Fabric Furniture Care and Protection Plan

If you want to make your furniture last, please read this entire section.  It's worth it.

If all you want to do is schedule a cleaning service, we recommend Hammond Knoll and Guardsman:

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE HAMMOND KNOLL (LOCAL)

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE GUARDSMAN (LOCAL AND NATIONAL)

It's great that you have purchased, or are considering the purchase of fabric furniture.  The vast assortment of available fabrics present many considerations and options for furnishing your home.  Fabrics bring the opportunity to add beautiful textures, colors, and unique patterns into your room's final design and furnished look.  A few general considerations will make sure you find a fabric that meets your expectations and your lifestyle.  At the basic level, if you have an acive lifestyle, you want to be sure and select fabrics that have a relatively high stain and abrasion resistance.  If you have an active lifestyle, make sure you select fabrics containing mininmal amounts of cotton, silk, hemp, etc. as these materials are prone to readily absorb stains.  It's also a good idea to select a faric with a high "double rub" rating, as such fabrics are less prone to abraision wear and tear.  To learn about the double rub rating, click here:  Martindale Test  

FURNITURE CARE GUIDELINES 

Having quality furniture is an investment into the quality of your way of life at home.  Regular and proper care, combined with regular and proper maintenance, is very important to make sure your investment lasts.

One basic understanding of properly caring for your furniture is that unless it is fitted with casters, it should never be slid or dragged to move it.  Doing so can damage the legs or frame of your furniture, as well as damage your flooring.  Never drag or attempt to lift your furniture from an armrest or any area other than the bottom base. Quality furniture has some measure of weight to it.  Lifting an item from any area other than the bottom base may cause damage.  Felt pads or rubberized feet are recommended if your furniture is goingn to rest on any surface other than carpet. 

Any furniture with moving parts should always be operated with care. Standingn on any piece of furniture is not safe and cause damage or result in injury.  Recliners should always be kept with seats and backs in their fully closed and upright position when not in use.  Never allow children to play on or near mechanised furniture or operate mechanisms.  

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  For those of us who love our pets and allow them onto our furniture, it is necessary to place some sort of protection over the furniture in the areas your pet likes to jump up on and lay down at.  A large folded fleece blanket seems to be a popular solution utilized by most customers.  If you keep your pet indoors while you are away, it is a good idea to cover your entire seat areas with blankets.  Pets like to rest in many different areas.  And should a pet have an accident on your furniture, it is much easier to clean or dispose of a blanket than having to deal with damage of any kind to your furniture.  

Regular fluffing and smoothing of cushions is an important procedure to keep your furniture in good condition.  Regular fluffing and smoothing helps to ensure more even wear.  Cushions not attached to the frame should be rotated regularly.  

Keep your furniture away from sources of heat and cold, and avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.  Prolonged exposure to direct sunlighht will cause damage and fading of all types of coverings.  There is absolutely no such thing as a fade proof fabric or leather, and there is no warranty against fading of any material.  Exposure to sources of heat as well as prolonged exposure to sunlight has a drying effect that can bread down materials and finishes.  Exposure to sources of cold or dampness can cause mold growth.  And no one likes to live with a fungusamongus.  

The following things, amongst others, should never be placed on fabric furniture:

• SERVING TRAYS WITH FEET
• UTENSILS, SCISSORS, OR SHARPS OF ANY KIND
• ANY CONTAINER CONTAINING LIQUID
• ANY HOT PLATE OR CUP
• SHOES
• NEWS PAPER
• PENS, PENCILS, CRAYONS, MARKERS, OR SHARPIE MARKERS
• NEW DENIM JEANS

Denim material is notorious for damaging furniture.  Especially new denim which has not been through several was and dry cycles.  When denim is new, the producers of the material don't always get the dye out of it before they send it to market.  The result is that a person can wear a new pair of jeans of which have residual dye in the material.  And when that individual sits on anything, that residual dye can transfer onto and permanently stain what ever is being sat upon.  Unfortunately not much can be done to remove a stain caused by dye transfer from denim.  The best hope is to call any upholstery cleaner, we specifically recommend Guardsman, and arrange an urgent appointment to have the upholstery cleaned by a professional.  Guardsman's phone number is 800.516.0195.

For general dusting purposes, we recommend using the suction attachment of any household vacuum to gently remove dust that settles on fabric furniture.  Covers should never be removed from any piece of furniture, and should never be washed.  Foster's only recommends fabrics be cleaned by certified professional upholstery cleaners.  We recommend Guardsman or Hammond Knoll, and you can click here to begin the process of scheduling a service call:  GUARDSMAN SERVICE REQUEST  HAMMOND KNOLL SERVICE REQUEST