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How to Clean Velvet Upholstery
- Fantastic Team
- Published: October 8, 2018
- 6min read
- Views: 7,977
Velvet is a luxury fabric, which has been mainly used by royalty throughout the ages. Choosing it for your home furniture is a bold move, showing you enjoy lavishness and class.
So, if you:
Then read on!
The negative side of having lustrous velvet furniture is that it can become easily discoloured and wrinkled, requiring extra care and attention. But fear not, in this article we will discuss useful and easy-to-follow ways of how to clean and maintain your velvet furniture.
This is the first question that comes to mind to anyone who has or is about to purchase velvet upholstery. First of all, you should know that velvet can be made of many different materials.
Back in the day, velvet was made of woven tufted silk, which was, and still is, quite expensive. Today, it comes in more budget-friendly variations, being made of materials, such as cotton, linen, mohair and wool, as well as of synthetic fibres like polyester.
To find out what materials your velvet furniture is made of, inspect its wash care label. Velvet made of synthetic materials can be easily steam-cleaned at home, as it is much more durable compared to natural fibre velvets.
Velvet made of silk, cotton or linen should be cleaned by professionals with the right tools and equipment, as these fabrics can get easily damaged, creased or become faded.
Here is an example routine of how you can maintain and clean your velvet upholstery, in order to keep it shiny and opulent-looking for as long as possible.
Clean your velvet weekly by completing the following tasks:
As we’ve mentioned above, velvet is easily damaged. So, here are two simple ways to protect the fabric from discolouration or untimely wear and tear:
The most commonly used velvet furniture is the velvet sofa. Still, the method below also works for other velvet furniture, such as armchairs, dining chairs, curtains etc. It is suitable for removing water, tea, wine, coffee, food and other organic stains.
The cleaning steps below might not work for hard-to-remove stains, such as ink, blood, nail polish, paint, machine oil, etc. We advise you to consult with a professional before attempting to clean such stains.
Before we begin, a few quick reminders:
Here are two easy-to-make cleaning solutions. For the first one, you’ll need to:
The second homemade cleaning solution is even easier to make. All you need to do is:
Now that you know how to prepare a DIY cleaner, here’s how to clean stains from velvet:
If the stain is fresh, you need to remove as much of the liquid or food as you can. Use a white dry absorbent cloth and gently blot the affected area;
Mix a homemade cleaning solution or use an upholstery cleaner. To make a homemade solution, choose one of the two methods, we’ve described above. As for the upholstery cleaner, make sure it is suitable for your type of velvet fabric by testing it on an inconspicuous area, first, such as the bottom of the furniture;
Using the cleaning solution and a white dry cloth, gently blot the affected area until the stain is removed;
Let the velvet dry and then, vacuum the surface a few times by following its lines to make it look smooth. Your furniture is now clean and ready to use!
We advise that you get your velvet furniture professionally cleaned every six to nine months, so you can ensure that the fabric keeps its colour and softness for longer. When it comes to cleaning stains, it is best to trust the help of professional upholstery cleaners who know how to treat each stain properly.
The skilled technicians use the optimal cleaning method for velvet, called dry cleaning. The experienced professional follows these cleaning steps:
If you want to have your velvet professionally cleaned with the right tools and experience, give us a call or book online anytime!
Find a professional to take care of your upholstery.
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If you found this article useful, don’t forget to share it with friends and family. And you can always leave a comment below if you have any questions or want to share your experience.
Image source: Depositphotos: by VadimVasenin
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