When you invest in high-quality furniture, the least you expect is for it to last for a long time. Unfortunately, that almost never happens. Any piece of furniture is exposed to food and drink spills, tear and wear, and dirt. All these contribute to a reduction in its lifespan.
If you have kids or pets, you’re probably struggling with markers, pet fur, and accidents on your sofa, which makes you wonder, is it worth investing in high-end furniture? Or should you purchase low-quality pieces and change them every couple of years? While that might sound like a good option, it will be costing you more money in the long run.
Instead, what you should do is purchase any piece of furniture you want, and learn how to protect it so it can last a lifetime. Here’s a full guide on how you can maintain your furniture and prevent wear.
Move It Carefully
Moving your furniture, especially heavy ones such as sofas from one place to another, can reduce its lifespan. That doesn’t mean that once you place the furniture you can’t move it around. It only means that you should know how to move it carefully without risking damaging it.
Don’t drag any furniture around even if it’s just for a few inches. If it’s heavy, ask for help to carry it to the new place. The best way to carry heavy furniture such as a wardrobe, dresser, or sofa, is to let someone carry it from the top while the other person in the opposite direction carries it from the bottom.
By doing this, you will ensure that it will be placed safely without any damage and it won’t be adversely affected. If you’re moving many pieces, contact a professional mover to help you out.
Regular Maintenance
The regular wear and tear of any furniture is usually due to loose screws. No matter the quality of the furniture, with regular use the screws will loosen up, and if not maintained properly it can break after a while.
Every year, check up on your furniture, chairs, dining tables, and couch to make sure that the screws are all in place. You can tighten them up just in case. When you start to feel that any piece is moving underneath you, avoid using it until you fix it. It will only take a few minutes to tighten the screws but it will save you so much time and money in the future.
Fabric Protection Spray
Accidents happen no matter how careful you are. We all spill drinks and food on chairs and sofas and clean them right away. However, some fabrics absorb anything that spills in a matter of seconds, other types start to wear from regular use of detergents.
The best option to prevent wear and tear is to spray furniture protectors on whichever pieces you regularly use. Fabric protection spray will prevent any water, food, coffee, oil, or any stain from sticking to the fabric.
Once you spray the fabric protection, it forms a transparent shield around the furniture and prevents any stains from getting through to the fabric. If you have kids or pets, make sure that you use an eco-friendly product to ensure their safety.
Choose the Right Cleaning Products
When dealing with high-end furniture, you can’t just use any detergent you find. You should know that each type of fabric and material has a special way to be cleaned.
For Wooden Furniture: dust regularly because the dust particles can get between the wood and build up a layer that scratches the surface over time. Use a classic feather duster or a lint-free cloth to clean it. Clean it with a spray for wood and then polish it with olive oil mixed with lemon juice and denatured alcohol.
For Microfiber Couches: use rubbing alcohol and brush it gently in circles to remove stains. After the stain is removed, repeat the process but with distilled water.
For Leather Furniture: start by vacuuming any dust, then wipe the couch or chair with a dry microfiber cloth. You can then clean it with a spray for leather pieces or mix vinegar with water and add it to the cloth. Don’t soak the dry cloth, just keep it damp. Once you’re finished clean one more time with a dry clean microfiber cloth
For other fabrics, you can use an all-purpose fabric cleaner but use it gently and avoid heavy scrubbing.
Avoid Sunlight
Direct sunlight is one of the main causes of furniture wear, especially for cushions and couches. No matter how high the quality of your furniture is, the colors start to fade over time from exposure to sunlight. Close the curtains and blinds during the day or move the couch from its place. You can also try changing the side of the cushions to reduce tear on one side.
Set Rules
Every homeowner wants to ensure that their house looks good all the time. However, with stains and normal wear, it might not look pleasant. If you don’t want your furniture to wear after a short time, you should consider setting rules.
For example, if you have kids, set a rule that no markers or toys are brought to the dining tables. If you have pets, don’t let them on the couch, or protect the couch with a throw.
Re-paint
The stands and legs of the couches, wardrobes and other furniture are the fastest pieces to wear. Every year or two dedicate a day to re-paint and polish these pieces. Although they might not be visible to anyone, they do have an effect on the lifespan of the furniture.
Maintaining your furniture is an essential thing that should be done if you want your furniture to last for a lifetime. Some wear and tear is inevitable for some materials, but when you keep up with the maintenance and take good care of it, there’s a chance that it lasts for 10 years or more.
Simple maintenance like tightening the screws, repainting, and removing stains immediately, will make your furniture look neat and in good condition. If you’re not sure how to take care of your furniture, you can contact a cleaning company to clean it and spray a fabric protector every few months to prevent wear.
