Care Of Your Furniture
*Please read over carefully as furniture warranties do require some furniture maintenance.*
Leather Care and Maintenance
“Leather” includes vinyl, bonded, and recycled leather. Fabrics that look like leather such as “Leathaire or Sensair” are maintained the same as fabric.
Of all furniture categories leather does require the most maintenance.
Correctly maintained leather generally outlasts fabric. Incorrectly maintained leather can underperform fabric covers.
Number one damage to leather is caused by "body oils from person's skin". Protecting against body oil is not optional!
If your skin is in direct contact with the leather you must clean the leather weekly depending on the specific situation. Oil from any part of the body (worse if head is balding) will destroy almost any leather over time. Uncleaned the oil builds up and penetrates the leather’s protective finish and eventually will even destroy the leather causing cracking and peeling. Some drugs in a person’s bloodstream can be a contributing factor.
Keep a spray bottle of distilled water and clean cloths to wipe the leather off. You can occasionally (twice per year) also use leather cleaner-conditioner but the distilled water and nonabrasiveclean cloth is mandatory.
If necessary add a small amount of mild detergent with barely warm water. Rub gently with slightly damp cloth. Do not soak the leather in water. Immediately after wiping with slightly damp cloth dry the area to make it as dry as possible. Make sure you dry the area after applying cleaner-conditioner to remove any excess cleaner. Do not soak the leather with any product. Please note that some leather suppliers do not recognize all cleaners and may void warranties if cleaners are used. Bennett’s BMP is valid if you use Bennett’s cleaner – conditioner.
"Vinyl" in leather match covers. The “Vinyl” that is frequently used in “Motion or Reclining Furniture” may fade at different rate than 100% leather. Vinyl wears similarly to fabric, so it may wear faster than leather. When used on areas where not in direct contact with people vinyl usually lasts a long time.
It is best to call Bennetts service dept. early or soon if you notice any damage to your leather or vinyl.
"Bonded Leather or La Z Boy Renew Covers"
Bonded leather only has leather in the backing of the cover. The backing is made with a minimum of 17% leather (Sometimes higher percentages) along with other man-made fibers and chemicals. The surface of bonded leathers is made with man-made chemicals such as vinyl and polyurethane. Bonded leather is the most difficult to predict durability for. In some cases it may only last 3- 4 years. Other bonded leathers can last as long as most fabrics and even longer. It requires regular cleaning similar to fabrics.
La Z Boy Renew Covers
“Renew” is similar to bonded leather in construction. The leather in Renews backing varies from 17% to 57%. (Note: Majority of bonded leathers are less than 20%) La Z Boy uses a high quality fabric substrate. La Z Boy calls their “Renew” a “Fabric”, not a “Leather”. La Z Boy is one of the very few manufacturers who run all of their covers through an extensive “Wear – rub process machine”. This machine can estimate the life of the cover in years. On this machine “Renew” outperformed most of La Z Boy’s fabrics and carries their “High Performance Label”. “Renew” requires maintenance similar to fabric, and is not as sensitive to body oil as leather, but body oil can damage this cover. Excellent wear-ability.
Avoid direct sunlight. Can fade.
Fabric and Care Maintenance
Avoid sunlight. Sunlight can damage almost any fabric. Sun fading damage usually happens slowly so you may not even notice it. You can reverse seat cushions on some models. Or rotate your furniture around the room. Manufacturers and Bennett’s BMP do not warranty against fading. Some fabrics fade more quickly than others. There is no way to know which fabrics are the most resistant to fading from the sun. Even minimal sunlight will cause fabrics to fade. Over the years just light from lamps and light fixtures along with regular use will cause fabrics to fade.
Ideally vacuum weekly or as often as you can.
If you were to look at fabric under a microscope dust has sharp edges (Shards) and will grind away at fabric, leather and wood finishes.
Pilling of Fabric
Keep a “Lint Brush” and brush the furniture once per week. You can get these lint brushes at the Dollar Store.
Pilling on fabrics is usually normal. It is simply “Excess fabric being released”. This normal pilling does not reduce the wearability of your fabric or cause premature wear. Bennett’s service person will come and shave your pilling away. It may take more than one shaving to stop the pilling.
Pilling is frequently caused by pets. Pet’s claws and toenails pull up the fibers from the fabric and begin to “Roll into pilling”. Pilling or any fabric damage caused by pets is not covered by manufacturer’s warranty or by Bennetts Masterguard Protection. Pilling is also caused by pet’s hair flying around and other small fibers. Note that pets can also cause small holes in fabrics from toe nails.
Best to not let pets on the furniture unless you cover the furniture with something first. Reverse and rotate seat cushions if your cushions are reversible.
When the welt on the seat cushions appear crooked - Welts are not made to stay perfectly straight.You can make them straighter by flipping cushions over. All fabric will stretch over time with use.
Motion and Reclining Furniture
Motion and reclining furniture is not as tailored as stationary furniture.
Motion Furniture is upholstered more “loosely” than stationary furniture. This is because motion furniture moves and reclines. Just like a person will put on loose pants when they want to relax at home your motion furniture is the same. The “Looser” upholstery will show fabric creases and slack fabric. If motion furniture was upholstered tightly it would eventually rip. As a result of the fabric being looser it will show “wrinkles”. When you “Custom Order” a fabric it may show more or less wrinkles than the one you saw in our showroom.
Motion and reclining furniture frames will wobble and move slightly when in use. With movement the furniture requires a “tolerance” between the parts to move easily and avoid rubbing.
Cushions looked ruffled
La Z Boy use “Blow in foam” in their backs. They blow in about 15% more foam than most of their motion competitors. The foam is so concentrated that it tends to create more “loft” and “pushes out the centre of the back cushion”. When the centre of the cushion bulges out it will often cause the welt to bend or the corner of the cushion may tend to fold in, etc. Customers will ask “Why is my welt not straight”? One of the reasons is from the concentration of blown in foam in the cushion. The way to fix this is to “fluff and even pound the cushions, usually in the middle to start with and push the foam around which will help the cushion become more square and tend to straighten up the welts more”. Sometimes you have to pound them vigorously. This “pounding and fluffing” is needed even after years of use to help the cushion “recover” closer to normal shape.
La Z Boy recliners will make a clunky noise when you extend or pull in the footrest. This is normal. If it does not make a clunky noise please contact Bennett’s service dept.
Wood Furniture Care - Cleaning & Polishing
To clean, simply wipe the surface (in direction of the grain) first with a dry, clean cloth. Circular or sideways rubbing can adversely affect the appearance of the wood finish. If the surface is exceptionally dirty, add a mild soap solution and warm water.
Never apply furniture polish directly on the veneered surface. Apply polish to a slightly damp lint free cloth and rub in the direction of the grain. Overuse of furniture polish may result in build up or may deepen the gloss of the furniture.
Central heating during winter can lower humidity levels considerably. Ideally use a humidifier to keep humidity levels to around 35%-45%.
Reclaimed Woodsurfaces
Many products are hand crafted from reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood has extraordinary patinas, grains, character marks, and colors. Small nail holes, cracks, splits, and old joints give testament to this rich history.
It is a good idea to use a humidifier in the room to enhance humidity for this furniture! Keep humidity levels between 35%-45%.