Furniture Care

This guide will instruct you on the best ways to care for your pieces so that you can maximize their life. The location of your furniture can affect its longevity. Placing furniture where it can touch external walls can create moisture build-up, and placing it too close to radiators, heaters and gas or wood fires can increase the risk of scorching damage or discoloration. Sharp objects such as buckles, rings and even the claws of your pets can tear, scratch or break the furniture. Protect from direct sunlight and rotate reversible cushions at regular intervals. Vacuum cushions weekly on low suction and take care with surfaces.

LEATHER

Vacuum or wipe with a cloth regularly to remove dust. Clean with a damp cloth and mild soap and water or a soft Leather cleaner. Blot all spills immediately with a clean, dry cloth. Do not rub. Do not use abrasive or corrosive cleaners as they will damage the Leather. Avoid direct sunlight.

FABRIC

All Fabrics within the Caracole line of furniture are labeled Cleaning Code “S”. Spot clean only with a water-free dry cleaning solvent. Pretest a small, inconspicuous area before proceeding. Do not saturate. DO NOT USE WATER. Pile Fabrics may require brushing with a nonmetallic, soft bristle brush to restore appearance. Cushion covers should not be removed and dry-cleaned. To prevent overall soiling, frequent vacuuming or light brushing with a non-metallic, soft bristle brush to remove dust and grime is recommended. When cleaning a spill, blot immediately to remove spilled material. Evenly clean the entire panel in a seam to seam fashion. Do not clean just the spots or stains. 

Wood

Wood is a living material that requires proper care and maintenance. All wooden furniture has been dried down to about 8% wood humidity, which corresponds to a relative humidity of 40% at 20° C. The wood reacts in varying degrees depending on the humidity of the surroundings. That is why it is important for wooden furniture to stand in an environment, where the humidity does not fluctuate more than between 40 and 60%. 

When winter sets in and it is time to switch on the heating, humidity may fall to below 40%. This can cause the wood to shrink a little, but it will expand again once the humidity rises. This comes about because of the evaporation, which is greatest through cross-cut timber. This is apparent, for example, when leaf tables gape at the sides of the assembly in winter and in the centre of the assembly in summer. Under these dry conditions you should make sure that furniture is treated as prescribed with either soap or oil. We recommend you to purchase a hygrometer to check the humidity in your home. 

Generally speaking, solid wood is one of nature’s finest materials. It is very durable and has a very long service life. When wood gets a good surface treatment, the product is also easy to look after and maintain, and matures more slowly and more beautifully. 

Wood is a natural product, so the texture of the wood may include small knots and colour variations in the finished product. 

Important: solid wood is affected by exposure to direct sunlight or direct heat: for example from a wood-burning stove. This may discolour and dry out the wood, causing cracks, for example in table-tops. Never cover solid wood with oilcloth or something similar for longer than 24 hours at the most. 

Concerning solid leaves. Solid wood leaves, which are ordered at the same time as the table, are individually customised for that particular table. Solid leaves ordered at a later point may contain differences in terms of size, colour and texture. When using leaves in dining tables, always use the supporting leg.

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