Regular cleaning is important in order to keep the upholstery textile looking its best and to prolong its life. Dust and dirt wear down the textile and also reduce its fire-retardant properties.
1. Vacuum frequently, ideally every week. Velour/chenille fabrics should be vacuumed in the direction of the nap. It is important to use a suitable mouthpiece for upholstery fabrics.
2. Remove stains as soon as they occur
3. Extraction clean when necessary
Act quickly
Soak up liquids with an absorbent napkin or cloth Scrape off hardened stains with spoon or dull knife Any loose particles must be vacuum cleaned.
Use a sponge or white cloth wrung in clean warm water to remove the remaining stain. Regular sparkling water can also be used as the sparkles dissolves the dirt. Shake the bottle for a higher effect.
Do not over saturate the textile. Edge marks can be avoided by dabbing gently in circular motions towards the center of the stain and/or blow-drying it carefully on low speed.
Remove greasy stains by using an appropriate stain removal agent or solvent like white spirit/turpentine or benzine. Always follow the dosage recommended by the manufacturer.
In all cases, we recommend to test stain-removal agents on an inconspicuous area first, to see if there is any effect on the cover.
Make sure to let the fabric dry fully before use
Above guideline is purely recommendations and cannot guarantee complete stain removal. In all cases, we recommend to contact a professional dry cleaner. It is important to state whether the stain has already undergone treatment.
Darker spots as a result of stain removal can occur. In addition pressure marks can occur during usage.
Spots and pressure marks can be removed by brushing the textile with a soft brush in moist condition. Moist the textile by placing a damp cloth on the whole surface or spraying with distilled water. Then brush in the pile direction with a soft brush. The pile can also be restored by steaming. Keep distance between steamer and textile. Let the textile dry completely before usage.
Please be aware that cotton velours are more sensitive than wool or mohair velours and our recommendations can not always guranatee the same results. Therefore, cotton velours textiles should be treated with special care during use.
Pressure marks are difficult to avoid even if the textile is used carefully. This is a typical property of velours and it is neither a defect nor a sign of low quality.
Velours textiles are generally more sensitive to wrong handling than flat-woven textiles. However, the recommendations above, a damp cloth or sprayed water and steam, are likely to remove most creases and pressure marks.
At Kvadrat, all our velours textiles are handled with special care and are transported in boxes to avoid creases and pressure marks.
Removing stains from textiles in the Divina family can be difficult, as the fabric is being pressed after milling in order to achieve the felt-like surface.
Particularly on new woolen covers, the fibers will slightly rise when the fabric becomes moist. The moist area will appear darker. The darker area cannot be removed by pressing the textile but will be reduced by spraying water over the entire furniture piece and will also be even out during use.
Extraction cleaning/carbonated cleaning is meant for major deep cleaning to be performed only when necessary. pH neutral carbon dioxide solutions are recommended as soap should not be used. It is important to use a suitable mouthpiece for upholstery fabrics as extraction cleaning is useable for both upholstery and carpets
Make sure to let the fabric dry fully before use.
If the textile is glued attention must be paid to the temperature of the cleaning agent, max. 55-60°C is recommended. It is also important to avoid excess use of cleaning fluid, do not saturate the textile. If the fabric is very dirty it might be necessary to repeat cleaning.
We do not recommend a steam cleaner as the steam will force dirt deeper into the textile and will move up to the surface later.
Due to excess dye in jeans, dark jeans may leave stains on textiles; cleaning may not always lead to satisfying results.
Mildew growth is not promoted by synthetic textiles but mildew may grow on dirt and other foreign substances if not removed. Therefore outdoor fabrics must also be cleaned regularly as instructions above / for indoor upholstery fabrics.
Removable covers made from synthetic fibers like Trevira CS or polyester can normally be machine washed. It is also possible to machine wash certain knitted as well as microfiber upholsteries
Note that not all covers with zippers are designed to be removable.
Wash removable covers inside-out. Use washing detergent designated for coloured textiles and the material the cover is made from, while following the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. The machine should only be half loaded and spin-dry at lowest speed.
The cover should be dried flat to retain its shape. It can be mounted on the furniture while it is still slightly damp in order to ease the process. Make sure that the cover is completely dry before using the furniture again.
Removable covers made from woven, woolen textiles cannot be washed but should be dry cleaned. For large covers in all materials, we always recommend contacting a professional cleaning company.
Please find detailed information about temperature and shrinkage on our sample material and on kvadrat.dk.
Before disinfecting any textile, it should be thoroughly cleaned as recommended above. We recommend the following procedures to disinfect a Kvadrat textile:
Alcohol-based disinfectants / surgical spirit can be used without damaging the textile or changing the colour. Concentration should be between 70-85%.
Steam can be used for disinfecting however be aware that textiles must be exposed to steam for min. 2 min. Water based glue might therefore be dissolved.
Avoid household bleach and chlorine based cleaners
Alcohol-based disinfectants / surgical spirit can be used without damaging the textile or changing the colour. Concentration should be between 70–85%.
Household bleach and chlorine based cleaners can be used without damaging the textile. Concentration should be 1000 – 1200 ppm. Ready-to-use sanitizers, spray or wipes can also be used. It is recommended to rinse with clean water after disinfection.
Bleach disinfectants can be used without damaging the textiles. Use a 5% bleach concentration, mix 1 part bleach to 10 times water. It is recommended to rinse with clean water after disinfection.
Steam can be used for disinfecting however be aware that textiles must be exposed to steam for min. 2 min. Water based glue might therefore be dissolved.
Upholstery textiles made of polyester including Trevira CS can be washed in temperatures up to 80 degrees Celsius. Be aware of increased shrinkage.
Warning – do not rub the material hard because this could result in loss of colour or potentially damage the surface.
Be careful when using solvents; these could dissolve the padding beneath. Never use concentrated detergents or bleach, ammonia or soap intended for hard surfaces.
