Easy Care Elegance: Beautiful Drapes and Upholstery that’s Easy to Care For
When you are juggling work and family, it’s easy to let your home fall to the wayside. So many upholstery and drapery fabrics are fussy and need special care, it may not even seem worth the hassle.
The good news is, you can have a lovely home with beautiful drapes and upholstery and still have an active family. We’ve found some of the most beautiful fabrics for furniture and drapes, but they all have very easy care instructions.
Are you looking for easy care elegance for your home? Here it is.
Easy Care Upholstery Fabrics
Some upholstery fabrics require very special care while others are so easy it’s hardly any effort at all. However, when you are shopping for furniture, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when trying to decide on the best fabric for your sofa or armchair. You want to strike a balance between what is easy to care for and what looks good in your home.
There are actually quite a few upholstery fabrics that require very little upkeep:
- Leather – Wipe up spill and treat twice a year with a leather conditioner. Leather upholstery is great for homes with kids because it is tough and doesn’t require a lot of special care.
- Wool – Gently clean any stains when they happen and vacuum the furniture to keep dust at bay. That’s all you really have to do to maintain this highly durable fabric.
- Microfiber – This is a stain resistant fabric so cleaning spills requires nothing more than a damp cloth. It can definitely hold up to high traffic and use.
- Velvet – A quick pass with the vacuum using the brush attachment will keep this fabric looking like new. It is both fade and water resistant, so it is very durable.
When choosing furniture for your home, comfort and care are just as important as style.
Durable Upholstery Fabrics
There are some upholstery fabrics that can really stand up to high traffic and heavy wear. Then there are those fabrics that do now. When looking for durable fabrics, look for a tight weave and the design woven in as opposed to a printed design.
Some of the more durable fabrics for furniture and home décor include:
- Microfiber (comparable to leather in durability)
- Heavy cotton weave such as denim, sailcloth, and duck.
- Wool and wool blends
- Leather (but it must be conditions once or twice a year)
- Polyester
High thread counts and tightly woven material are two hallmarks of durable fabric. Durable can be beautiful.
Easy Care Draperies
Some drapes are easy care, but many require special handling such as dry cleaning. There are some drapery fabrics that can be washed at home, and some can be handwashed. However, experts recommend that even if you wash your drapes in the machine you should not dry them in the dryer.
Some of the top easy care drapery fabrics include:
- Unlined cotton – Machine wash, delicate cycle
- Unlined linen – Machine wash, delicate cycle
- Polyester – Hand wash or machine wash
- Nylon – Hand wash or machine wash
- Cashmere – Hand wash
- Wool – Hand wash
Dry cleaning solvents break down the fibers of certain fabrics like polyester or nylon, so make sure you avoid it. You can also vacuum your draperies regularly to keep dust at bay.
It is possible to have attractive furniture that is also durable. You can have easy care drapes that look sophisticated and rich. Look for easy care fabrics for a beautiful look that’s tough as nails.
Do you think you have to sacrifice style for durability? You don’t
At Valley Drapery & Upholstery we’re more than just another pretty face. We have all types of fabrics and furniture that your family will love. If you want to create a room that reflects the heart of your family but is tough enough to stand up to traffic and wear, give us a call. Our talented, knowledgeable designers will work with you to find the right products for the look and feel of your home.