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Thread: Teach me about fabric protection

  1. #1
    wintersummer Guest

    Default Teach me about fabric protection

    I just realized I don't know a thing about fabric protection. All my friends have been advising "make sure you get your fabric protected" - and I don't know what that means or how it is done.

    Here are my questions:
    Is the fabric itself protected before it goes on the sofa?
    We are going to buy H&M. Do they protect the fabric before upholstery or after sofa is completed? Is this an option when ordering?
    One friend bought from a local company. She told me that the local furniture company applied the fabric protection. Is this a good route to take? Duane, do you provide fabric protection?
    Do customers complete fabric protection themselves? I don't have lots of confidence in my abilities and would prefer a professional do this for me.
    What should I expect from fabric protection? Will it repel stains? Make it easier to clean? Protect it from damage from sun?
    Does fabric protection change the feel of the upholstery?
    Does fabric protection need to be repeated at specific intervals? If so, how often?

    I guess that's all for now - see, I don't know a thing about fabric protection!

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Alexandria VA
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    15,887

    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    Fabric Protection is a good idea, and there is nothing on the market that is superior to 3M Scotchguard. What you will buy at a furniture store is water-based, and won't perform as well as the original Scotchguard, so my recommendation is to buy a can yourself after you get it and spray it on making sure your room is well ventilated when you do.

    It used to be that everything was Scotchguarded before made into upholstery. But the EPA and/or OSHA discovered that it was carcinogenic when used in industrial applications (8 hour a day, 5 days a week exposure) and there was a quiet deal brokered that if 3M removed the industrial product they could keep the consumer product that you can still buy today. Overnight, Scotchguard disappeared from fabrics....but you can still buy it yourself at Wal mart, Target, etc.

    No manufacturer's offer it, and stores sell the water-based junk (I don't - I advise my customers to buy a can and do it themselves). Its very easy to apply - just spray it on. When water beads on the fabric, you know its active. When water no longer beads on it, then its time to re-coat (about 4 to 6 months). Yes, it makes it MUCH easier to clean but it won't stop Sun Fade. There is product to do that but it requires a separate application.
    Last edited by drcollie; 06-27-2011 at 11:18 PM.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  3. #3
    wintersummer Guest

    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    Duane - thanks for the education about fabric protection.

    I now have some followup questions. My husband and I are buying new furniture for our move into a retirement community. We're still pretty healthy now, but can see future years where moving the sofa to the outside (well ventilated) will be challenging (or impossible). You indicated this could be done in a well ventilated room. If so, does the spray disperse all over the place (like many other sprays?)? Do you "spot" protect the sofa - in other words, apply the protection only to the areas likely to be soiled? If that's the case, does the uneven application eventually show in changing the look/feel of the fabric? Is there a product that lasts longer than 4-6 months OR possibly is permanent?

    One more question - is it natural for a customer to be fearful of spraying their brand new beautiful piece of furniture with something in a can? Is it just me?

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    You just need to open some windows in a nice spring-summer-fall day is all. The spray is very controllable, no special taping off or shielding requirements needed. I use it in my Toyota Tacoma truck and just shoot it - wipe off any overspray on the console, etc. Its a good idea to test colorfastness on the backside before spraying the front, though I've never seen an issue - but its good to be on the safe side. I spray the entire sofa, and do two coats in case I missed an are first time around. Its good until it won't bead water any more, and that will depend on frequency of use. There is nothing permanent you can apply (I'm sure someone out there advertises their product as such, but I've never seen anything that lasts the life of the fabric or even close to that long)
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  5. #5
    levitt11 Guest

    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    It's such a shame they changed the formula for Scotch Guard, as my 26 yr old Henredon still has the protection that came from the factory - and I remember where I worked at one time - a Rep coming in from 3M and it still being on the market with the old formula and giving one of the Managers two cases for her furniture at home - I was too stupid to realize they were doing away with it and changing the formula to a more water based formula

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Location
    High Point, NC
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    259

    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    As a manufacturer I have a bit of a different perspective on the fabric protection question. About 1/3 of my customers order the fabric protection. The ones who ask for advice are told that we recommend it for the cotton fabrics and that it is optional for the polyesters and microfibers. We will not sell it for the Microfibre 24/7 stainproof fabrics or for Sunbrella or Crypton since the spray simply beads up and rolls right off those fabrics without coating the fibers. Never use fabric protection on silk fabrics. You will create a stain that cannot be removed.

