CARE & ADVICE
Caring for your fabric
At Charles Parsons’s interiors, all our textiles comply with current industry standards and are put through rigorous testing in our own independent laboratory. All fabrics are tested for abrasion resistance, seam slippage, pilling, colourfastness, the absence of Free Formaldehyde, pile retention for velvets and dimensional change for drapery.
To extend the life of your high-quality textiles, the correct care procedure is essential. Colour, weight and fibre content are all important factors when maintaining your furnishings and each fabric requires different care. Always refer to your fabric care label before attempting any clean.
Professional cleaning is recommended every 12 months for all your home furnishings.
Please always refer to your appropriate Care Label prior to any care and cleaning.
Curtain Cleaning
CLICK HERE FOR OUR CURTAIN CARE GUIDE
To maintain the appearance of your high-quality textiles, the correct care procedure is essential. Below we have set out how to best clean your curtains. Please always refer to your care label before attempting any clean as some fabrics may be professional clean only.
- Refer to the ‘Care Instruction Label’ fixed to the rear of your curtains, before laundering them.
- Keep your drapes dust-free by regular gentle vacuuming with the appropriate attachment.
- Do not handle fabric with dirty hands, as this will soil the fabric.
- Remove hooks, rings and trims before cleaning.
- Cold or warm hand washes with a wool approved detergent. Do not soak. Do not bleach. Do not wring or rub.
- Do not tumble dry. Drip dry in the shade fabric side down. Do not use pegs or fold over the clothesline.
- For best results re-hang to dry.
- Avoid wet coated sides touching.
- Warm iron on fabric side only
Velvet curtain care
Curtaining velvet needs care in handling and use. Window fittings coming in contact with the curtain should be avoided. Stiff brushing or strong vacuum cleaning on the reverse side of velvet can also pull at the pile. Drawcords or other methods of drawing without handling the curtain itself are recommended, as grasping, particularly with fingernails, can cause crushing and other damage. Velvet curtains should be dry cleaned.
When velvet curtains are hung for the first time it is recommended that they are drawn across and finely sprayed with water. The spray should dampen but not soak the velvet. The curtains should then be left to dry and under no circumstances to be touched during this period. When the curtains are dry most creases and marks will have come out and the pile should have lifted to reveal the richness and luster of the velvet. If initially cared for, the pile should continue to improve as the atmosphere lifts it. This process can continue for several months.
Movement of curtains in situ
When making new curtains or blinds, please consider the movement that may occur in the length of the curtains or blinds that can be caused by atmospheric changes. These changes can be caused by high levels of heat or humidity and in some circumstance curtains or blinds can move by up to 3 cm, however, with the advances in quality textile manufacturing today these variations only normally occur in extreme circumstances.
General Upholstery Care
CLICK HERE FOR OUR UPHOLSTERY CARE GUIDE
Cleaning
Do not remove cushion covers for separate cleaning, even though they may have zippers. Clean with hot water extraction machine (hot). Professional cleaning recommended. Do not use dishwashing or laundry detergents – use only upholstery detergent. Do not wet filling. Dry in shade, away from direct heat and sunlight. Gently vacuum to restore pile. Allow drying thoroughly before reuse.
Dry cleaning
May be dry cleaned with an on-site dry cleaning machine. Professional cleaning recommended. Do not wet filling with solvent. Extract solvent thoroughly after application. Do not scrub with a stiff brush. Caution: Exhaust solvent vapor outside the building. Provide adequate ventilation during cleaning and drying. Avoid the use of the room during the drying period.
Upholstery shampoo
May be shampoo cleaned using upholstery shampoo. Do not use dishwashing or laundry detergents. Do not wet filling. Do not scrub with a stiff brush. Gently vacuum to restore pile. Dry in shade, away from direct heat and sunlight. Allow drying thoroughly before use.
Spot cleaning
Treat spills and stains as soon as possible. Gently scrape any soil or mop liquid from the surface of the fabric. Do not scrub. Apply proprietary cleaning agents strictly according to instructions to remove the residue of the spill. Do not saturate the fabric with water or other cleaning liquids. May be spot cleaned with dry cleaning solvent.
Vacuum your fabric regularly, using low suction as dust accumulates daily on all fabrics and is abrasive. Rotate cushions regularly and this will help minimise colour loss and fibre damage from “favourite chair syndrome”
Ensure your furniture, avoids the following conditions to attain your fabrics maximum life expectancy.
- Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight
- Heat sources (heaters, radiators)
- Sharp objects
- Perspiration, grime, body oils etc.
Abrasion testing
Charles Parsons’s upholstery fabrics are all labelled with a Martindale score, which gives you an indication of which fabric is best suited for your required application.
The Martindale abrasion testing is when in laboratory conditions fabric samples are continuously rubbed together until the fibre is observed to fatigue.
LD – Light Domestic
Martindale rub test: 10,000 – 15,000
Recommended for use on furniture intended for occasional, decorative or light usage. This is due either to the use of delicate yarns in the composition of the fabric or due to the delicate construction of the fabric itself. Some decorative fabrics may not be suitable for use on heavy wear areas or fixed upholstery areas, due to ‘dry clean only’ cleaning being required, and this is not possible other than where the fabric can be removed and taken to a dry cleaner. Refer to the relevant sample if unsure.
GD – General Domestic
Martindale rub test: 15,000 – 25,000
Suitable for general daily domestic use. However, if the level of use will be very high, we recommend selecting a fabric rated as heavy duty or commercial use General domestic fabrics are not recommended for motion furniture (i.e. Recliners) or furniture with a fixed seat or back that will put high levels of stress on the fabric.
HD – Heavy Duty
Martindale rub test: 25,000 – 30,000
Suitable for heavy-duty domestic use, i.e. use on the main furniture in the house that will be subjected to high levels of everyday use. Also suitable for motion furniture (i.e. Recliners) and for furniture with a fixed seat or back. Also suitable for light commercial applications.
HC – Heavy Commercial
Martindale rub test: 30,000+
Suitable for heavy-duty commercial and heavy-duty domestic use. Suitable for all commercial furniture applications and environments.
Sun Damage & Sun Fading
Charles Parsons support and promote education and information sharing between the textile industry and the end consumer. We believe that any factual information that can be offered to your clients will assist them in gaining maximum use and benefit from their purchase and will lessen the incidence of product failure due to sun damage. We encourage all retailers to include all or some information detailed below in any point of sale material. It is also important to advise your clients of the potential harm that can occur if the appropriate steps are not taken to protect soft furnishing and upholstery fabrics. Please consider the following points:
- Australasia has one of the most damaging sunlight conditions in the world and this is the cause of premature fading and product damage.
- All Soft Furnishings can be damaged by sunlight if they are exposed to either direct or reflective UV light for an extended period of time.
- Soft Furnishings must be adequately protected from direct or reflective sunlight or damage will occur. Textile suppliers and mills will not validate claims for damage caused by excessive sunlight.
- Charles Parsons strongly recommend the use of Sun Screens, Blinds or Linings to reduce the damage caused by direct sunlight.
- Natural yarns such as Cotton or Linen are more easily damaged than man-made yarns such as Polyester or Acrylic yarns.