.Understanding fabric and Why Some Clean Easier than Others

 

When purchasing a new piece of furniture, there are a lot that needs to be considered, and probably one of the most important features would be knowing about fabric! Kathy at TriCity Furniture in Auburn is going to tell us more about fabrics for Furniture.

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Kathy, is there one type of fabric that is the best for putting on Furniture?

 

Figuring out the best fabric has to do with how it will be used!  

Some fabrics are tightly woven and have great durability, but are not as soft to the touch!  Some fabrics work better in bright sunlight where others will fade, so it is important to know how and where it will be used!

 

Have fabrics changed over the last 25 years?

 

Absolutely, they have and unfortunately many fabrics are made now as an import, just like the sofas themselves.  The prices kept being pushed down, and since a sofa could use 20-25:yards of fabric, it was a big part of the cost! Think about a trip to JoAnn fabrics. Look at the upholstered fabric side. one yard can run from $55-$75 a yard. You add that up times 25 yards and that is a big cost!

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Are there higher quality American fabrics available today?

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Yes, there are many mills coming back...and especially some of the higher quality, almost commercial types fabrics are being used by many upholstery manufacturers day!    Here is a Revolution fabric, which has a very high durability and is Virtually unstainable.  You can even use a light bleach and water mixture to remove tough stains! We carry companies that are all American to the thread, fabric, cushion core and wood. It is possible, you have to ask. 

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Do you see the clean-ability of fabric being easier today than years ago?

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Yes, in many ways, fabrics are easy to clean, because of the fibers being used today!  Polyester is very strong, sun resistance and easy to clean......what I see is people are not maintaining them as well as they did years ago.  With a  vacuum hose, vacuuming the dust off and wiping the arms  and head areas are easy maintenance which can add years to the life of your sofa!

There are stain protections that can be added as well.....but you need to remember that dirt is not going to jump off the fabric, so we need to do some easy maintenance to keep our pieces beautiful for many years!