looking after your sofa...
To wash, or not to wash?
Rule of thumb.
Washable fabrics come on sofas where the whole
loose cover can be taken off. If you only have removable cushion
covers don't be tempted to wash them in the machine. They'll shrink
and come out crumpled.
Cleaning instructions.
Check the cleaning instructions! Follow them! A
fabric can be only washed, say the experts, so long as it shrinks
by less than 3%. Washable fabrics have the bucket symbol on the
cleaning instructions label, with 30° or 40° in the bucket.
These fabric ranges are washable: Bailey,
Biscay, Cromarty, Dover, Malin, Lundy, Trafalgar, Thames.
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Iron, Low
Regular ironing, steam or dry, may be performed at
low setting (110C, 230F) only.
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Iron, Medium
Regular ironing, steam or dry, may be performed at
medium setting (150C, 300F)
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Iron, High
Regular ironing, steam or dry may be performed at
high setting (200C, 290F).
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Dryclean, Any Solvent Except Trichloroethylene
Any dry cleaning solvent other than
trichloroethylene may be safely used.
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Dry in Shade
Usually added to line or drip dry. Dry away from
direct sunlight.
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Do Not Tumble Dry
A machine dryer may not be used. Usually
accompanied by an alternate drying method symbol.
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Machine Wash,
Cold
Initial water temperature should not exceed 30C or
65 to 85F.
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Machine Wash,
Warm
Initial water temperature should not exceed 40C or
105F.
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Hand Wash
Garment may be laundered through the use of water,
detergent or soap and gentle hand manipulation.
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Do Not Bleach
No bleach product may be used. The garment is not
colorfast or structurally able to withstand any bleach.
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Loose covers.
Top tips. Don't overload your washing machine.
If you have to stuff your loose cover into the machine, stop. Take
it from me, you're overloading it. It may damage your covers and
your machine. Wash the base and cushion covers for your sofa
separately.
Never ever use detergents with Optical
Brighteners or Whiteners in them, because the chemicals in
these detergents take the colour out of your covers. If you are
unsure, always contact the detergent manufacturer before
washing.