General Care Tips
- Many items can be maintained regularly by simply wiping with a soft dry cloth to remove dust.
- To protect your furniture, avoid placing it in direct sunlight or too close to heat sources. Do not place hot items directly onto the furniture as they can damage the finish. Use felt pads or other protective layers such as coasters when placing any items on finished surfaces.
- If spills occur, wipe immediately with a soft damp cloth or spot treat. Make sure to wipe dry after cleaning to avoid water spots.
- Do not use harsh chemicals or abrasives as they can damage surface areas.
Basic Upholstery Fabric Care Tips
- For everyday cleaning of your fabric upholstered pieces, use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to vacuum the surface of the furniture to remove any loose dirt. It’s also a good idea to vacuum underneath the cushions as well.
- If you can, flip your cushions regularly to distribute the wear and to reduce soiling.
- Clean spills immediately by gently blotting with a clean, absorbent cloth. If a stain remains, then you’ll have to do some deeper cleaning according to the fabric’s code.
- W Code W stands for ‘Water-based cleaner’. This code means that you can spot clean your fabric with a water-based shampoo or foam upholstery cleaner. You can use a brush to agitate the cleaner or even an upholstery attachment on a carpet cleaner. Be careful to avoid over-wetting the stain.
- S Fabrics that are Code S must be cleaned with solvents (dry clean only). You can spot-treat stains with a water-free solvent or dry-cleaning product. Use solvent cleaners in a well-ventilated room and keep away from open flames. Avoid using cleaning products containing carbon tetrachloride, as it is highly toxic.
- W/S A W/S code, as you might expect, means that a combination of dry-cleaning solvents and water-based cleaners may be used. These fabrics can be spot cleaned with upholstery shampoo, foam from a mild detergent, or a mild dry cleaning solvent. This is a case where a pre-test is especially important. For overall dirt, call a professional to clean these fabrics.
- X If you have fabrics with Code X, they can only be cleaned by vacuuming or light brushing. A Code X means the fabric is not cleanable with water or solvent cleaners.
- Once you’ve determined how to clean your fabric, it’s always a good idea to pre-test the cleaner on a small, inconspicuous spot on the fabric. This way you can make sure the cleaner works and doesn’t leave a spot or cause the colors to bleed. If you’re in doubt about how to proceed, it’s usually best to call a professional upholstery cleaner.
Leather Care Tips
- Dust leather with a clean, dry cloth and vacuum it regularly using a soft brush attachment.
Furniture Terms
Construction
No-Sag Springs
"S" shaped wires that are fastened to the front rail and run from the front to the back of the furniture every few inches apart.
8-Way Hand Tied Springs
Each spring is hand-tied eight ways (front to back, side to side & diagonally). A sign of quality construction, these coils offer the highest level of comfort and durability.
Webbing
Woven fibers are cut into strips and stretched across the furniture frame.
Corner Blocked Frame
The frame is blocked and screwed, providing lasting strength.
Wood Encased Frame
Insures a quality appearance and prevents the fabric from stretching.
Cushions
Foam
Foam cushions. The higher the density of the foam the better support.
Pocket Coils
Individually wrapped coils maintain their shape and are more resilient and plush than foam cushions.
Down
Made from feathers, down offers maximum comfort. Down may require more maintenance than foam but offers greater durability and resilience.
Leather Lingo
Top Grain
Top grain leather is made from the strongest fibers of a leather hide and is the most durable; they hide surface is sanded and refinished.
Full Aniline
Top-grain leather that is dyed with the color permeating all the fibers. No additional coloring is needed.
Semi-Aniline
Top-grain leather that is dyed on the surface only and coated with matching pigment for added protection.
Split
The bottom layers of the hide have been split off from the top grain leather, then pigmented or sueded.
Bicast Leather
Polyurethane applied to the surface of split leather and embossed. While slightly stiffer than top-grain, it has a consistent texture, is easy to maintain, and is durable.
Blended Leather
A man-made material composed of 17% leather and other fibers that are bonded together. Extremely durable and an environmentally-friendly choice.
Bonded Leather
Much like blended leather, bonded leather is man-made. However, rather than intertwining or melting the real leather and synthetic material together, real leather scraps are fixed in a polyurethane mixture.
Bicast Poly
A 100% man-made material that offers the most realistic leather look and feels. Bicast poly provides excellent durability.
Leather-Look
A man-made material constructed of 17.7% polyurethane, and 85.3% polyester. A great durable alternative to leather without sacrificing the same comfort.