How to clean and care for your fabric sofa

We hope you’re pleased with your new sofa and that it’s settling in nicely! To help prolong the life of your sofa or armchair, we’ve put together a few care tips to help ensure it remains looking its best for many years to come.

Best Way To Clean A Fabric Sofa

The majority of our fabrics are woven with natural fibres such as cotton or wool and mixed with a synthetic fibre to help with fabric performance and integrity. If you do get a spill, immediately dab with a damp, clean, white cloth, remembering not to rub the surface as this could damage the fabric.

Aquaclean Sofas

Our Aquaclean fabric is the perfect choice for busy homes – allowing you to remove everyday household stains with water alone. Using a revolutionary technology, Aquaclean provides an innovative solution that effectively repels liquids and acts as a facilitator – making once difficult stains, like wine, mud, chocolate and ink to name but a few, more transferable from fabric to water. This simplifies the cleaning process and means stains can be removed more quickly, even after staining has occurred.

How To Clean Velvet Sofas

Our velvet fabrics are soft and delicate, so we recommend using a velvet brush or gentle steam to help erase any light marks. Getting your velvet sofa wet can damage its overall appearance, so avoid using damp cloths. Our velvet sofas are made from a cotton-blend for added durability and to give a non-shiny appearance. Please note, the velvet pile can compress over time, especially in high use areas. Due to the raised pile, marking, bruising and crushing is a natural occurrence of this fabric. Natural shading on your upholstery will occur due to the raised pile.

Keeping your sofa clean at home

Treating your sofa to a professional upholstery cleaning session every 18 months or so will ensure it remains in tip top condition too. If you do happen to have any emergency spills, then contact a local professional cleaning company for advice. Please note, The Cotswold Company cannot be held accountable for any damage caused by a third party.

Caring for your sofa cushions

Fibre Cushions: When your new sofa arrives, it’s important to remember to take good care of the cushions too. Just like a pillow, fibre is a soft and comfortable filling which requires frequent plumping! We recommend plumping cushions daily as this will restore air between the fibres, stopping them from binding together, and so helping to maintain both the look and comfort of your cushions. Occasionally remove your fibre interiors from the case and plump them before returning them back to their case.

Foam Cushions: Foam is a firmer and more supportive filling than fibre which relaxes with use. It’s natural for the cushions to slowly soften and compress within the first six months, so making a conscious effort to plump and maintain them from the beginning will help to ensure their longevity and comfort for many years to come. While the hardness of our foam cushions can differ from cushion to cushion, remembering to regularly flip them over and changing their position will help to keep them softer for longer.

Feather Wrapped Foam Cushions: These cushions have a high-performance foam core for support with cushion recovery cased in a feather wrap for superior comfort. Although firmer when they first arrive, our feather cushions will soften over time as the foam softens and air is pushed out. Give them regular plumping to help redistribute the feathers and flip them over every couple of weeks. Occasionally remove your feather wrapped foam interiors from the case and plump them before returning them back to their case.

Feather and Eco Fibre Cushions: A 50/50 blend gives these cushions a superior level of comfort and support. Not only is the fibre filling an eco-friendly choice made from 100% recycled bottles - 50% of which is Prevented Ocean Plastic - but it has been scientifically developed to provide firm, controlled and lasting support. Like all of our cushion fillings, we recommend regular plumping and flipping them over to help maintain their softness and support.

Caring for your sofa legs

To help ensure your sofa feet continue to look as good as new, give them a dusting with a soft cloth and a mild wood-friendly detergent or polish every now and then. Please note - avoid using polish that contains silicone as this can dull the finish of the wood over time.

If you’re placing your new sofa on a wooden floor, we advise using felt pads or castor cups to protect it. Damage to the sofa frame can occur on uneven surfaces, so be sure to place it on a level and solid surface; using felt pads if needed. Please double check the feet are in their correct position before sitting on it.

Loose Sofa Covers

Wonderfully versatile, loose covers are perfect for updating your sofa look. Due to the fire-retardant coating, we advise you have these professionally dry cleaned in situ, following which regular re-dressing will help to keep them looking shipshape. When your loose covers first arrive, pop them straight on your sofa. Any creases should drop out after a few days.

Our Sofa Guarantee

Our 15-year guarantee covers our frames and springs but does not cover upholstery. Our guarantee also covers normal domestic use of your sofa but does not extend to commercial use. Please note, this guarantee is not offered on any ex-display product.

The Cotswold Company Upholstery Care Plan

Our outstanding quality is something we’re proud of, here at The Cotswold Company. Confident in the time and care taken to produce every piece of our upholstery, we now offer a five-year care plan across the entire range. Allowing you to enjoy your new purchase with the comfort of knowing that it’s protected. From just £39, our Upholstery Care Plan includes five years of insurance protection, no excess charges or annual renewal costs, with a ‘Clean, Repair or Replace’ policy.

Upholstery Care Plan

General Sofa Care

• Regularly plumping and swapping reversible cushions around will help them to keep their shape and maintain comfort.
• Regularly giving your sofa a brush and a vacuum will help it looking as good as new for longer.
• Try to blot any spillages on your sofa straight away with a soft white cloth to avoid lasting damage. Contact a local professional upholstery cleaning company for any advice.
• Avoid contact with any household chemicals.
• Once a month, we recommend you check that the feet of your sofa are tightly screwed in as this will help prevent any damage being done by loose fittings. Your sofa legs are made from 100% natural beech so they may exhibit different grains and patterns, this may cause slight variations in shade or colour.
• Be careful of your clothing as belt buckles, studs and jewellery can all cause wear and tear to fabrics. Avoid sitting on your new sofa with heavily dyed clothing as dye can transfer from your clothing to the sofa.
• As comfy as your new sofa is, please don’t sit on the arms or back!

When it First Arrives

• Position your new sofa away from direct sunlight, an open fire or radiator as this can lead to fading and damage of the fabric.
• Avoid dragging it as this can damage both the legs and your floor. Instead, safely lift your sofa into position.
• Please note that the foam and fibre in our sofa cushions and the upholstery fabric is treated with fire-retardant chemicals. This can give our sofas a slight odour; but this will dissipate after a few days of use and with good ventilation.

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Handcrafted in the UK all our sofas and armchairs use the highest quality materials to ensure maximum comfort for many years to come.

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