It is so easy to keep your furniture in the best shape possible with a spring refresh. These simple care and maintenance hacks will have your sofa looking stellar and your dining room looking debonaire.
First up, mattresses.
All mattresses can and should be spun head for foot at least four times a year or more, especially if there is quite a size difference between you and your partner. When you first get your mattress, it is recommended to spin it each week for the first month or two to make sure your pillow top breaks in evenly and you don't have body impressions.
If you have the older style mattresses with a pillow top on both sides, or one that can be flipped, you also should flip them top for bottom as well as rotating them. King size mattresses can actually be rotated in quarter turns every 3 months to really help eliminate body impressions because you have a much bigger surface area. With the larger space we tend to sleep in our own area, and body impressions can become more apparent on a king.
Spring is also a great time to inspect your mattress protectors and make sure there isn't any tears or holes in them so that your mattress warranty doesn't get voided. If you do have a puppy who has an accident on there, spill some coffee in bed, or have a toddler that crawls in and is missing their diaper, you will potentially void your warranty (not to mention have a big mess to clean up) if your mattress protector is damaged.
Sofas, Sectionals and other Upholstered Furniture
If your sofa has removable cushions, pull them out and take a look if they have fabric on both sides of the cushion. If so, bonus! You now have two times worth extra wear! Rotate your cushions between seats in your sofa set or 3 piece set if you have it. This will encourage all the seats to get even wear, especially if you generally sit in the same spot each time.
If you have fabric on both sides of your seat cushion, give that cushion a flip top to bottom so that you're wearing both sides evenly when it comes to the fabric, as well as your foam cushioning. This is also a great time to take a look if there's any stains that you've missed that need to get cleaned up or any damage that you might want to just do a quick repair on. If you have a loose back sofa, all the same maintenance and care apply to the back cushions.
If you have an attached back on your sofa, you may notice a zipper. If it does have a zipper, and you are finding that your cushion has started to cave in a little on the top, you can get in there and fluff that all back up to bring a nice shape back to your cushion.
Leather Furniture Maintenance and Care
We often think of leather as being wash and wear and simply needing to have a damp cloth to wipe anything off that might get spilled.
With our harsher dry climate in Saskatchewan, paired with all the sunscreens, mosquito repellents and other lotions and just every day spills, it is recommended to do a deeper clean and condition on your leather. We generally recommend in the spring and again just as the weather gets drier, around October or November.
Guardsman makes a superior deep cleaner called and Clean and Renuew, and a conditioner called Protect and Preserve. Both of these products have been developed specifically for finer quality leather like sofas and sectionals. When deep cleaning and conditioning, remember to do all sides of the furniture, to ensure there is no change in the hide from one portion being cleaned and conditioned, and one being left out.
The cleaner will get rid of any lotion residues that could be drawn in when you use the Protect and Preserve. This quality leather conditioner moisturizes to keep the leather supple and keeps it from cracking. It also enhances stain repellency and rejuvenates the colour and feel. Giving your leather this extra bit of care will keep it looking like new for years to come.
Wood Furniture Maintenance and Care
Spring is a great time to clean up and touch up wood furniture in your home. It can take a bit of time, but your furniture will be so much more appealing when you are done. Wood dining tables are important to maintain in the spring. Many people comment at this time of year that their leaves are not fitting properly into their dining table. This is not uncommon as we are coming from a dry winter into a moist spring. Wood will shift and swell or dry with the seasons.
We recommend getting your leaves out, put them into your table, and use your locks underneath. Most tables will have either a lever or just a little switch that will come across to lock the leaves in place. Let your table sit for a week or two like this, and you'll find that the top literally will shift and everything is going to fit perfectly again.
Dark woods can look constantly dirty, especially if you are cleaning with a cloth that is not lint free. Guardsman makes a specialized tack cloth specifically for woods, and they are so easy to use. Simply wipe across and pick up all of the dirt and lint, and rinse when done. No chemicals, no special treatment. Take time to repair small dents dings and scratches. Even if it isn't perfect, it will draw less attention than bare wood. Wood fill sticks can be mixed to create your specific colour and fill in nicks and dents to create a smooth surface again. Wood touch up markers will make furniture legs with scratches or edges that have the colour rubbed off look new again. All of these items are easy to pick up at our warehouse.
We get asked often about wood polishes, but honestly the newer wood furniture has catalytic finishes doesn't require any kind of polishes that have waxes to maintain the finish of your wood. Many people still like using some type of a spray or a liquid for cleaning your wood furniture, and Guardsman makes an excellent one that's called Clean and Polish that is specifically formulated for the new types of stains on the wood. This polis will leave no waxy build up or residue and it works great at removing oily build up from fingers and hands.
Take time now to refresh and care for your furnishings so you can enjoy it all summer long.