How do I care for my Furniture?

General Tips

• Most furniture should be kept out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can cause color fading, fabric deterioration, and wood furniture to dry out and crack.
• All upholstered furniture should be vacuumed frequently to remove surface dust and dirt before it has a chance to work its way deep into the fiber structure. Dust and dirt can weaken fabrics and shorten their useful life. If the furniture has removable seat cushions, the deck area (the part of the sofa where the cushions sit on) should also be vacuumed frequently.
• Spills should be wiped up immediately. Additional cleaning techniques depend on the type of fabric (see below).

Fabric
If the seat cushions are removable, they should be reversed every time that you vacuum. Depending on the individual cushion style, you may have to "reverse ends" whereby the left facing cushion gets reversed and now becomes the right facing cushion. Generally, cushions on sofas and loveseats are not interchangeable with each other.

In order to remove stains, you should first check the cleaning code for the fabric in question. Cleaning codes have been standardized as follows:

• S - Dry Clean
• SW - Shampoo Dry Foam
• W - Wet Clean
• WS - Wet Shampoo
• X - Dry Clean Only

Pilling (or "fuzz balls") is a natural occurrence in certain upholstered fabrics, and is not considered a defect. Fabric "fluff" gets trapped in the fabric as it is woven. In time it will become dislodged and comes to the surface. A clothes dryer does a great job of removing lint from clothing. Your vacuum will do a great job of removing it from your furniture. Sometimes however, it becomes necessary to remove the "fuzz balls" with a scissors or a "clothing shaver" that is available at most any discount department store.

Leather & Vinyl
The greatest enemy of vinyl upholstered furniture is body and pet oils that are deposited through normal use. These oils will cause cracking and hardening of the material, greatly reducing the useful life of the product. Weekly washing (using a sponge) with a solution of mild household detergent and water should remove this harmful substance. Be sure to rinse thoroughly with clear water to remove traces of the detergent as this could also be harmful to the material.

There are two main types of leather that are used in upholstered furniture. The first is Aniline or Protected leather finishes that most of us are familiar with. See our leather guide for further instructions on types of leather and how to clean them. They can be cared for similar to the instructions for vinyl upholstered furniture being careful to not over water or saturate the surface. The other type of leather used is called nubuck or suede. This means that the leather surface is not smooth and shiny, but rather dull and porous. Cleaning nubuck should be left to a professional.

Wood
The major enemy of wood furniture is moisture. Never allow liquids of any kind to remain on the wood surface. Moisture will cause veneer to lift and crack, and solid woods to crack and swell. Also, never use any cleaner with ammonia, it will chemically attack the finish.

Wood furniture is manufactured to sit level from side to side and front to back. If you have doors that do not align or close properly, or drawers that bind, try to level the furniture with wood shims or something similar. If drawers still bind, try coating the drawer slide with bar soap or candle wax.

Tips for preserving the finish depend on the type of finish you have.

There are many types of laminated wood products. One type is a photograph of wood laminated to a particle board base. It is then sprayed with lacquer and should be cared for the same as Lacquer Finish above. The other type is vinyl, low pressure laminate, or high pressure laminate (such as Formica) that is bonded to a particle board base. The surface of these laminates is not sprayed with lacquer, but rather the surface of the laminate is the finished product. Cleaning this surface is the same as described in Polyurethane Finish above.

An oiled finished product is when an oil type finish is rubbed directly onto the wood surface with no other type of sealer applied over. You can distinguish this type of finish by the lack of sheen and the fact that the grain is exposed. Clean the finish with a penetrating oil such as Watco Satin Oil. You can then protect the surface with a wood wax or bees wax.