FABRIC AFTERCARE

Most fabrics will fade and eventually wear out – that’s guaranteed. For lovers of fabric, it’s part of their charm. However, how you treat them will determine when that time will come. Follow the fabric care tips below to prolong the life of your fabrics.

Regular Maintenance:

Vacuum upholstery fabrics weekly to reduce fabric wear through grit and dust. (spot clean where necessary). This is especially important for high-use items, including the family lounge or your favourite sunroom chair.

Vacuum heavy curtains regularly to reduce the build-up of dust and ‘dulling’ of colours.

Delicate fabrics can be dusted down with a feather duster or even shaken to dislodge dust—additionally, and delicate fabrics include silks and light-weight cotton.

Not all fabrics can be laundered or dry cleaned. So regular maintenance and fabric care are critical.

Hand Washing Cotton and Linen

All our linen and cotton fabrics will shrink between 5 -15%, depending on the temperature of the water. 

If washed in hot water and strong detergents, reds and strong pinks will bleed. Also, be aware that they cannot be left to soak or stay wet for any length of time. Always wash cotton and linen with care: use only a mild detergent.

Do not use enzymes, bleach or strong detergents.

Hand wash in the bath or large tub, or a bag using machine washing to protect them further.

If you have a specific use in mind and want to launder it in future, please do a test as follows. Pin a piece of the fabric to another item in your regular wash to see how the fabric will behave.

The use of tumble dryers will shrink fabrics.

Sun Protection

Fabrics used as window furnishings should have the appropriate linings for the conditions. We advise complete sun protection wherever possible for longer life. Unlined fabrics will always deteriorate quickly.

Swap curtains from left to right sides so that a single edge is not always exposed to the sun.

For curtains, try to make sure that they are out of direct sunlight when the curtains are drawn. This is to limit the fabrics sun exposure.

Where practical, use sheers on North and West facing windows. This increases privacy and reduces UV penetration into your room.

Finally

Additionally, we hope this information assisted you in being more confident in how to look after your fabric. All that is left is for you to bring your material to life. Should you need a little bit of inspiration, we also have a Blog and Pinterest page. If you have any further questions feel free to contact us, we are always happy to help.