To understand how to clean a crushed velvet sofa, it first pays to know a little detail about what exactly a crushed velvet fabric is.

WHAT IS CRUSHED VELVET AND WHY DOES IT NEED SPECIAL CLEANING?

When you hear the term crushed velvet, you always think of a fabric that is luxuriously soft. Its signature softness can be attributed to the special type of weave used to create crushed velvet fabric.

Crushed velvet is produced by a rather intricate technical process where two layers of velvet cloth are weaved in a face-to-face manner, to then be separated by a precision cut down the middle of that weave. The fabric’s pile is then twisted in different directions, using controlled pressing, while wet. The result is a ‘crushed’ look that lends a crushed velvet sofa it beautifully distressed charm and feel.

The reason why we want to get into these details about how a crushed velvet sofa is made is to let you understand that a crushed velvet sofa needs special care when cleaned, because of its unique construction. With that out of the way, let’s look at how to clean a crushed velvet sofa.

HOW TO CLEAN A CRUSHED VELVET SOFA?

USE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED CLEANING METHODS

Before employing a cleaning method of your own, please check to see what your sofa manufacturer recommends about how your crushed velvet sofa should be cleaned. Depending on whether your sofa uses natural or synthetic fibers, it will carry a care label or tag that will mention a certain cleaning code such as W, WS, X or S. What these codes essentially mean is that you should only use water for a W code, use water or a water based solvent for WS code, use only vacuum for an X code and use only a non-water solvent for an S code. You can learn more about how to clean fabric sofas in a more detailed blog post we wrote earlier.

In some cases, your manufacturer might even say that your crushed velvet sofa fabric can be removed and machine washed, using cold water. Never wash crushed velvet in hot water as it can cause the upholstery to shrink, not letting you re-drape it back on your sofa!

In all likelihood, your crushed velvet sofa probably has only an X or S code. They usually don’t do well with water based cleaning as excessive wetness can disturb the fabric’s unique pile and nap arrangement. More on that later in this blog post.

LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS

This might not be what you want to hear when you are trying to look for tips to clean your crushed velvet sofa yourself. But, in some cases, you are going to do more harm cleaning a crushed velvet sofa on your own rather than leave it to a professional cleaning company.

But, when the cleaning company does come over, don’t entirely trust them either! Ask them what sort of cleaning they will perform and why. If they can’t give a substantiated explanation for the cleaning method they will use, they probably don’t know what they are doing. It also helps to make a cleaning company commit to a guarantee that they will not damage your crushed velvet sofa’s fabric and the crushed look. Good cleaning companies will gladly offer you such a guarantee.

KEEPING THE NAP IN MIND!

When talking about fabrics, ‘nap’ refers to the direction of the pile or thread of the fabric. When it comes to a crushed velvet sofa, it is very important that the original nap of the sofa is retained if you want to continue to enjoy the crushed or distressed look. Improper cleaning methods can ruin the nap and with it, the crushed look. If something like this has already happened to your crushed velvet sofa, there is still hope. To restore a crushed velvet sofa’s nap, you can use the tip of a credit card to gently rotate the pile’s individual threads, one by one. It will take you many hours but it technically can be done. The credit card method can also only be done when your crushed velvet sofa is wet. So, you can perhaps attempt it one small section at a time, after dampening a portion of the upholstery that you can handle before it dries up.

MAINTENANCE IS KEY!

A crushed velvet sofa needs more maintenance than a regular fabric sofa. About once or twice a month, you want to use a vacuum on a gentle setting to remove surface dirt that rest between the intertwined fabrics of a crushed velvet sofa. Sometimes, the manufacturer of a crushed velvet sofa will ship the sofa with a brush that you can use to gently brush and clean the sofa.

You can also buy any sofa upholstery or lint brush to then gently comb a crushed velvet sofa to rid it of dirt and debris that can otherwise ruin a crushed velvet sofa’s texture. Horsehair fabric brushes have been known to work best when it comes to brushing crushed velvet sofas. If not for a horsehair brush, a carding brush will also work. When brushing, always brush against the direction of the pile. Brush gently and never use excessive force to smoothen out the fabric. Patience is key.

It is also very important that you avoid spills as crushed velvet sofas suffer when wet. If spills do happen, you must blot (never rub) the stain immediately, starting from the outside and working your way in to the center of the spill or stain. You may use a hair dryer to dry a crushed velvet sofa but always hold it at least 20 CMS away from the fabric and use it on a warm as opposed to a hot setting. Speaking of stains and spills, it makes a lot of sense to buy velvet sofas with a hydrophobic coating. At Abakus Direct, our Chicago line of velvet sofas come with a special hydrophobic coating that allow you to gently wipe spills and stains away, before they seep in and ruin the sofa’s velvet fabric.  We are about to launch a line of crushed velvet sofas too here at Abakus Direct. Do check back in a few weeks to see our exciting additions!