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Care of home furnishing

We know that creating that special ambiance in your home took time. Whether your home furnishings are custom-made or off the-shelf, all need a thorough cleaning from time to time to extend their useful life.

Curtains

Professional cleaners clean and restore a lot of curtains. With proper care, curtains made of an average grade of fabric can be expected to last three to five years. A higher price does not necessarily mean that they will last longer than less expensive curtains. The greatest concern with curtains is the conditions they are exposed to in your home. That’s why professional cleaners examine and evaluate them before undertaking any cleaning procedures.

  • Sunlight can discolour and weaken fabric resulting in a shredding of the curtains after a cleaning process.
  • Exposure to moisture and humidity from rain, window condensation, leaks, or pet stains can cause dye bleeding and stubborn water rings that may be impossible to remove.
  • If the fabric has not been properly preshrunk, drycleaning, laundering, or wetcleaning can cause shrinkage. Industry standards allow for two to four percent shrinkage in household fabrics—a significant amount on a ceiling-to-floor length curtain. Loosely woven fabrics or those made of rayon and acetate blends are more susceptible to shrinkage. Separate linings, on the other hand, may not shrink at the same rate.
  • Insulated or reflective coated backing may degrade to the point that some of the coating actually comes off.
  • The combined effects of age, moisture, light, heat, smoke, and other atmospheric soils can cause fabrics to become permanently discoloured.

Unfortunately, even with the greatest precautions, after curtains and other fabric window coverings are cleaned, existing damage will sometimes become evident. For this reason, professional cleaners discuss possible results before cleaning and require customer consent prior to undertaking any requested service.

Bedspreads and Comforters

Sometimes professional cleaners are asked to clean bedspreads and comforters simply because of their size. Other times it’s because the care instructions read “professional care is best.” Save any care instructions, as care instructions, as they may be on a temporary label or on the packaging instead of being attached to the item since care labels are not required on household items. Professional cleaners strongly suggest that all matching or coordinating items are cleaned at the same time. This way any colour items are cleaned at the same time and any colour changes, however minimal, will be uniform. Whatever the circumstance, a professional cleaner will double check all available information and examine the fabric and construction before beginning the cleaning process.

Upholstery

Upholstery can be cleaned by a professional cleaner while still on the furniture. This ensures that the cushion covers continue to match the rest of the furniture, and it reduces the possibility of shrinkage. The zippers on furniture cushions are generally used by the manufacturer to get the cushion into the upholstery covering, not to remove the covering for cleaning.

Under Australian Standards, care labels must be attached to furnishings and upholstery or they may be found on a temporary label.

Caution:

Professional cleaners must strictly adhere to the care instructions attached to the furnishings.

Cushion covers for separate drycleaning or washing should only be removed if the care label indicates they can be cleaned by this method.

Helpful Tips

How long your home interior furnishings last depends in part on their selection and on the care you give them.

Here are some helpful hints to prolong their usefulness:

  • Consider the amount of sun exposure the fabric will receive. Silk is the most vulnerable to light, and acrylic and polyester fibres are the most resistant, so keep this in mind when choosing your home furnishings.
  • Rotate draperies to vary light exposure.
  • Save all care instructions. Bring them to the cleaner with your item.
  • Vacuum your home furnishings frequently to prevent build up of dust and airborne particles.