March 2016 - Comfort Works Blog & Sofa Resources

Your sofa is absolutely FILTHY

Posted on March 26, 2016April 28, 2025 by Felicia

At Comfort Works, we see more than our fair share of sofas. People come to us when their couch is on its last legs so we’ve seen quite a few vintage models from the flowery eighties and even pictures of the new couch freshly ripped up by the darling pet.

While we regularly dispense cleaning advice and recommend slipcover styles like there’s no tomorrow, I couldn’t help but wonder, how often do people actually clean their sofas? I don’t mean simply washing the slipcovers, but really cleaning the sofa.

Okay kitty-kat, you can have your dinner meow

It’s always interesting to see what people have hiding in their sofas (or what their sofas are hiding from them?).

If you’re digging underneath the seats, chances are there’s a pencil and loose change in there, maybe hair, crumbs and perhaps some dust bunnies that you evict every year or so when you decide it’s time to spring clean. Most sofas have also survived at least one liquid spill, but we’ll get to that later.

Over time, stuff accumulates in your sofa, stuff that your vacuum cleaner misses and builds up in the foam core and batting, similar to the dust buildup that happens with mattresses over the years.

It’s not the greatest news for those of you who suffer from allergies or share a home with those who do. Aside from affecting those with allergies to dust, these indoor allergens may also affect those with allergies to dust mites.

If this is a familiar sight, you might want to call the dustbusters

Not all of us have the means to conduct our own studies on how dirty our sofas are, but there are a few simple ways to visualize the dirt on your own sofa as recommended in this article:

1) The clap test

If you clap the back or arm of your sofa and dust particles rise up (visible in bright light), you know your sofa is dusty even though there isn’t dust on the surface.

Designer Charlotte Kingsnorth interprets a sofa devoured by an obese occupant – or engorged with old skin cells?

2) The sniff test

As the title says – if you smell an area and it’s musty, it’s mold.

Unfortunately, mold is often not limited to the surface and getting rid of it will involve replacing the foam or batting and reupholstering. This is often pricey, but reading about mold exposure and its effects is gross enough for you to want to take preventative measures instead.

If a spot on your sofa smells like ammonia and you have a cat, it’s probably cat urine, which is one of the toughest smells to remove from fabric.

There’s a reason why many pet stores sell specialty urine odour removers; and that’s because enzymatic cleaners are the most effective in tackling the issue. This is because they contain enzymes that break down the proteins in the urine -minimizing staining too.

No illegal dumping of sofas, thanks

Express.co.uk reported about a study conducted which compared the microbial count of various household items. While the top-ranking item was unsurprisingly video-game controllers, microbiologists found that the average sofa armrest harbours 12 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

That’s the very same armrest you sit on and you probably put your head against while lying down and watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

For those of you who regularly use deodorising sprays around the home, you’re definitely keeping your home nice and odour-free…but keep in mind that you’re just making a dirty thing smell nice!

Getting a set of custom slipcovers for your sofa to be regularly washed like a bedsheet is actually a good way to maintain proper hygiene.

So how about you, have you ever gotten your sofa professionally deep-cleaned before in its lifetime, ever? Let us know in the comments and happy spring cleaning!

Image sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

IKEA Dagarn sofa review

Posted on March 19, 2016April 28, 2025 by Chuck

We’ll be reviewing this cute little number today – the IKEA Dagarn Sofa. Let’s find out whether it’s worth the money, shall we?

Aesthetics

First of all, I’d have to say that not everyone agrees with this sofa. Based on the few people we have at the office, it’s been pretty much a sound “It’s so cute!” or “Oh my God what’s that”. I personally think it’s alright and if you’re going for a retro-futuristic look, it might actually work out quite well in the basement. But if you’re going for a sustainable look for the rest of your life – probably better to get something more neutral.

As of now, the Dagarn only comes in two sizes – the sofa, and the loveseat with chaise. It also only comes in two colours, the Kimstad Black and the Kimstad Turqoise.

At a single glance, the Dagarn really doesn’t look that bad at all – it has very rounded edges, which is what makes it retro, cute and cosy looking all at the same time. Contrary to our review of the Kivik series, the Dagarn gives a pretty Dagarn good first impression.

On second sight though, this is probably not a sofa you’d want to put in the middle of your room as the back has cording that isn’t symmetrical.

So if you’re OCD like me, I’d probably think of another sofa. The funny thing is that this asymmetrical piping is only on the sofa, and not the loveseat with chaise!

Comfort

I’m not sure why they put the Dagarn next to the Leather Kivik, but it was very natural for me to use it as my main sofa reference for comparison. The Kivik had always been comfy for me hands down, and sitting on the Leather version didn’t make a huge difference. The faux leather was soft on the Kivik while the Dagarn seat cushions were very hard and comfortable.

It was a very acceptable height for me (5 ft 5″ / 165cm) however, as my legs could comfortably reach the ground while my head rests on the back cushion frame – so it’s good for a quick nap.

In a small sense I probably wouldn’t put this in my home, but it’s something I might put in the waiting room of a clinic.

Functionality

Given that it is faux leather made of 70 % polyester, 30 % cotton and 100 % polyurethane coating – spot cleaning something like this would be incredibly easy. But with any IKEA showroom, you know that it’s bound to get some stains on it somehow like so:

Eww indeed. Of course, if you were to wipe the spills immediately there shouldn’t be any stains but unfortunately – not every mother has that kind of luxury!

