Upholstery--Soil-Resistant Finishes
Anti-soil and anti-stain finishes are available for
upholstery fabrics. The best results are obtained when
these finishes are applied at the factory. They are not
permanent and will be removed by several cleanings.
These finishes do not take the place of routine care.
The following are the most common anti-stain and anti-
soil finishes used on fabrics.
Zepel is a fluorochemical finish that is applied at
the mill, when the fabric is processed, to prevent
soiling and staining. Therefore, the finish is only
applied to the upholstery before the sale.
Scotchgard is another fluorochemical finish applied
to fabric to prevent staining and soiling. If an
upholstery fabric does not already have this finish on
the fabric, then Scotchgard can either be purchased in
hardware stores or be applied by professional upholstery
cleaners. Scotchgard can be applied to new, unsoiled
upholstery with no problems. However, for older
upholstery, the fabric should be thoroughly cleaned and
all the residue from the cleaner removed from the
upholstery before the Scotchgard is applied. Otherwise,
the Scotchgard will bond the residue in the upholstery
fabric.
Teflon is the newest fluorochemical finish for
upholstery, either put on the fabric, or applied to the
furniture by professional upholstery cleaners.
A fabric spray treatment to prevent soiling and staining
should be reapplied after each cleaning due to the
cleaning agent breaking down the stain resistant
chemical. Water will not dissolve the stain resistant
chemical but upholstery cleaning agents will.