A simple sofa care routine: weekly, monthly, yearly

The times are a rough guide for a 3-seater or a corner sofa. What matters is regularity: a little, often, does far more than a big clean once in a while.

You need very little to follow it: a vacuum with a soft brush nozzle and a crevice tool, a soft clothes brush, a fabric shaver, a few white microfibre cloths, clear washing-up liquid and a washable throw. Keep them together in one cupboard, so a spill or a dusty day never turns into a search.

• Plump the cushions. Press and pat back and seat cushions into shape, especially the ones used most.
• Straighten and fold. Throws left in a heap crease the fabric underneath.
• Blot spills at once with a clean, white cloth, from the outside in. Never rub.
• Clear the sofa at night: toys, bags with buckles and anything with hook-and-loop fasteners can mark or snag the fabric.

It sounds small, but plumping keeps cushions from settling into the shape of one person, and blotting in the first minute is the difference between a spill and a stain.

In the UAE, weekly vacuuming is the heart of sofa care, because it removes fine sand before it can wear the fibres.

1. Shake throws and scatter cushions outside or on the balcony.
2. Lift loose seat cushions, if your sofa has them, and vacuum the deck underneath.
3. Run the crevice tool along every seam and the gap between seat and back.
4. Use a soft brush nozzle on the seat, back, arms and sides, in slow strokes.
5. On bouclé, use low suction so the loops are not tugged. On corduroy, vacuum along the ribs, then brush the pile up.

Twice a week is better in homes with pets, after a shamal, or on the ground floor of a villa with doors to the garden. For the method itself, see our step by step guide on how to clean a sofa in the UAE, or the fabric guides on cleaning bouclé and cleaning corduroy.

• Rotate cushions. If your seat and back cushions lift out, swap their places and, if both sides are the same, turn them over. They will soften evenly instead of one favourite seat sinking more.
• Remove pilling. On bouclé especially, run a fabric shaver lightly over the most-used seats, flat and on its lowest setting.
• Brush pressure marks on corduroy, along the ribs, with a soft brush.
• Wash throws and any washable covers, following their own labels.
• Check the feet. Screw-in legs can loosen with use; a quarter turn by hand keeps the sofa level and quiet.
• Look underneath. Dust collects under the sofa and is stirred back up every time someone sits down.

• When the sun changes angle. In winter the sun sits lower and reaches deeper into rooms, especially south-facing ones; in summer, west-facing glass takes the harshest afternoon sun. Twice a year, check whether direct sun now falls on the sofa, and adjust curtains or blinds.
• Dusty weeks. After a shamal or a dust storm, vacuum before the dust works in, and keep windows closed while the wind is up.
• Before Ramadan, Eid and big gatherings. A thorough vacuum and any spot cleaning a week before, and a washable throw on the seats that will see the most guests.
• After the gathering. Check for spills you might have missed, especially sweet drinks and sticky dates, and plump every cushion.
• Summer travel. If you leave for weeks, draw the curtains or blinds and cover the sofa with a light cotton sheet against dust.

For hosting ideas, see our guide to preparing your living room for Ramadan and Eid.

A common rule is a professional upholstery clean every 12 to 24 months, closer to every year with children or pets. Check the cleaning code on the label first: W, S, WS or X tells the cleaner which method is safe. Ask for a test on a hidden spot, especially on bouclé and corduroy, and let the sofa dry in a cool, air-conditioned room, out of the sun.

Use the same day for a full check:

• Do the arms and back feel firm and steady when you push on them?
• Do the seats feel even, or has one place sunk more than the others?
• Are all seams closed and all feet tight?
• Has the colour changed on the side facing the window?

Catching a loose leg or an uneven cushion early is far easier than fixing it later.

A new sofa settles in. Over the first weeks the seats soften a little, the fabric relaxes over the cushions, and the sofa takes on a cosy, lived-in look. This is the comfort you chose coming to life, whether Cocoon, very soft, where you sink in, or Classic, the medium feel where you sit on the seat and get up easily.

• Use all the seats, not just one, so they settle evenly.
• Keep a fabric shaver for the favourite seats of a bouclé sofa and a soft brush for the ribs of a corduroy one; our fabrics page describes what each fabric does best.
• Start the weekly routine from the first week, while it is easy.

Our guide to sofa foam explains how good seat foam keeps its shape over the years.

1. Direct afternoon sun on the same spot, day after day.
2. Sitting or standing on the arms, which are not made to carry a person's full weight.
3. Harsh products: bleach, ammonia, nail polish remover, or any cleaner the label does not allow.
4. Soaking the fabric, which can leave rings and reach the foam.
5. Heat sources close by, such as a bakhoor burner, candles or a heater.
6. Full-power vacuuming with a hard nozzle on bouclé or corduroy.