    As far as I have been able to determine the primary benefit of fabric protection is to make money for the company applying it. My company charges $50 for applying fabric protection to a sofa. We use $5 worth of chemicals, which we buy in 5 gallon jugs, and $2 of labor. There are many companies who charge $100 or more for the same thing. (The last time I looked I think a can of fabric protector cost about $30.)

    The one thing you never, never, never want to do is to buy one of these multi-year or lifetime fabric protection warranties that guarantee that the fabric protection company will send someone over to your home to remove the stain and if the stain cannot be removed you will receive a refund equal to the price you paid for your furniture. The first problem with this is that the warranty is very expensive. I have seen prices of $250 and more per piece. The second problem is that by the time there is a problem most people don't remember the fine print of the warranty that says if you attempt to remove the stain yourself before the company-authorized technician arrives, the warranty is void. Most people, of course, will try to remove a stain right away before it sets. Sorry, you've invalidated your warranty. The third problem is that fabric protection companies keep vanishing. 20 years ago there were dozens of them. There may be only 4 or 5 left. I have found it difficult to find a supplier of the fabric protection I buy in bulk. In the past 3 years I have used 3 different suppliers. The first two just disappeared and they were huge multi-billion corporations. The corporations may still exist, but they don't do fabric protection anymore.

    In my experience most microfiber fabrics are very stain resistant without needing any additional protection. After applying fabric protection to approx. 600 microfiber-covered pieces over the past 3 years (for customers who ordered from the website and did not ask for advice) I'm still not sure whether or not it does any good.

    With cotton fabrics I do recommend the fabric protection. Cotton stains easily and can be difficult to clean. Fabric protection does prevent some stains and makes others easier to clean. One thing to be aware of, however, if you do get a stain on your cotton fabric, before you do anything, go online and find a good website or blog that will tell you exactly how to treat the specific type of stain you have. Different types of stains require different treatments and once you dab at it with the wrong cleaner it may be too late to fix.

    If you do need to remove a spot stain (or if you machine wash or dryclean a slipcover) your fabric protection is gone and needs to be reapplied. Even if you have not needed to clean your fabric the protection should be renewed every 6-12 months.

    Most of the fabric protectors around these days are water-based. While they may not work quite as well as the old silicon-based ones and other formulations, they are definitely safer to use and I would be very hesitant to recommend anything other than a water-based fabric protector.

    Jeff Frank
    Simplicity Sofas

  7. #7
    levitt11 Guest

    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    Thanks Jeff, my sofa was a cotton chintz and was protected when made at the factory (Henredon sofa) and the soil protector still works today - I've tried it with a cup of water - and previously tried spraying Febreeze on it - and it just rolled off the cushions. I must say they did an excellent job 26 yrs ago when they sprayed the fabric. It just boggles my mind there is nothing to protect something in the cotton fabric line like this, to make it last as long as mine did; and I don't think there is a single stain on the sofa at this point - just worn fabric edges, as would be for it's age.

  8. #8
    wintersummer Guest

    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    Original poster back, asking more questions about fabric protection. I was strolling through a furniture store today and there was a person in back applying fabric protection. Gentleman doing the application did not work for the furniture store but worked for a company specializing in rug cleaning, and this was a branch of the business. He was using something called "MicroSeal Permanent Fabric Protection" and talked at length about how good it works. I was convinced....but then, he works for the company applying the stuff!

    Does anyone know anything about the product "MicroSeal Permanent Fabric Protection"? Is it as good as the website promises?

  9. #9
    Nef_T Guest

    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    Check out the list of videos at http://www.videotutorialworld.com/vi...stery+cleaning
    I typed in upholstery cleaning

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    274

    Default Re: Teach me about fabric protection

    Promoting your own site is no sin, but it's best to be open about what you're doing.

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