Furniture can be expensive to replace. While all furniture eventually becomes prone to wear and tear, you can delay this by taking certain measures to protect and maintain your furniture. Below are just 7 tips to help you extend the life of your furniture.
Clean up spillages straight away
Ugly permanent stains can be a common reason for replacing furniture. To prevent such stains from occurring, you should try to make an effort to clean up spillages as soon as possible. The longer spillages are allowed to soak in, the harder they will become to remove.
Use the right cleaning products
Certain cleaning products are best avoided when cleaning certain materials. For example, bleach can cause many materials to stain. It’s best to buy specialist cleaning solutions for the materials you have in your home – there are cleaning solutions that you can buy specifically for materials like leather, polyester and wood. Be careful when using harsh sponges on certain fabrics too as you could cause piling. Microfiber clothes and wet wipes are likely to cause the least damage.
Cover it up
You can protect most furniture from stains and scratches by covering it up. Slipcovers on sofas are a great defense against messy kids, muddy dogs and cat claws. Similarly, tablecloths and chair covers can be used on dining room sets. Try looking for covers that are machine-washable.
Take care when moving furniture
It’s important to take care while moving furniture – whether you’re moving it into a new home or simply reconfiguring a room. Furniture can easily get knocked or have too heavy a load stacked on it, which could cause lasting damage. When moving bulky furniture, it’s a good idea to hire professional removalists. This can greatly reduce the risk of damage to your furniture.
Plump your sofa cushions
Sofa cushions can start to sink after many years of being sat on. However, you can prevent this in many cases by regularly taking the time to plump your sofa cushions. This involves simply rearranging the cushion filling with your hands. It’s important to do this before the filling becomes permanently misshapen, after which point you may have no choice but to get sofa cushions restuffed. .
Retreat wood and leather
Materials like wood (particularly wood used outdoors) and leather can be kept from warping and fading by applying sealants and oils. There are specialist products that you can find online for these materials. Consider investing in these and applying these every few months to keep your furniture looking great.
Get your furniture professionally cleaned and repaired
It may also be possible to extend the life of your furniture by hiring professionals to clean and repair your furniture. There are upholstery cleaning companies that can deep clean your sofa to get stubborn stains and smells out. When it comes to repairs meanwhile, there are companies that can reupholster couches and sand down/refinished wooden tables to get rid of scratches. This service isn’t cheap, but could be worthwhile on furniture that is valuable.
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