Leather care

Furniture leather is neither self cleaning nor self-maintaining. Leather absorbs moisture. Spills can leave marks and must be dealt with immediately.

• Leather has limited elasticity. This means that when stretched, it does not completely return to its original shape. Therefore, when leather furniture is used more or less intensively, the leather may become looser over time.
• Leather like any other natural material can fade when exposed to direct sunlight over a long period of time. Royalin, being one of our more natural leathers, is being particularly sun sensitive. Therefore to minimise fading, avoid placing your furniture in direct sunlight.
• To maintain the surface properties of the leather, we recommend that you keep a minimum distance of 30cm between your furniture and any source of heat.
• Leather is not resistant to animals. Do not allow pets on your leather furniture. Their claws may scratch the leather which can lead to an expensive repair. Their saliva is acidic and may also attack the leather finish.
• In order to avoid stubborn stains protect your leather when using household chemicals e.g., (most) domestic detergents such as window cleaners, bleach and finger nail polish, nail polish remover, glue, shoe polish, paint, corrosive materials. Avoid domestic detergents and ALL products containing solvents and oils, as they may destroy your leather surface. Do not use any traditional household products to remove stubborn stains. Many of these are harsh and cannot be guaranteed safe for use on leather. Do not use a steamer to clean the leather.
• Certain cosmetics and body care products contain solvents and oils. These products are not beneficial to leather, as they may weaken the leather finish over time. Avoid using your leather furniture with wet hair or with freshly applied hair care products or cosmetics. To avoid build-up of these products, please clean regularly the leather as described.
• All leathers last longer and look and perform better when preventive maintenance is practiced.
• Maintain surface appearance and texture by gently wiping your leather once a week with a clean dry cloth or vacuum with a soft brush. This will remove dust.

Stressless® Leather Cleaner

Stressless® Leather Cleaner is a mild, water-based cleaner that can be used on all pure aniline and pigmented leathers. It will remove soil as well as most water-based stains.

Stressless® Leather Protection

Stressless® Leather Protection is a water-based protection product for all types of leather except nubuck and suede. Stressless® Leather Protection protects against oil, water and alcohol stains as well as everyday dirt and grime. It will also keep your leather lovely and soft, and when used regularly in combination with Stressless® Leather Cleaner, prevents pigmented leather from cracking.

We recommend your leather furniture is cleaned and re-protected at least every six months.

Ekornes disclaims all liability if you maintain your leather furniture with other products than Stressless® Leather Care.

Fabric care

Daily used furniture is exposed to stress from external factors such as body oils, hair, grease, acidic perspiration, general abrasion and dye transfer from blue jeans. In order to keep your furniture looking great for a longer period of time, Ekornes wants you to understand what tou need to do to preserve your furniture’s good looks for as long as possible. Upholstery Fabrics are neither self cleaning nor self maintaining. Spills may leave marks and must be dealt with immediately. Be aware of these fabric characteristics:

Fabrics

Fabrics made of natural fibres such as cotton, linen and wool, or made of artificial fibres such as viscose, offer a remarkable feeling of comfort because they breathe and absorb perspiration. These fabrics are hydrophilic, which means they attract and absorb water and anything that contains water such as drinks, food, medication, syrups etc. These fabrics are also oleophilic, which means they absorb oils and grease such as the fatty acids from perspiration. Fabrics made of synthetic fibres such as polyester, polyamide and acrylic offer remarkable mechanical resistances. These fibres are hydrophobic, which means they repel water and other liquids. Stains resulting from spilled liquids or water-based products are not absorbed by these fibres and those stains are therefore easier to remove. However, these fibres are oleophilic, which means they absorb oil and grease. Fabrics made of mixed fibres (various combinations of natural, artificial and synthetic fibres) offer high resistance to stains and excellent comfort.

Microfibers

Microfibers are very thin synthetic fibres – about a thousandth of the thickness of a silk thread. Their characteristics are similar to synthetic fibres: they repel water but attract oil and grease. Dinamica is an upholstery fabric that offers remarkable resistance and is well-suited to a family environment associated with children, pets and so forth. Please be aware of the fabric your Stressless® furniture is made of, so that you know its basic characteristics. Fabric has limited elasticity. This means that when stretched, it does not completely return to its original shape. Therefore, when fabric is used more or less intensively, the fabric may become looser over time. Fabric, like any other material, can fade when exposed to direct sunlight over a long period of time. To minimize fading, avoid placing your furniture in direct sunlight. Fabric is also not resistant to animals. Do not allow pets on your fabric furniture. Their claws may damage the fabric, leading to an expensive repair or fabric replacement. Their saliva is acidic and may discolour fabric. In order to avoid stubborn stains and protect your fabric when using household chemicals (e.g. most domestic detergents, window cleaners, bleach, finger nail polish, nail polish remover, glue, shoe polish, paint and corrosive materials). Avoid domestic detergents and ALL products containing solvents and oils, as they

may destroy your fabric. Do not use any traditional household products to remove stubborn stains. Many of these are harsh and cannot be guaranteed safe for use on fabric. Do not use a steamer to clean synthetic fibres or microfibers. All upholstery lasts longer and looks and performs better when preventive maintenance is practiced. Maintain the surface appearance and texture by gently wiping your fabrics once a week with a clean, dry cloth or vacuum with a soft brush.This will remove dust.

Regular care

All fabrics in natural, artificial, synthetic or microfibres will benefit from certain simple routines, enabling you to preserve their beauty.

Dusting

All fabrics are subject to abrasion from the regular use of the furniture. You will need to dust your upholstery weekly in order to avoid microscopic dust sticking to fibres and increasing the damage to them from abrasion. If this is not done, it will accelerate wear. We recommend dusting with your vacuum cleaner using a curtain or upholstery brush attachment.

Cleaning

Frequently used fabric upholstery must also be cleaned regularly, even when it does not look soiled. If this is not done, soil and sweat will penetrate the fibres and over time cause discolouration and reduce the resistance of the fibres. Start cleaning your fabric as soon you see that regular dusting is no longer adequate. Use the fabric cleaner that comes in the Stressless Fabric Care Kit. Do this to avoid soil and grime penetrating the fibres of your fabric which makes cleaning more complicated. At least once every 3 months, clean all parts of the furniture that come in contact with the body.

Removal of stains

The removal of stains from fabrics is a simple and efficient operation using the Stressless Fabric Care Kit. The vast majority of fresh stains can be removed. The Fabric Care Kit contains specific products for all stains. Do not use other products for cleaning or removing stains from your Ekornes fabric. Ekornes will decline all responsibility in case you used products other than those approved by Ekornes. Stressless Fabric Care Kit can be purchased at your Ekornes® dealer.