David Phipp House Furnisher Logo

Caring for your new furniture

We want you to keep your furniture in the best condition possible to ensure a long life and consistent comfort. Follow our guidelines below and visit our pages on Leather care, Fabric care and Wooden furniture care for more information on caring for your specific furniture.

General Care
- Always follow the Manufacturers care instructions where provided
- Avoid sitting on the arms, or edges of furniture as this may cause distortion.
- Place furniture gently when moving it as dropping onto glides or legs may cause damage.
- Try to keep children from jumping on furniture as this will damage the springs and frames.
- Take care to prevent sharp objects such as toys, buckles and heels from encountering your furniture as they may cause damage.
- Discourage pets from climbing on or clawing upholstery as this may cause snags to appear. Do not pull them, carefully cut off the loose ends or tuck them back in. 

Leather Furniture Care

  • It is important to understand the characteristics of leather. High quality, natural and hard-wearing leathers look great and are easy to care for. Leather will move over time and may display traces of the past. However, these are all characteristics of hide and in no way detract from the wearing qualities of leather. 

  • Leather is a natural product; with proper care and attention, new leather upholstery will retain its natural state for years to come. Your leather upholstery will mark and scratch over time and use, and may stretch or crease, but this does not affect its durability. Don’t neglect it and do nothing at all as the lifespan can be shortened dramatically by not taking the time to maintain it correctly:

  • By using a soft brush vacuum, the pores will remain free of dust and dirt and an occasional wipe over with a slightly damp, clean cloth will also be beneficial. Do not use detergent, spirit cleaner or furniture polish.

  • Do not attempt to remove any marks or stains by rubbing the leather as this can remove the surface colour. The best result for clearing spills is to use a dry, soft cloth to blot the area.

  • Protect your leather furniture from strong sunlight and excessive heat, such as radiators.

  • Homeowners should be diligent about quickly cleaning up any spills on their leather upholstery.

  • Spot test any potential cleaning product before applying all over. This can be done by dabbing a small amount of the product on the leather, in a spot that is normally hidden from view.

  • Cleaning and conditioning should be considered every so often. Some special conditioning products can be used to refresh and rejuvenate the appearance of leather.

  • Try to keep pets off the upholstery to reduce scratching the surface.

  • Seat, arm and back cushions should be regularly plumped-up to maintain the shape of your suite.

  • It is advisable to have any heavily soiled upholstery cleaned by a Professional Service.

  • Non-colourfast clothing such as denim can permanently stain light coloured leather.

Fabric Furniture Care

Protecting and Cleaning Fabric Furniture. Soft upholstery usually gets just as dirty and dusty as cabinet furniture, you just can’t always see it.

  • Regular cleaning with a brush or a light vacuum will help to keep your furniture looking smart, at least once a week to keep it in good condition. Take care when vacuuming fringes and ruching.

  • Try to keep pets off and sharp objects away as these will snag the fabric. Carefully cut any snags which do occur, and do not pull them under any circumstances.

  • Cushions should be attended to on a regular basis but may require daily attention dependent upon the type of filing and usage.

  • Strong sunlight can cause fabric to fade.

  • Wood or decorative facing require minimal maintenance, and should be occasionally wiped with a damp cloth to remove dust.

  • Castor cups are useful to reduce indentations on carpets and wood flooring.

  • Stop spills becoming stains as quickly as possible. Do not use detergents and do not try to wash or rub minor spills. Instead blot with a clean cloth. Do not use spray polishes or solvent cleaners, as these can have a damaging effect on the fabric.

  • Clean your upholstery at least once a year and before soiling becomes ingrained. Clean all parts of a suite together as slight colour changes can sometimes occur.

  • Excessive wetting can cause shrinkage and minor soiling can be removed by using proprietary dry foam cleaner.

  • It is advisable to have any heavily soiled upholstery cleaned by a Professional Service.

  • Velvet and Chenille fabrics have a high pile because of a double weaving process. Consequently, this pile may cause fabrics to shade, show pressure marks or flatten. These qualities are unavoidable and as such should not be regarded as a fault but instead a unique characteristic of these natural fabrics. Never use any soaping agents or detergents as this may damage the fabric.

  • Non-colourfast clothing such as denim can permanently stain light coloured fabric.

