As a Colorado Springs, CO upholstery business, we see lots of furniture problems from stains to pet accidents to rips and tears of all sizes. We’ve encountered moldy couches, smelly armchairs and worn out foot stools. We’re always happy to perform furniture repairs throughout Colorado Springs, CO and beyond, and some types of issues are just part of life or normal wear and tear, but what if there were some things you could do to avoid unnecessary costs, keep from having to reupholster or replace items and that would help extend the life of your furniture?
If you follow these five furniture life-extending tips your sofas, chairs and other upholstered furniture should last your whole life or longer.
- Keep sensitive fabrics out of the sun: Try to place furniture so it doesn’t get excess exposure to Ultraviolet light. A little sun is ok. We’re not suggesting you sit in a dark room and stop enjoying your home’s natural light. But angling blinds or installing light curtains to filter sunlight is a good idea.
- Consider covering chairs and couches: Gone are the days of grandma’s noisy plastic sofa covers. Today’s furniture dust covers come in a variety of attractive designs and fabrics and can protect your furniture from rips and spills as well as be removed for easy cleaning.
- Use Fabric & Upholstery Protection: Treat your furniture’s upholstery with products specially formulated to help them resist stains and fading. Keep in mind that these aren’t designed for some types of leather. Most of these products are odorless so there’s no need to worry about chemical smells.
- Regularly Rotate Cushions & Pillows: You might rarely remove your couch’s cushions except to vacuum them, or when you’ve lost the remote or can’t find your keys, let alone turn them, but routinely flipping your furniture’s cushions and pillows can ensure even wear and extend the life of your chairs and sofa.
- Don’t skip vacuuming: That’s right, we said vacuuming. Since you’ll be removing loose cushions to turn them, you might as well vacuum your couch and other furniture at the same time. Incorporate this task in your regular house cleaning routine whenever you’re vacuuming your carpets and floors. Unfortunately, there’s no robovac yet for this task, so it will take some good old fashioned elbow grease.
The above furniture maintenance tasks will help your furniture last longer, and it might prevent some tears and other accidents, but there will always be furniture repair tasks that require professional help even if you’ve followed our advice. Don’t try to repair them yourselves. Stubborn stains, worn out and saggy cushions, faded fabrics and ripped armrests are things best left to the experts.
If you have tips of your own, or want to comment on the ones we suggested, leave a comment below. If you have questions about furniture maintenance and repair in Colorado Springs, CO or anywhere in the US, contact us today.