We all have a checklist of things we do around the home for the proverbial “Spring Cleaning” but there are some additional things we can do to give our home that extra refreshening. Think of it as earning extra credits in school or giving something 110% of your effort.
Implement all or some of these tips if you’re handy and want to go one step beyond the seasonal clean-up to make way for a cleaner, fresher spring home. And if you’re interesting in purchasing any of the items featured, Burkcraft DIY Foam Replacement and Upholstery Supplies sells all of them on their Shopify store.
1. Plump Up the Volume on Your Sofa and Chair Cushions
Chances are that if your furniture cushions were made after the mid-1950s, it contains foam for your seated comfort. Hopefully, that’s not the last time you changed the cushions because foam will wear down with use. For a quick and easy couch refresher, plump up the volume by changing just the cushion foam. This is much easier than a complete reupholster if you’re just looking to add firmness to your sofa or chair. Of course this works best if your cushions are enclosed in a zippered case.
2. Change Your Toss Pillow Forms, Change Your Life
OK, so maybe not change your life, but who doesn’t like a recharging weekend afternoon nap with comfortable toss cushions? Similarly with sofa and chair cushions, your toss cushions have a lifespan. Keep them looking and feeling plump and fresh by changing your pillow forms every few years.
3. Give a Chair More Support and It Will Return the Favour
Webbing is the first suspension layer in most upholstered pieces of furniture. It’s also the layer that supports your seat foam. Increased tension in a chairs webbing will give you more support and sometimes that’s all a chair needs to bring it back to life. When applying webbing, work in an under/over checkered pattern. You will require a staple gun for best results.
Tip: If you need more resiliency, space the webbing closer together.
4. Soften Your Hard Edges
Upholsterers have a secret on how to achieve those nice rounded corners. It goes by the name dacron or batting and it’s usually sold by the weight. Burkcraft DIY Foam Replacement and Upholstery Supplies sell dacron by the yard since that’s easier to measure. Apply dacron around your foam cushions before you replace your cushion seating. Apply dacron to foam with adhesive spray. On its own, dacron is also useful to fill out cushion corners where stuffing may be missing.
5. Get Tufted in the Bedroom
According to Domain Magazine, upholstered headboards are trending this year. Trend or not, these bedheads can give a bedroom instant luxury and the good kind of drama. But perhaps the best thing about these headboards is that they’re easy to make, even the tufted ones. Start with plywood or pegboard in your desired headboard size, cut your foam to size, adhesive-spray both board and foam and stick them together, staple on your fabric, mark out your button placement, drill holes for button, make buttons, apply buttons …and le voilà …easy right? No? OK, YouTube or Google Search “DIY Tufted Headboards” to see what I mean.
6. Stay Protected
With proper care, your leather furniture will outlive you. That’s why well-made leather furniture can be considered a good investment. And like any investment, it needs some attention and care. Keep leather furniture away from direct sunlight and heat sources and make sure you give it a good conditioning and protector at least twice a year. Crypton’s Leather/Vinyl Cleaner and Protector are excellent products that can extend the longevity of your leather furniture investments.
7. Right to Bare Arms
Berkley Peazer of Burkcraft Furniture Company Ltd., has been in the upholstery trade for over 40-years. When Fabio Ottaviani of L’Attidute Salon in Toronto requested a quote to reupholster the bi-cast “leather” sofa in his salon because the arms had worn out, Berkley suggested making an arm cover out of full-grain leather to hide the unsightly peeling instead of a full reupholstery job. Arm covers can be made for armrests of any shape or size. They can prevent wear and tear or simply cover it up. Consider using a more durable fabric or material than that of your sofa or chair. Leather provide a great solution because of its durability. Contact your local upholsterer to make a custom arm cover for you.
8. These Legs Were Made for Whatever You Like
There are many reasons for wanting to change the legs on your sofa or chair. Replacing a broken or missing leg may top the list, but some other reasons may include better ergonomics to suit different body statures or purely aesthetics to suit your taste. These legs can also be a nice finishing touch to your next DIY project.
9. Upgrade Your Summer Guests (or Give Your House Pet Some Added Sleeping Comfort)
Summer means hitting the road and visiting friends and family. Some of those roads may lead right to your door so give your guests reason to give you a four-star rating by making their stay comforting with a top foam mattress support. Burkcraft DIY Foam Replacement and Upholstery Supplies sell a variety of foam of different densities that can be cut to any size. And don’t forget the permanent guests in your home, your house pets. Freshen up your pet’s bed with new foam. They’ll have even more sweet dreams about you.
10. Stains Happen so Be Prepared
Life happens, and so do stubborn stains. Your best defense is to have the correct products on hand before they even happen. 303-MultiCleaner contains no caustics or acids and safely removes difficult stains like oil, grease, wine, ink and pet stains. It is safe for all water-safe materials, rinses residue free and is non-flammable and non-fuming. For ink stains, try Crypton Ink Remover, a staple in many upholstery shops.
Great article
Good fixing tips!
Great post! I always get so wrapped up in the cleaning that I didn’t think to freshen up the furnishings – not this year!