Velvet has a reputation for being precious. Most modern velvet is not. The fabric used on our upholstery is overwhelmingly polyester velvet — a synthetic with rub counts above 30,000 cycles, which is hotel and contract grade. It is more durable than most cotton or linen weaves. The reputation comes from cotton silk velvet on antique pieces, which behaves quite differently and which you are unlikely to own unless you have inherited it.
That said, velvet does have habits, and a small amount of regular care keeps it looking the way it did the day it arrived.
The pile, briefly
Velvet is a woven fabric with a short cut pile sticking up from the base. The pile is what gives it the depth of colour and the slight sheen that changes with the light. When the pile is brushed in one direction it looks darker; brushed the other way, lighter. This is normal and intentional. It is the reason velvet is used in interiors — the pile catches light.
Weekly: vacuum
The single most important habit. Use the upholstery brush attachment on a low setting and run it over the seat, back and arms once a week. Vacuuming lifts dust and grit out of the pile before they grind in. Skipping this step is what makes a velvet sofa look tired — not wear, but accumulated dust dulling the surface sheen.
After every use, briefly
If you have been sitting on the sofa for an hour or two, the pile flattens. Run a soft brush — a clothes brush, a dry sponge, a folded microfibre cloth — over the seat in the direction of the pile when you get up. It takes ten seconds and prevents the permanent crush patterns that velvet is occasionally accused of.
Spills: act fast, blot, never rub
- Blot, do not rub. Use a clean white cloth and press straight down. Rubbing pushes the spill into the pile and damages the fibres.
- Water-based spills (tea, coffee, wine without milk) lift with cold water on a cloth. Do not soak the cushion.
- Oil-based spills (butter, dressing, cosmetics) get a sprinkle of cornflour or talc first to absorb the oil, left for thirty minutes, vacuumed off, then a damp cloth.
- Red wine responds to soda water and a blot. White wine works too if soda is not to hand.
- If a spill dries before you reach it a 1:1 white vinegar and water solution on a cloth, dabbed gently, brings up most of it.
Test any cleaning product on a hidden patch first. The back of the seat skirt is the conventional test area.
Sun and pets
Direct sunlight will fade velvet over years. If your sofa sits under a south-facing window, draw a sheer in the brightest part of the day or rotate cushions so the fade is even. Pets are fine — synthetic velvet stands up well to claws — but vacuum more often if a cat or dog uses the sofa.
Annual maintenance
- Rotate and flip seat cushions every three months. This evens out the pile crush and the fade.
- Steam (not iron) the surface lightly once a year if the pile has flattened in places. A garment steamer held 10cm away, then brushed in the pile direction, lifts the nap back up.
- Check and tighten leg fixings annually.
What never to do
- Hot iron the fabric directly. It crushes the pile permanently.
- Use a stiff brush. Soft only.
- Soak the cushions through to dry them. Surface treat, never saturate.
- Use solvent cleaners or dry-cleaning fluids on synthetic velvet without checking the cleaning code on the seat label.
A velvet sofa, looked after this way, holds its appearance for ten years and longer. Browse our velvet sofas and chairs, or ask us for a fabric swatch before you order.
