Making a sofa look great and inviting

It is amazing how tired a sofa can look, especially as it gets older. But there are several things you can do to give it a lift and make it look inviting to sit on. A good vacuum over the whole sofa, in and around the sides and seats is the first answer.

Of course it does depend on the kind of sofa you have as to how it can be cleaned, and obviously a leather sofa needs to be gently washed and if the sofa has a removable cover this should be given a dry clean or wash and ironed before replacing.

Setting up the vacuum with the nozzle and running that down, inside and along all the crevices between and behind the cushions is the easiest way to start. With the upholstery attachment, vacuum over and around the rest of the sofa: especially across the seat section. Some sofa materials stretch but can be smoothed out by running the vacuum across the seat.

If the seat cushion can be lifted and turned over, turn them regularly and smooth out the material before placing them into position. Doing this on a regular basis helps the foam in the cushion to last many years longer. If the seat cushions are sewn in, you will need an upholsterer to remove and turn the foam every few years.

If the back cushions are removable or lift up, vacuum over all sides and thump them with the heel of your hands to return their shape and make them fluffy and large. When put back into their usual position they should sit straight and high. Cushions at the back of a sofa are pushed out of alignment every time the sofa is used. Thumping them back into shape on a weekly basis will not only help the cushions, but it will help your posture.

The final trick to keeping a sofa looking fresh and inviting is to swap, every three or four months, the covers of the loose cushion sitting on the sofa. Keep a clean and varied selection of cushion covers in your linen press and change them regularly. This way the cushion covers will always be fresh and clean and the image of the room and the sofa will regularly change and give it a whole new look.