Wicker Furniture Care

By its nature, wicker furniture can be tough to clean. It has multiple small crevices and is therefore liable to harbour dirt. But like all frequently used household items, wicker furniture should be regularly cleaned.

It is important to know which type of wicker you have, because you may need to treat it differently. Wicker furniture falls into three broad categories: natural, synthetic or a combination.

For natural wicker, it may be made of reed or paper. Natural wicker is generally less durable than synthetic wicker, because natural wicker often requires sealing and varnishing while synthetic wicker does not.
  • Vacuum wicker furniture with the bristle brush attachment to get rid of excess dust, leaving it ready for a more thorough clean. With painted wicker, make sure you go easy with the brush to not scrape off any paint.

  • Use a toothbrush, tweezers or pliers to quickly get at trouble spots. The toothbrush head is smaller than the brush of the vacuum and will therefore reach more easily into tighter spaces.

  • For any dirt particles trapped inside that can’t be wiped away, use tweezers or pliers, taking care not to damage the wicker.

  • Older wicker, especially natural wicker – often has stray pieces that break off and stick out. If this is the case with your furniture, do not pull at the stray piece to break it off. Instead, trim with scissors or a knife.

  • With synthetic wicker, you can take your furniture outside and spray it with your hose and apply some light detergent, or tackle it indoors with a bucket and cloth.

  • With reed wicker, use a slightly wet cloth and some soap or detergent, but be careful if your wicker has been painted, because the water may strip it off.

  • Do not use water on paper wicker, as it will warp and deform your furniture.

  • Make sure you thoroughly rinse and dry your wicker right away and before it’s used again.

  • If your wicker is synthetic, it can dry in the sun outside.

  • If your wicker is natural, spot-drying with a hair dryer, on a cold setting, or with a fan will work wonders.

  • Do not let wet natural wicker stand for too long without drying, as it might grow mould or develop mildew. 

  • With a regular clean wicker furniture looks great and remains strong throughout its lifespan. 

Wooden Furniture Care

Wood products are easy to care for on a regular basis.

  • Gently dust and polish with a soft, lint-free buffing cloth.

  • The colour of wood matures with exposure to light, it is important to move ornaments regularly and expose table leaves to avoid noticeable colour differences occurring.

  • Never use silicon or wax polishes that leave residue on surfaces. Only use good quality wax-free furniture polish, where recommended by the manufacturer.

  • Dining chair upholstery can be lightly vacuumed or gently brushed to remove dust.

  • Blot up any spills immediately with a damp cloth. Do not try to wash or rub spills and do not use detergents. Finger marks can be removed with a clean, slightly damp cloth.

  • Protect wood surfaces with felt under-cloths and place mats.

  • Most lacquer or synthetic finishes on real wood give a semi-permanent barrier to make cleaning as easy as possible.

  • Clean upholstery at least once a year and before soiling becomes ingrained. 

Bed & Mattress Care

Beds are designed to withstand wear and tear, however here are some guidelines for ensuring your bed/mattress has a long life.
  • Never fold or bend the mattress, as this will distort the spring unit. Modern spring interior mattresses cannot be rolled for storage.

  • Use mattress handles, if provided, and do not overload divan bed drawers.

  • Check that the legs and castors are tightened fully from time to time. Where fitted, headboard bolts and legs may need to be tightened at regular intervals to prevent causing damage.

  • For a ‘No Turn’ mattress, with a single sleeping surface, e.g. Memory Foam, Latex, Pillow Top and Anti-slip mattress, it is important that you rotate your mattress regularly.

  • For all other mattresses, it is important that your turn and rotate your mattress regularly once a week for the first two or three months, and then monthly thereafter.

  • Ensure all spills are simply mopped up quickly with a clean, dry cloth. Always use a good quality mattress protector that can be cleaned.

  • Never wet clean your mattress. If your mattress does become wet, stand it on its side to minimise the penetration of moisture and allow it to air away from direct heat.

  • Regularly clean your bed with a soft brush.

  • Don’t make a habit of sitting on the edge of the bed or letting children bounce on it.

  • Always follow your manufacturer’s cleaning and care label instructions. 
For more information on caring for any of the David Phipp furniture range, please do contact us at any time.
Share by: