By Elizabeth Yeager Cross
WV Design Team
How is your sofa fabric holding up? Is it stained here and there, or is it more of a “we covered it with blankets and quilts so it has stayed perfectly clean” situation? As an interior designer, I’ve seen both of these scenarios.
At Yeager Design and Interiors, we work with many clients who are in need of new sofas, chairs, window seat fabrics, etc., and their first question and worry is “will this hold up?” Our children, pets, and even an occasional wine mishap can threaten our carefully chosen pieces of furniture, and often these “environmental” factors of our homes cause us to steer clear of ever purchasing the fabrics of our dreams. Enter Sunbrella.
You may be asking yourself, “But isn’t Sunbrella an outdoor fabric?” Well, you are partly right.
Sunbrella started over 50 years ago providing outdoor awning fabrics in only six colors. Fast forward to today, and it has cleverly grown and changed with the design industry.
Sunbrella now provides fabrics for commercial and residential design that can be used indoors and outdoors and can cover anything from sofas to chairs to window treatments to accent pillows.
Sunbrella fabrics are also great in window seats, breakfast nooks and entry hall benches. Areas that get a lot of abuse can now have a fabric that stands up to daily use
In fact, almost all of our major upholstery vendors at YDI now offer Sunbrella as an option for fabric selections. One beautiful example on our showroom floor right now is the Ellice Sofa. Ellice is a 92-inch-wide bench seat cushion that hosts a deep sit, medium height back and arm and a simplistic, clean design.
We saw this beauty at a market and knew we wanted the frame, and we felt strongly it would be absolutely ethereal in white. But we also knew that not many of our customers would be so brave without a miracle guarantee attached to it. Again, enter Sunbrella.
Not only did Sunbrella have multiple beautiful fabrics in every shade and beautiful patterns, but the care and cleaning guarantee was almost too good to be true. The keys to success with this fabric are:
Make sure to simply brush dirt off before it becomes embedded in the fabric.
Wipe up spills as soon as they occur.
Spot clean soon after stains occur.
And if that doesn’t work, depending on the stain, you can use combinations of:
resolve
acetone
white vinegar
bleach
dish washing liquid
water
ammonia
hydrogen peroxide
CLR
Sunbrella even provides a chart to outline which solution works best for each stain to ensure easy cleaning.
For instance, say you decided to purchase the Ellice in white and happened to spill wine on it. It says to combine ¼ cup dish washing liquid (my favorite is Dawn), 1/3 cup white vinegar, and ½ to 1 cup isopropyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide per 1 gallon of water. And voila, wine be gone.
There are remedies for everything from wax, to mildew, to Kool-Aid, iron rust, ink, nail polish, crayon, chocolate, blood, grease, vomit and other bodily fluids, coffee, cola, and berry stains. If nothing else gives you comfort, this definitely should.
Sunbrella Home is a selection of soft, stain-resistant fabrics that come in hundreds of patterns and colors
The hand, or feel, of the fabric is surprisingly just as soft as most of our other fabric choices, which made it a no-brainer for use, especially because it has a five-year warranty compared to the usual one.
In our showroom, we also carry lines with washable fabric. This is a great option, especially if you are going to choose a slip-covered frame. But realize that washable does not mean un-stainable, nor does it mean un-fadeable. They are marginally more affordable than our Sunbrella selections, another example of getting what you pay for.
So does this mean you have to cover every piece of furniture in your home head-to-toe in Sunbrella? Not necessarily.
Choose areas that continually receive the most wear and tear in your home: Sofas, the favorite chair everyone fights for, perhaps your window seat in the kitchen, or the upholstery on your dining chairs.
Another fantastic use for Sunbrella is window treatments. The fabric is a perfect solution for an area that receives lots and lots of sunlight that would normally fade on a bright or bold color and pattern.
Not just for upholstery, Sunbrella home fabrics are great for window treatments because they resist fading in direct sunlight
Truthfully there are ups and downs to every line of furniture and fabric provided. These days though, the internet’s vast wealth of information makes it much easier to do your homework on what brands of furniture and fabrics you choose to purchase. Be sure to ask your designer/furniture provider all of the questions you may have about care, cleaning and warranties.
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