How to care for your sofa’s upholstery

• Many of our ranges are stocked and available with quick delivery, meaning your sofa can be with you in as little as 14 days. Other ranges have longer lead times depending on the supplier of the furniture – you can find an estimated lead time on the product page or in ‘Track My Order’ after your purchase.
• A lot of our ranges are made to order, meaning you can customise the colour, fabric, and interior to perfectly suit your space. These ranges do tend to take a little longer to make their way to you – since they’re made just for you!
• Products are well packaged for protection in transit, which may cause slight creasing or flattening. Once unwrapped, your furniture should return to its original shape.
• Although our delivery teams are always super careful, now and then, some products may suffer damage in transit. If this happens, don’t panic – get in touch with our friendly customer service team, who will happily work with you to put things right.

• We know you’re eager to enjoy your new sofa, but please ensure you read all product care, operational and assembly information, and awareness advisories before using your product.
• New product smells are perfectly normal and part of the manufacturing process. Allow some time for your new piece of furniture to settle and the odour will naturally dissipate.
• To keep your sofa looking its very best, avoid placing it in direct sunlight as this can cause discolouration and fading over time.
• If you tried your new furniture out in store first, bear in mind that your seat may feel firmer than expected initially. This will soften over time, depending on how frequently you use it; both foam and fibre-filled interiors lose a percentage of their density in the first six to twelve weeks of use.
• Unless stated otherwise in the product description or operational information, all DFS furniture is for indoor use only. But we’re sure you knew that!
• The lighting, size and colour palette of your room may make the product colour appear different from website images or DFS store showrooms. We always advise ordering a swatch of your chosen fabric and colour in the space you intend to pop your new sofa to get the best colour match possible.

• Please don’t machine-wash covers, cushions or interiors of your new sofa, as this can damage the fabric and filling. Gentle spot cleaning using recommended products or one of our DFS Fabric or Leather Care Kits is advised.
• Depending on the material, everyday cleaning products could damage your new furniture. Please always read the fabric care guidance specific to your furniture for best advice.
• Our fabric care guide and leather care guide are to be used as general advice only. Any specific product care documentation that is available for your product should take precedence in furniture care.
• Always ensure children and pets are supervised around motion furniture when in use.
• Overloading plug sockets, over-connecting extension leads, and trapping wires may cause a fire risk or electrocution with your motion furniture.

To ensure your new furniture maintains its fresh and firm feel for as long as possible, remember the following upholstery care considerations:

• Furniture interiors behave differently. Foam interiors provide immediate pushback to reform the seating area, whereas non-foams do not revert to the original shape as cleanly.
• Your hands are always the best option when plumping furniture. Using sharp objects or tools could damage the fabric.
• Leather and velvet sofas require a different type of fabric care, as it’s harder for the interiors to return to their original state following use. Customer upkeep is essential to maintain a product’s form and longevity. They need a little extra looking after to stay looking their best – but we think it’s totally worth it!
• Avoid any spillages or messy situations that may damage your new furniture.
• Large seating areas typically lose their plumpness faster than smaller pieces of furniture. This is a behavioural characteristic of the product design, not a fault, quality, or upholstery care issue.
• Foam interiors lose a percentage of their density in the first six to twelve weeks of use, but no more after that. Your sofa fabric may appear to puddle slightly as a result – this is completely normal and nothing to worry about!

Staying on top of spills, stains, and regular cleaning will help you get the best out of your fabric sofa. Check out some of our top considerations to ensure your fabric care is effective.

• Ensure you dust off your fabric sofa regularly. This includes under the seat cushions, using either a dry, clean cloth or a soft brush.
• If you use a vacuum cleaner, avoid direct suction and hard brushes, as these can damage the fabric, especially velvet. Instead, for proper upholstery care, use a soft brush or low-suction vacuum. 
• Do not hand or machine wash sofa covers or scatter cushions.
• To avoid discolouration and fading over time, keep your fabric sofa away from direct or open flames, radiators, and direct sunlight (UV light).
• Be wary that some clothing textile dyes can transfer to your furniture. Check your clothing labels to see if it includes any transferable dyes and avoid sitting on your sofa in these if possible.
• If spillages do occur, always dab with a paper towel or a clean, dry cloth. Never rub the spillage as it can damage your fabric sofa. 
• Be mindful of unaccompanied pets around your fabric sofa. Pet claws can pull threads out of the upholstery and damage the furniture.
• Always use DFS-approved cleaning products on your furniture, as ‘off the shelf’ alternatives can cause damage. We have these products available in-store, or you can talk to our dedicated customer service team about suitable cleaners. 
• Heavier textiles, such as velvet, with non-foam interiors need daily plumping. That’s because the interiors eventually compress, giving the fabric a more ‘lived-in look’, unless proper upholstery care is maintained.
• Depending on the fabric and composition, piling, bobbling, and loose fibres can be a common characteristic of textiles. This is not always a quality or upholstery care issue.
• Some sofas might look different in different lighting, due to the direction of the nap, sheen on the fabric, or highlights and low-lights in the shade. Be sure to view your fabric in different lights to get a true feel for its colour.

Read our full fabric sofa care guide.

Leather furniture may have a reputation for being easy to clean and care for, but that doesn’t mean you’re completely off the hook! Check out some of our top considerations to keep your leather furniture in top condition.

• Do not use any form of liquid cleaning product, such as washing up liquid, on your leather furniture. The best way to clean leather is to soak up and dab any spillages as soon as possible, either with paper towels or a clean, dry cloth. 
• Avoid using soaps, bleaches, household detergents, oils, all-purpose cleaners, or solvents when cleaning leather furniture. These cleaning solutions may damage the leather protection, resulting in cracks, peeling, and discolouration.
• Wipe down your sofa regularly to avoid dust build-up. This routine leather sofa care includes wiping the seat cushions with a soft, dry cloth. 
• Use the small soft brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner when cleaning leather furniture. Direct vacuum cleaner suction or hard brush attachments can damage the leather.
• Do not hand or machine wash leather covers and scatter cushions. Instead, clean with a dry cloth or DFS-approved cleaning products, available in-store.
• Keep sharp objects, such as tools, cutlery, keys, and belt buckles, away from your sofa. You should also keep an eye on your pets; some pets, such as cats, dogs, and even rabbits, may use leather furniture as a scratching post, causing damage.
• Do not position leather upholstery in direct sunlight as this can cause colour fading. The same goes for placing leather near direct flames, open fires, radiators, and element heaters. In addition, be mindful of electronic devices and other heated items near leather upholstery.
• Avoid ‘off the shelf’ supermarket cleaning products and wipes, as they may damage the leather. Only use DFS-approved leather furniture cleaning products, which are available to buy in-store, or from our dedicated customer service team.
• Check whether any intended hides and treatments include colouring. Leather is an organic material and, as such, its colouring can be tricky to replicate. Treatments with colouring can cause contrasting, unwanted shades to appear on your furniture.

Read our full leather sofa care guide.