How to look after velvet upholstery

One of the most luxurious materials not only in the world of fashion, but also in the world of furniture, velvet is often associated because of its price and style, to nobility. In fact, for hundreds of year’s velvet has been largely exported from Cairo in Egypt and it is because of this that so much value is put into Egyptian velvet today. 

In Europe, velvet was widely used throughout Genoa, Florence, Venice and even Bruges in the 16th century where the material was widely acclaimed and often thought of as equal in quality to its Italian counterparts. 

Today however, velvet is widely used in the world of furniture where it is widely coveted as a luxury, comforting and hugely welcoming material. Though velvet furniture is often quite expensive, thanks to the wonder that is the internet, you can often find furniture online for a relatively cheap price. French inspired furniture and home accessories from Sylvester Oxford for example, is one such furniture range that allows you to combine the benefits of both price and luxury. With that in mind however, velvet furniture still needs to be looked after and cared for not only to maintain its value, but also to increase its longevity.

So, how exactly can you maintain a velvet piece of furniture?

 One of the few problems in which you can get with velvet is the unfortunate fact that it tends to attract fuzz and can be very difficult to clean if you wish to maintain its texture. Whether your velvet loses its sheen through moisture spills and overuse, there are simple yet brilliantly effective ways to ensure that your velvet maintains its highly luxurious standards.

For Spills 

Unfortunately these happen, especially if you have one or two children running about the house; the important thing is however, not to panic! The best thing that you can do in this case is to take a clean, very absorbent cloth and soak up the excess liquid. At this stage, it is highly important not to dab or rub the liquid; this will only force it further into the recesses of the fabric. Leave the cloth in place and once the liquid has been absorbed, air-dry the fabric using a blow dryer on a very low setting. If however, this does not alleviate the stain, you can if you wish, add a very small amount of washing detergent to the mix; only using the smallest amounts as you try and ease the stain away. 

For worn velvet 

If you find that your velvet sofa is looking a little worn, again you must not panic. You can instead choose a range of methods to revitalise your old piece of furniture. If you want to fluff up the fibres you can use a steamer to spruce up the velvet and get the air between the threads. After this, take a dry brush (if you can find one specifically for furniture, it will be an advantage) and gently brush the velvet. When lint and fuzz occur, a simple handheld hoover can rid you of these pests though if you find that the hoover is still too strong, try if you can, placing some nylon over the nozzle to control the suction. Whatever the circumstances do not in any situation use an iron to get rid of wrinkles; a steamer will work wonders in this case

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