Your cart
There are no more items in your cart
Bed Arena's Guide to Fabric Care
Know your fabric.
The first rule of bedroom furniture care is to work out what fabric is used in your upholstered bed and headboard. This will often determine what cleaning products and methods you should use or even avoid. To start, look for a manufacturer’s label, which should tell you what fabric has been used, as well as guidance on how to look after it. In many cases, you should be able to work out the fabric from how it looks and feels.
What do I need?
Certain fabrics could need specialised cleaning products. However, there are a few basic items you should always have available at home.
To prevent any colour transfer, white cloths are ideal if you need to blot stained fabric.
You should also have fabric deodorant on hand to treat any unpleasant odours. This product will also help to nourish the fabric.
A vacuum cleaner is essential when it comes to fabric care and should be used on a weekly basis to remove dust and dead skin cells.
For more stubborn blotches, invest in stain remover but make sure it is suitable for the fabric used to upholster your bed or headboard.
How to clean your fabric.
Once you’ve checked what fabric you have and bought your cleaning products, then it’s time to start work. Below are some of the most common product care methods:
Velvet upholstery - use a dry white cloth to soak up any spilled liquid. If trickier stains, gently blot them with suds from a mixture of mild detergent and water, using straight motions. However, you should never rub the velvet. When finished, either blot with a dry cloth or use a hairdryer on a low setting.
Wool upholstery - avoid any type of wet cleaning as this fabric retains any water applied to it. The recommended method is to use a steam cleaner.
Linen - should be regularly vacuumed to remove any dust and dead skin cells. Treat fresh stains in the same way as for velvet, making sure you open all your bedroom windows afterwards to stop mould from setting in.
Suede - remove any dust and other debris using the upholstery brush on your vacuum cleaner, followed by circular motions with a soft suede brush. Next, gently blot any stains with a white cloth, together with suds from a mixture of mild detergent and water. Finally, apply a dry white cloth to soak up any remaining moisture.
Leather - we strongly advise you to check whether the manufacturer recommends any specific cleaning products or methods. If not, vacuum the leather with a soft brush in order to get rid of dust and hair. You should then apply a slightly damp cloth on the surface, along with a little moisturising soap. To finish, use a soft dry cloth to buff the leather, then apply leather polish if desired.