CARE & MAINTENANCE
“Extend the life of your merchandise with these furniture care techniques”
At Apina, we make a serious commitment, looking after every one of our products, as we want to give assurance to our dear customers that our furniture will remain in a good condition throughout the product’s lifespan.
It does not matter what kind of damage your furniture has sustained: a scratched surface, a torn piece of upholstery or even worn-out condition after 20 years of extensive use; we will take great care in the repair process for any Apina furniture. We will repaint it, upholster it and replace damaged parts in order to bring your good old furniture into tip-top condition while retaining its sentimental value!
CARING FOR WOOD FURNITURE
With a proper care, solid wood furniture can extend its lifespan and increase in value. Apina has compiled instructions and useful tips for furniture care and maintenance in this manual, in order to maintain your beautiful furniture for generations to come.
1. Because wood is a natural product, color and grain variations, along with the appearance of natural characteristics is to be expected.
2. Regular dusting with a soft cloth is recommended. Paper towels have a rough surface and can scratch wood surfaces.
3. Surface scratches, burns and water marks are preventable. Using coasters, placemats, and table cloths will help protect wood finishes. A quality heat-resistant table pad is recommended.
4. Wood furniture constantly reacts to the humidity level in the environment. Increased humidity causes wood to expand; colder drier air causes wood to contract.
5. Exposure to natural light can cause wood surfaces to change color. Some wood surfaces can fade in direct sunlight. If fading is a concern, covering the surface can help protect wood finishes.
6. Most new furniture often has an odor. The odor is not harmful, and will dissipate in a short amount of time. Air out the room by opening doors and windows if possible to reduce the smell of the new furniture.
CARING FOR FABRIC UPHOLSTERY
1. For regular cleaning using the brush attachment, vacuum fabric surfaces regularly to remove debris. A lint-roller can be used as well. Use a whisk broom or soft brush on feather and down cushions.
2. Never using bleaching agents for risk of damaging the fabric fibres. Do not overload the washing machine to avoid wash stripes and too many creases. Use cold water and mild detergent. Tumble dry on low until slightly damp; remove promptly to reduce wrinkling.
3. Avoid hanging fabric directly under the sun to prevent discolouration. Drying in bright sunlight for extended periods of time may result in colours fading.
4. Sit on the cushions, not the backs and arms of sofas, chairs etc. Sitting on backs and arms can cause structural damage. Tight, attached seat and back cushions will stretch and wrinkle with use. You can easily restore their appearance by smoothing the surface.
5. New seat cushions can feel firmer. In time, as they are used, cushions will soften, and can become compressed. Regular flipping and rotating the seat cushions will help maintain their appearance, plus maximize performance and comfort.
6. Fabrics can fade or change color when exposed to direct or indirect sunlight. Natural fabrics- cotton, linen are most susceptible to color loss. Synthetic fabrics; polyester, acrylic and rayon are less likely to fade. To minimize fading, avoid placing upholstery pieces in direct sunlight.
7. New upholstery furniture often has an odor. The odor is not harmful, and will dissipate in a short amount of time. Air out the room by opening doors and windows if possible to reduce the smell of the new furniture.
CARING FOR PVC LEATHER COVER
1. For regular cleaning using the brush attachment. Paper towels have a rough surface and can scratch leather surfaces.
2. Avoid allowing caustic substances to come in contact with leather furniture. Some examples of caustic substances would be chlorine from swimming pools, salts, ammonia, bleach and hair products
3. Leather surfaces can stretch over time, resulting in a relaxed appearance on seat cushions and the backs of seating surfaces. Sit on the cushions, not the backs and arms of sofas, chairs etc. Sitting on backs and arms can cause structural damage.
4. New seat cushions can feel firmer. In time, as they are used, cushions will soften, and can become compressed. Regular flipping and rotating the seat cushions will help maintain their appearance, plus maximize performance and comfort.
5. Leather can fade or change color when exposed to direct or indirect sunlight. To minimize fading, avoid placing furniture pieces in direct sunlight.
6. New leather furniture often has an odor. The odor is not harmful, and will dissipate in a short amount of time. Air out the room by opening doors and windows if possible to reduce the smell of the new furniture.
CARING FOR HOME TEXTILE & BED LINEN
Washing any kind of bedding, simply following the manufacturer’s instructions will help prevent the premature deterioration of the product, as well as abiding by 3 instructions of bed linen care: always use a mild detergent soap, never using bleaching agents, and set the machine on a gentle cycle.
To ensure that your bedding is correctly treated in the machine and to obtain the best possible results please read the following washing instructions:
1. Rinsing sheets thoroughly to avoid an unpleasant stale smell developing. New bed linen should be washed before use with a mild detergent in cool or lukewarm water (30°C/86°F). Using detergent and not rinsing for long enough can harden the fabric of bed linen.
2. Never using bleaching agents for risk of damaging the fabric fibres. Do not overload the washing machine to avoid wash stripes and too many creases.
3. Do not use too much detergent. Linen is best washed using less detergent than the regular dosage recommended on the bottle. Overuse can strip or fade colours and cause loss of richness in tone. Beware of detergents that contain optical brighteners as these can cause fading over time in darker colours.
4. Do not use high temperatures. Excessive heat damages the yarn and its natural feel of softness. It also causes the fabric to shrink too much. It is kinder to the environment to wash at 40°C/ 104°F or lower.
5. Washing dark and light linens separately to avoid colour running, and washing coloured linens with a colour care detergent. It is preferable to use a liquid detergent specially designed for coloured wash (without bleach) to avoid wash stripes and fading of colours.
6. Correct drying ensures that your sheets will be as soft, smooth and crisp as possible. Avoid hanging coloured sheets directly under the sun to prevent discolouration. Drying in bright sunlight for extended periods of time may result in colours fading.
7. Remove any sheets from the tumble drier immediately to avoid deep creases developing. Do not overload and do not allow to over dry.
8. Ironing is best done when the fabric is still slightly damp.
9. Be careful with body lotions, facial creams, hair products and certain soaps. Some contain chemicals that act just like bleach, and will fade colours and/or leave light stains.