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Furniture Care

Living Room

Furniture Care

By using common sense, your furniture should last for generations to come with a minimum of care. Caring for your new furniture can be easy. Use the list below to find the right way to care for your valued furniture.

Caring For Your New Leather Furniture

  • Read the product label and materials provided by the manufacturer.
  • Position all leather furniture at least two feet from a heating source. Prolonged exposure to heat dries out leather.
  • Leather upholstery fades when exposed to direct sunlight. Keeping leather furniture away from direct-light sources such as windows, skylights, and glass doors can prevent discoloration.
  • Be sure to practice regular preventive maintenance on the leather furniture in your living room, dining room, and bedroom. Improve the leather's resistance to soil by treating its surface with a leather cleaning or polishing product. Give special attention to high-use areas-seats, arms, and backs. Fully clean and re-protect your leather upholstery every six months. Be sure to use a product that's recommended by the manufacturer, and always test the product in a hidden area first.
  • Never use a hair dryer to speed drying unless recommended. When possible, let the leather air-dry after cleaning.
  • While leather initially repels most spills, liquids will be absorbed if not treated properly. Blot any liquid spills immediately with a clean, absorbent cloth or sponge, and then allow the leather to air-dry. If the spill is absorbed, it will dissipate over time as the leather naturally diffuses the stain.
  • Vacuum weekly to remove dust from your leather home furniture.
  • If you do encounter a stain on your leather furniture, gently rub the stained area with a mixture of water and baking soda, starting from the edge and working inward to the center. As always, try the solution first in an inconspicuous location to test the mixture's effects on the leather. Rinse the area thoroughly, removing the excess by blotting with a dry cloth or sponge, and then allow the leather to air-dry completely.
  • If the stain persists, seek professional cleaning advice.

Caring For Your New Upholstered Furniture

  • To avoid fading, keep upholstered home furniture away from direct sunlight.
  • Seat cushions should be flipped, rotated, and fluffed weekly to maintain their shape and comfort
  • Loose back cushions should be flipped, rotated, and fluffed weekly also. Semi attached back cushions should be fluffed weekly. More frequently if needed
  • Vacuum upholstered furniture as often as possible. Even if your home furniture has seen little use, the abrasive action of dirt and dust particles can wear the fibers of your upholstery fabric. For high-use furniture, it's a good idea to frequently beat the cushions and then vacuum and rotate them.
  • Damp-dust arms and headrest areas with a cleaning solution to prevent body oil accumulation on the upholstery.
  • Avoid placing newspapers directly on home furniture upholstery fabric, since ink will accumulate and is difficult to remove.
  • Never cover your upholstered home furniture with dark-colored blankets, sheets, etc., because the dyes can rub off onto fabric when dry or bleed when wet.
  • Avoid the use of dyes, paints, inks, nail polishes, and Mercurochrome around your upholstery fabric, since these substances alter color and will stain.
  • Never remove cushion covers for dry cleaning or machine washing, even though they have zippers.
  • Periodic professional cleaning will keep soil accumulation from marring the beauty of the upholstery of your home living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture.

Caring For Your New Wood Furniture

  • Avoid exposure to direct sunlight and extreme variations of temperature and humidity. Maintain your home at a temperature between 65 and 75 degrees, with a relative humidity of 35 to 40 percent.
  • Arrange furniture away from vents, radiators, registers, fireplaces or air conditioning units.
  • Remove spills immediately by using a blotting action rather than wiping.
  • Preserve the luster of your furniture by using a quality paste or liquid wax following the manufacturer's instructions. Spray waxes and polishes containing silicone should not be used as the silicone could react adversely with the finish. Spray polishes are not recommended or necessary.
  • Polishing should only be necessary twice a year. Guardsman Polish offers quality polishes and waxes and are available at Willis Furniture in the credit office.

Caring For Your New Bedding

  • Turn you mattress once each month for the first 6 months and twice a year thereafter, to even out the settling process.
  • The mattress must be supported by a matching box spring in order for the warranty to apply.
  • Never bend or fold the mattress, as this will damage the innerspring unit beyond repair.

Guidelines to Stains

You've just spilled a glass of wine on your living room sofa-what do you do now? It's important to act promptly but not to panic. Follow these guidelines to control a spill and prevent a stain.

  • Act quickly before a spill spreads or dries.
  • For liquid spills, blot lightly with a dry paper towel to start. Increase pressure and use a fresh paper towel until no more liquid is absorbed. DO NOT RUB! For solid or semi-solid spills (such as foods): Gently lift the substance from the upholstery with a spoon or the center of the spill. Treat any wet residue as a liquid spill.
  • For dry spills such as ashes or dry cosmetics, adding any liquid to a normally dry substance, such as ashes, may cause a permanent stain. Vacuum, beat the area with a ruler or similar implement, vacuum again, then use the adhesive side of masking tape to remove any residue.
  • Check the manufacturer's label for any cleaning instructions and/or fabric cleaning code.
  • Apply water or a cleaning agent in small doses to avoid spreading the stain or causing a ring. Be patient; apply several times, blotting firmly with a dry paper towel to soak up the liquid after each application.
  • Never rub a fabric; rubbing could result in damage to the nap, loss of color, or spreading of the stain.
  • Restore the nap on velvet by brushing gently before it dries.
  • To avoid water spotting, use a fan or cool blow dryer (on a cool setting) to accelerate drying. Dry from the outer edge of the affected area toward the center.
  • If the stain persists, seek professional cleaning assistance.

Cause/Remedy Table

Use the table below to determine the appropriate cleaning method to use on your home furniture upholstery stain. Explanations of the letters in the Remedy columns appear below the table.

Stain Cause Remedy Stain Cause Remedy
Alcoholic drinks C/B Ice cream B
Ashes/soot A/B Ink/Lipstick A/C
Blood B Jam/Jelly B/C
Butter A Margarine A
Cake frosting A/B Mayonnaise A/B
Candle wax A Milk/formula A/B
Candy B/C Mud B
Ketchup B Mustard B
Chewing gum A Oil A
Chocolate A/B Salad dressing A/B
Coffee A/B Sauces A/B
Cosmetics A/B Shoe polish A/C
Crayon A Soft drinks B
Dairy products A/B Syrup B
Egg B Tar A
Feces B Tea B
Felt-tip marker C Urine B
Fruit/juice B/C Vegetable A/B
Gravy A/B Vomit B
Grease A Wine/Kool-aid C/B

A Use a dry-cleaning solvent (such as Energine ®, Carbona ®, or K2r ®). READ LABEL CAUTIONS. Apply to stained area with a clean cloth. Using a paper towel, blot with increasing pressure until liquid is absorbed. Repeat this procedure multiple times to rinse the stain material from the fabric.

B Use a protein/enzyme-type laundry detergent (such as Era®), diluted; use one (1) part detergent to 30 parts water. Apply to stained area with a clean cloth. Using a paper towel, blot with increasing pressure until liquid is absorbed. Repeat this procedure multiple times to remove the stain. Repeat as necessary with clear water to rinse the detergent from the upholstery fabric.

C Use a solution of one (1) part distilled white wine vinegar mixed with nine (9) parts ethyl rubbing alcohol (denatured or isopropyl rubbing alcohol may be substituted). Apply to stained area with a clean cloth. Using a paper towel, blot with increasing pressure until liquid is absorbed. Repeat this procedure multiple times to remove the stain from the upholstery fabric.