Buying furniture is not cheap. A nice plush sofa or a sturdy coffee table costs several hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Naturally, you do not want pieces of furniture to degrade after only a few months of buying them. If you want your furniture to look new for a long time, here are a few suggestions:
Cover Your Window
You probably want to have as much sunshine streaming into your living room every day.
Natural daylight is celebrated for aesthetics (makes a room brighter and more welcoming) and for its health benefits (it is a source of vitamin D). However, after a while, furniture exposed to natural daylight regularly will have some fading.
While the mellowing can make a piece of furniture more lived in, if overdone, it will make your sofa or coffee table or carpet look old. It is especially unappealing if only one part of the furniture fades while the rest maintains its vibrancy.
You do not have to close your windows forever to maintain the freshness of your furniture. Residential window tinting will filter the natural daylight to remove unwanted heat, to provide privacy, and prevent your furniture from being bleached by the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Remodel Carefully
When moving heavy furniture, avoid dragging them from one place to another. Get an extra pair of hands and lift the furniture where you want it to be. Pushing or pulling furniture across the floor will cause scrapes and scratches that will not be easy to hide. Do not drop the furniture either; it will do damage on both the furniture and the flooring.
If you want something to last a long time, you have to treat it with care.
Set Strict Rules
No jumping on the sofa. Use coasters for your drinks. Quickly wipe away spilt liquids.
Do not be afraid to tell people in the house to treat your furniture with respect. Being careful around your furniture would not matter if family members or friends do the opposite of what you do. Tell them outright how you want people to behave in certain rooms of the house.
Fluff Cushions and Pillows
After regular use, cushions and pillows will lose their shapes. After all, they are made of soft materials that move. Fluffing them would help them retain their shape over time.
Experts recommend that cushions and pillows that get used often should be fluffed at least every few days. However, firmer cushions and pillows may need less fluffing since they are denser and, therefore, the materials in it are unlikely to be dispersed irregularly.
Clean Your Furniture Regularly
If you want to make your furniture look as good as new, you need to make cleaning a habit. Dirt that settles will be harder to remove the longer you leave it. As soon as a liquid is spilled, wipe it away to prevent staining. Vacuum upholstered furniture at least once every week to prevent dust particles from accumulating on the surface and make it look worn out.
It is also important that you use the right cleaning product for your furniture. Avoid anything that claims to be “all-purpose.” Buy specific cleaners formulated to be used on specific materials. Leather, for example, requires moisturizing soap so that it will not dry out and crack.
Any furniture that gets used regularly will experience wear and tear. However, taking good care of your furniture will allow you to enjoy it a little longer.
