No. 03/2006 – Home Furnishing Fabrics – long life by care and cleaning
Home furnishing fabrics create a comfortable, cosy ambiance in the individual living area. Attractive fabrics are offered in lots of different materials, colours and designs. In order that for a long time you can enjoy your upholstery furniture the cover fabrics of these should be maintained and cleaned regularly so that all traces of normal dirt can be removed easily. If you observe some rules a prolonged life of your home furnishing fabrics will be ensured. Please follow the cleaning instructions of the producer.
Rule 1: Regular brushing and vacuum cleaning
Rule 2: Immediate removal of stains
Rule 3: Every now and then treatment with dry or liquid shampoo
Rule 4: Every 4 to 5 years thorough cleaning by an expert
Rule 1: Regular brushing and vacuum cleaning
Rule 2: Immediate removal of stains
Rule 3: Every now and then treatment with dry or liquid shampoo
Rule 4: Every 4 to 5 years thorough cleaning by an expert
Rule 1: Regular brushing and vacuum cleaning
Once a week your home furnishing fabrics with light colours should be brushed or vacuum-cleaned to take off dust and slight soiling. In case of darker colours the maintenance intervals may be longer. For brushing you should use a soft cloth brush. For vacuum-cleaning an upholstery nozzle should be used. For cleaning flat wovens please use a smooth nozzle without bristles. For pile fabrics as velours and epinglé an upholstery nozzle with soft bristles should be used. Please see to it that the edges of the nozzles are not sharp in order not to damage the furnishing fabrics.
Rule 2: Immediate removal of stains
Stain removal should be left to professional upholstery cleaners with more experience and best available techniques. If you do it yourself please note that stains on home furnishing fabrics are easiest to remove immediately after they have occurred.
Damp stains should be treated as soon as they occur with a white absorbent cloth or tissue, starting from the outside of the stain and working inwards. It is very important to dab but not to rub - otherwise the surface structure of the fabric may be affected.
If the stain cannot be removed completely a special upholstery shampoo can be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Before use please test the colour fastness by applying the shampoo on a white absorbent cloth at a hidden spot of the fabric to make sure that it is suitable for this fabric. If there are no colour changes and other surface alterations on the dried fabric you can be sure that the shampoo is compatible.
Never apply the detergent directly onto the upholstery fabric but onto a dampened clean white cloth. This should be dabbed onto the stain, working from the edge to the middle. Any residual shampoo should be removed carefully with a damp cloth and dabbed up with a dry cloth.
Take care that the detergent will be completely removed from the fabric. Residual shampoo may lead to a faster re-soiling. Advice: Before use pour a small diluted quantity of the detergent into a dish and let it dry. If the remaining substance is sticky you should not use this shampoo. If it is brittle you can use this detergent because the remains will surely be easily vacuum-cleaned.
Dry stains can be treated in the same way as the remains of damp stains.
Further advice regarding stain removal can be found in the “Leaflet for Care and Cleaning of Upholstered Furniture”.
Damp stains should be treated as soon as they occur with a white absorbent cloth or tissue, starting from the outside of the stain and working inwards. It is very important to dab but not to rub - otherwise the surface structure of the fabric may be affected.
If the stain cannot be removed completely a special upholstery shampoo can be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Before use please test the colour fastness by applying the shampoo on a white absorbent cloth at a hidden spot of the fabric to make sure that it is suitable for this fabric. If there are no colour changes and other surface alterations on the dried fabric you can be sure that the shampoo is compatible.
Never apply the detergent directly onto the upholstery fabric but onto a dampened clean white cloth. This should be dabbed onto the stain, working from the edge to the middle. Any residual shampoo should be removed carefully with a damp cloth and dabbed up with a dry cloth.
Take care that the detergent will be completely removed from the fabric. Residual shampoo may lead to a faster re-soiling. Advice: Before use pour a small diluted quantity of the detergent into a dish and let it dry. If the remaining substance is sticky you should not use this shampoo. If it is brittle you can use this detergent because the remains will surely be easily vacuum-cleaned.
Dry stains can be treated in the same way as the remains of damp stains.
Further advice regarding stain removal can be found in the “Leaflet for Care and Cleaning of Upholstered Furniture”.
Rule 3: Intermediate cleaning by dry or liquid shampoo
Widespread slight soiling can be easily removed with dry or liquid shampoo. Except for silk, flat wovens as well as pile woven fabrics can be treated in this way. Please use dry shampoo for flat wovens. For pile wovens liquid shampoo may be used as well.
Do it this way:
Spray the dry shampoo on a dampened, squeezed-out sponge and put it onto the fabric. Liquid shampoo can be worked into foam with a sponge, whereby only the foam should be used on the fabric. After shampooing the whole surface should be carefully dabbed-up with a clean white cloth.
The fabric should dry completely. As a last step, vacuum-clean the fabric with the upholstery nozzle or brush it with a soft cloth brush.
Advice: Before using the shampoo please test it at a hidden spot of the fabric. If there aren’t any changes in colour or surface you can use this shampoo for cleaning.
Do it this way:
Spray the dry shampoo on a dampened, squeezed-out sponge and put it onto the fabric. Liquid shampoo can be worked into foam with a sponge, whereby only the foam should be used on the fabric. After shampooing the whole surface should be carefully dabbed-up with a clean white cloth.
The fabric should dry completely. As a last step, vacuum-clean the fabric with the upholstery nozzle or brush it with a soft cloth brush.
Advice: Before using the shampoo please test it at a hidden spot of the fabric. If there aren’t any changes in colour or surface you can use this shampoo for cleaning.
Rule 4: Every 4 to 5 years thorough cleaning by an expert
If heavily soiled your home furnishing fabrics need a thorough cleaning. According to the degree of soiling this would be advisable every four to five years. This basic cleaning should be undertaken by a professional upholstery cleaner. Addresses of officially recognised cleaning companies can be obtained at the local consumer advice centres or at the German Textile Cleaning Association in Bonn (www.dtv-bonn.de).
