Do you have a child, or two children, or three? Is your family extensive enough to include pets? You have to take all of these things into account when deciding on buying new furniture. And we’re not just talking about kid-friendly sofas, we’re talking about kid-friendly fabrics! If the material your couch or sofa is made of happens to be weak, you will spend hundreds of dollars (and hours) cleaning it or replacing ripped parts. In other words, you need to think about the best possible furniture fabric.
In this article, we will go over some of the best choices for furniture material. We will also go over some of the fabrics you might want to avoid when taking a trip to the store.
What to Look for in Kid-Friendly Fabrics for Your Furniture
When looking for that perfect furniture piece, you will need to consider the following when it comes to fabrics:
- How durable is the fabric?
- Is it easy to stain and/or easy to clean?
- Does it feel well on skin contact?
- Does it look appealing?
Durability is easy to explain. Your fabric needs to be tough so that you or your loved ones can’t damage it. And naturally, some fabrics are tougher than others. However, a hard fabric can feel rough on the skin. Furthermore, soft fabrics can look more appealing than hard ones. And if we want to complicate things further, there are lots of fabrics on both sides that are incredibly hard to clean from stains. And if you worry about cleaning it yourself, you can also consider using a professional sofa cleaning service.
So, which fabrics should you go with? After all, with so many choices out there, a few of them ought to be fine for your family, right?
Furniture Fabric Types You Should Consider
Denim
Most people look at denim and think of jeans, jackets, and other clothing items. But denim is actually surprisingly useful as a furniture fabric. The material is incredibly durable, so neither your kids nor your pets will be able to tear it to bits. Moreover, it’s not too hard to clean and it comes in a wide variety of colors. In short, it’s the perfect fabric for the modern home.
Vinyl
Vinyl is artificial, and like other artificial materials, it has its strong points as well as its setbacks. However, it does come with a few huge advantages. Firstly, it’s reasonably priced and even cheaper than some of the fabrics out there. Next, it’s incredibly easy to slip onto the furniture and remove it later. Finally, it’s quite durable and can handle anything your child can throw at it.
Leather
Almost every household has at least one piece of furniture that has top-to-bottom leather covering. And of course, there’s a reason for it. Leather has a lot of benefits that most materials do not have. For instance, a leather sofa can last for decades before you even have to think about replacing it. Furthermore, it’s smooth enough for children to enjoy sitting on it, but strong enough for pets not to tear it easily. It should also be mentioned that leather will not cause anyone who sits on it to have an allergic reaction, unlike some other fabrics. Finally, leather looks good in any room and gives off an elegant vibe.
Wool
Wool is an excellent choice, especially for parents who want to save money on their cleaning bills. Because of its makeup, wool is easy to spot-clean, unlike other materials on this list. Moreover, it’s smooth and soft enough for children to sit or play. In addition, it doesn’t pile, snag, or wrinkle, making it a better choice than other fabrics.
Microfiber
Microfiber is an artificial fabric, but out of all non-natural materials it has the most benefits by far. For instance, if you spill something onto the surface of a microfiber cover, the liquid will not immediately sink into the fabric. Instead, it will stay on the surface for a few moments, giving you plenty of time to remove the liquid and keep it from staining your couch. Microfiber is also incredibly soft, so children and pets will love lying or lounging on it.
Furniture Fabric Types You Might Want to Avoid
Silk and Velvet
Some varieties of velvet, like cotton velvet, can be quite durable and handle a lot of damage before wear and tear start to show. However, most varieties, as well as silk, have the same problem. Namely, the material is just not that durable. Moreover, it’s expensive to maintain and difficult to clean. If your child or your pet were to have an accident on a velvet or silk couch, expect to spend hundreds of dollars to replace the damaged parts.
Corduroy and Tweed
Open weave fabrics have a certain charm to them. However, they are on this list for a reason. Namely, with the holes in the weave being too wide, dust, dirt, and grime will inevitably enter. Other debris can also end up in the weave, i.e. small toys from your child or debris from uneaten doggy sticks. Cleaning corduroy or tweed furniture can also be a nightmare since they are difficult to sort out unless you can remove the cushion.
Silk, in particular, is a weak material that would rip the second your child yanks on it a bit too hard. Moreover, it can get wrinkled in literal minutes, which makes it quite unappealing. Constant wrinkling can also be responsible for wear and tear in the future.
Suede
Suede is another material that looks and feels amazing. It’s just soft enough for the newcomers and hard enough for people not to damage it easily. However, the biggest disadvantage of suede is just how hard it is to clean. Even experts won’t be able to remove a stain quickly and safely. Moreover, suede can suffer damage from any kind of liquid, i.e. regular tap water can affect it negatively.
Final Thoughts on Kid-Friendly Fabrics…
Finding the right type of fabric is quite hard, especially with so many of them out there in retail. After all, getting the wrong one can cost you a lot of money in the long run. Hopefully, this text will help you choose the right fabrics for your furniture, the type both your kids and your pets might enjoy equally.