a cleaning product. After cleaning, we always recommend leaving your sofas, chairs and armchairs to dry naturally before sitting on them again which will prevent any creases or rumples forming.

Leather Sofa, Chair and Armchair Maintenance

Leather is an extremely durable and hard-wearing material that will last for many years if cared for correctly. You’ll want to have a regular cleaning routine in place to ensure your leather furniture lasts and gets even better in time.

We recommend that once a week you clean all of your sofa, chair or armchair. With a soft, dry cloth, go over your furniture to remove any dust or dirt and even use a hoover to get into the nooks and crannies and ensure every part of the furniture is clean and dust free. We then recommend using a damp cloth to wipe the upholstery with filtered or distilled water, as the chemicals in tap water can damage the finish of your leather. We also always recommend testing a hidden area on your furniture to ensure there won’t be any discoloration or damage.

Once every month or couple of months depending on how much traffic your furniture sees we recommend using a specialised cleaning product to treat your leather and ensure it’s in the best condition possible. Ensure you use specific leather cleaner and always do a patch test first.