Where cleanliness is concerned, it actually gets worse and I’ll spare readers from more unappetising pictures. Essentially because the corners are so rounded, the crevices are incredibly hard to reach and clean – meaning all those dirt, dust, coins, gummy worms are inevitably going to end up getting stuck in the sofa itself. The sofa is completely upholstered, so it’s also not as simple as taking out its covers to wash it.

I’m sorry to say this, but it just isn’t Dagarn practical enough for me.

Price

Lastly and most importantly, the sofa is priced at US$599 while the loveseat + chaise is going at US$699. Personally I feel that it’s quite affordable for something in bycast leather, but weighing everything out I’d rather go with the Norsborg IKEA Sofa for the same price. Read our review for the IKEA Norsborg here.

Conclusion

Here’s the breakdown:
– Aesthetics: 6.5/10
– Comfort: 5/10
– Functionality: 4/10
– Price: 5/10

Overall, I personally wouldn’t put a Dagarn sofa in my own home but might consider it for office use. In the long term though, I don’t think it’ll be able to stay clean for several years of normal household usage.

But that’s just what I think :)

Agree, or disagree – let me know in the comments below!

Image credits:
Featured image taken from IKEA US

Did you know our fabric samples can be used as coasters?

Posted on March 17, 2016April 29, 2025 by Chris

Just a quick update for you guys, we thought we’d share this handy tip that you can do with our fabric samples.

Some of you are probably already doing it like so:

That’s right, they make pretty good coasters! As we always recommend grabbing a pack of samples before you order (colour and texture on a screen isn’t quite as in real life), you’re bound to have quite a few of our samples lying around and it would be a waste to throw them away.

Arguably there are definitely many other creative ways, such as making a quilt out of the many samples.

So give the coaster a try and see how it works for you :)

Why you should go for velvet covers

Posted on March 12, 2016April 28, 2025 by Chris

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s talk about a much-maligned fabric and why it’s clearly superior to all others. This is a completely impartial review of that amazing fabric, we’re permitting nothing but correct opinions in this very objective piece today.

To start the arguments for velvet, a walk through history lane.

Velvet – an origin story

The exact inventing society hasn’t yet been determined, with both Egypt and China laying claim to this. But what we do know is that velvet truly started its rise to the throne around the 14th century, in Renaissance Italy. A rising mercantile class concentrated resources and skills tightly, providing a perfect environment for both supply and demand. Producing velvet required a massive chain of resources and highly skilled craftsmen from different industries. These many tasks included: the cultivation of silkworms; the processing of the cocoons to remove the silk filaments; spinning of the thread; cleaning, dying, and reeling of the finished silk thread; mounting of the loom with the prepared thread; weaving; and finally presenting the finished cloth for inspection and sale.

Is it any wonder that velvet is seen as a distinguished fabric for the upper class? Of course, the fact that only the upper classes could afford this rich fabric helped. Just a little.

Velvet – a hedonistic fabric

Velvet is woven in a unique way that gives it characteristic smoothness and comfort. This results in either cut piled velvet, or double-piled, uncut velvet. Cut velvet has a distinguished sheen and depth of colour, which changes as the light reflects off different angles. Try doing that with duck canvas!

This lends itself extraordinarily well to deep, luxurious dyes. Deep blacks, brilliant whites, pompous purples and blood-wine red are but a sample of what you’d get with velvet. Or add a splash of eminence with a gold or silver thread woven in your velvet.

And we haven’t even gotten to the Jacquard patterns possible, or really fancy geometric patterns. Would you really pass on something fit for a (Golden Age) King?

Velvet – makes you appreciate it

More common fabrics are simple, easy to maintain. Rip it off your sofa, chuck it in the washing machine and give it a couple of spins. Leave it out to dry and that’s it. But no, a royal fabric like velvet is not going to stand for such coarse treatment. You need a tender and gentle touch with a damp washcloth. And proper pampering with a dry clean. Something those machine-washable cottons will never get!

Velvet – keeps you productive

We’ve all been there, it’s another boring afternoon in the office and your double Venti mocha quad-shot frappucino chai latte isn’t giving you the kick you need. Time for a power nap! You sink into the soft embrace of your office’s striking velvet sofa and drift into the arms of Morpheus without setting an alarm. That’s right, you don’t need one with velvet, you’ll be awake in 20 minutes once your body heat warms up the sofa!

Or let’s take the inverse example.

Say it’s a cold winter’s day (or Tuesday, as Canadians call it), and you stumble in through your home’s grand double doors. A long day at the office has taken its toll and you flop into the bone hard and freezing leather of your designer sofa. Except you didn’t get that, but went for a velour velvet slipcover, which cuddles and warms you like a lover’s embrace. Smart move, dude.

And that…

is precisely why velvet is the King, by Divine Comfort appointment, of all fabrics. Forget “safe” cotton choices, “indie” blended fabrics, or bland, boring white/beige linen. Make your sofa great again, with a velvet slipcover. Because you’re a winner and winners buy velvet slipcovers.

Just like this Ektorp 3 seater slipcover in Rouge Ash.

img credits:sightunseen, decor8, deardesigner, hearthomemag, apartmenttherapy, prettypetals

Posted in All About Slipcovers, Cleaning & care, Product stories, Sofa Fixes & CareTagged classic velvet, slipcoversLeave a Comment on Why you should go for velvet covers