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It’s easy to underestimate the effect that your furniture has on your home decor. But the truth is that your furniture is as much a form of self-expression as the art you choose to hang on your wall or the colors you choose to paint your living space with. Your furniture walks the fine line between the fashionable and the functional. A new piece of furniture is an investment, you want to ensure that it will continue to look and feel every bit as luxurious and perfect as it did when you fell in love with it in the showroom.
The trouble, of course, is that life gets in the way. The very act of using our furniture causes it to wear and stain in ways that can age or damage it. Even where we choose to display it in the room can massively diminish its lifespan. Your new furniture is a design classic. It’s a statement that tells guests and residents alike what they can expect from you. Here are some ways in which you can make sure that it says all the right things about you…
Keep it away from harmful UV rays
The UV light from the sun does more than just make you squint or create glare on your TV screen when it shines into your living room on a bright and cheerful day. It can also cause fading on your furniture resulting in patchy or diminished colors which can cause it to look much older than it actually is. If you display your furniture by or close to a window, this can exacerbate the problem.
If you’d rather not move your beloved sofa away from the living room window, consider installing residential window film. This will block out the harmful UV rays and prevent fading.
Get your upholstery cleaned regularly
Your furniture’s upholstery sees a lot of wear, and even the most pristine of us can find ourselves making our mark on it in more ways than one. Like your carpet, your furniture can become home to dirt, animal dander, bacteria, shed skin cells, dust, insects and other nasties. Not to mention errant crumbs of food and droplets of beverages. All of which can cause furniture to look disproportionately worn.
Use a professional carpet and upholstery cleaning company at least once a year to keep your furniture looking pristine.
Give the cats something else to claw
We all love our furry feline friends… But we’re less crazy about the impression they make on our furniture. Cats have a habit of using our furnishings as practice for their scratching and climbing skills. This isn’t bad behavior on their part… it’s simply them following their own nature. Since cats need to scratch and declawing is cruel, it’s imperative that you get your cats a scratching post and encourage them to use it. Spraying with a catnip spray usually helps. Spraying the sofa with a product like Feliway will also help your cat feel comfortable around the sofa and reduce the urge to scratch.
With just a little know-how and perseverance, your furniture can continue to look brand new for years.
