How to Clean Velvet Furniture

Clean velvet gently

Velvet furniture, while beautiful and luxurious, can be difficult to clean and care for. Velvet can be easily damaged, crushed or stained if mishandled. Knowing how to clean and care for velvet furniture is imperative in order to keep the furniture in good condition.

Things You'll Need

• Water-free dry cleaning solvent
• Soft bristle brush or suede brush

Instructions

1. Brush furniture with a soft bristle brush or suede brush to remove dirt and debris. The furniture may also be vacuumed if it is extremely dusty or has excessive loose dirt.

2. Examine the velvet furniture for visible spots, spills or stains.

3. Wet a clean cloth with a small amount of mild, water-free dry cleaner's fluid. Press the cloth to the stain and continue to turn the cloth so that a clean portion of the cloth comes in contact with the stain. Follow any additional instructions that may be provided on the cleaning solution.

4. Allow the freshly cleaned portion of the furniture to air dry. Avoid blotting the furniture while cleaning as this could crush the velvet pile.

5. Brush the dried areas of the velvet furniture with a suede brush or a very soft bristle brush to revive the fabric pile. Occasional brushing of the fabric may be performed as need between cleanings.

Tips & Warnings

• Prior to starting any cleaning of velvet furniture check the furniture for a tag or stamp that contains a cleaning code. A code of W indicates water based cleaners should be used, a code of S specifies non-water based cleaners only, code of WS designates that either water or non-water cleaners may be used and X indicates that no liquids are to be used when cleaning the furniture. Most velvet furniture will contain a code of S. When cleaning velvet furniture always wipe in the direction of the pile so the pile lays flat. Velvet should be cared for according to the manufacturer's directions, if they are available. Antique velvet furniture or velvet furniture that does not have care instructions should always be cleaned by a professional to prevent damage. In-between professional cleanings velvet furniture should be cleaned gently according to the following instructions.

• Test the velvet fabric in a hidden area prior to cleaning it with any solution to make sure the cleaner will not damage or discolor the fabric. Do not use water or water-based cleaners to clean velvet furniture as they will stain the fabric. Clean any spills or stains off of the velvet furniture immediately by shaking any fluids off the fabric before they can soak in.

Resources

• Cleaning velvet furniture