Fabric · Care Guide
Microfibre
Ultra-fine synthetic fibre, densely woven
Maintained As
Performance & Synthetic Textile
Ranges from a soft suede-like microfibre to a crisp outdoor weave. Generally less breathable than natural fibres.
Durability
Everyday resilience
Excellent. The most forgiving upholstery available — high abrasion resistance, strong colourfastness, and tolerant of cleaning methods that would ruin natural fibres.
In the Collection
0 pieces
Every piece we carry in microfibre, cared for the same way.
About This Material
Microfibre is polyester or polyamide spun finer than a strand of silk and woven so densely that liquid struggles to penetrate between the fibres. That density is what makes it both remarkably stain-resistant and pleasantly suede-like to the touch.
How To Spot It
A very soft, slightly suede-like surface that shows handprints and shading as it is brushed.
Consistent colour with excellent lightfastness. Often treated with a liquid-repellent finish that makes spills bead rather than soak.
Specific To Microfibre
Water sometimes leaves a ring on microfibre even though the fibre itself is synthetic. Many microfibres are code S — check before applying anything wet, and clean the whole panel rather than a spot.
At A Glance
How it holds up
Each bar shows how well microfibre resists that stress — five means it shrugs it off, one means it is the first thing to damage the surface.
Typically Used For
What It Does Well
- Dense weave resists liquid penetration
- Suede-like hand at a low price
- Very easy to clean
What To Accept
- Shows handprints and shading
- Water can still ring it
- Synthetic feel
Daily Care
The everyday routine
- Vacuum with an upholstery tool to keep grit out of the weave.
- Blot spills as they happen — the repellent finish gives you real time here, but it is not indefinite.
- Plump and rotate cushions.
- Wipe outdoor-rated fabrics down after rain or heavy pollen.
Deep Cleaning
Step by step
- 01 Check the cleaning code, though most performance fabrics are code W or WS.
- 02 Vacuum thoroughly with an upholstery tool.
- 03 Clean with mild soap and warm water on a soft cloth or brush.
- 04 For outdoor-rated olefin, a dilute bleach solution is sometimes explicitly permitted by the maker — check the specification, because this is one of the very few upholstery fabrics where that is true.
- 05 Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue, which otherwise attracts dirt.
- 06 Air dry completely. Most performance fabrics dry quickly.
Safe To Use
- Mild soap and warm water
- Dedicated performance fabric cleaner
- Soft brush for textured weaves
- Dilute bleach solution — only where the maker's specification explicitly allows it
- Enzyme cleaner for organic stains
Never Use
- Abrasive scrubbing, which pills the surface
- Very hot water, which can distort synthetic fibres
- Solvent cleaners on olefin, which can damage the fibre
- Leaving soap residue behind
- Fabric softener, which strips the liquid-repellent finish
Stain Removal
Lift it without making it worse
Blot rather than rub, and test any treatment somewhere out of sight first.
Blot up. Most bead on the surface and lift with almost no effort.
Blot, then clean with mild soap and water. These fabrics release most staining agents readily.
Blot, apply a little washing-up liquid in warm water, work gently and rinse thoroughly. Oil is the one category where performance fabrics are only average.
Isopropyl alcohol on a cloth, blotting from the outside in. Test somewhere hidden first.
Blot, then enzyme cleaner, then rinse. These fabrics clean up better than any other upholstery here.
On outdoor-rated fabric, a dilute bleach solution where the maker permits it. Rinse thoroughly and dry completely.
Notoriously stubborn. Treat immediately with washing-up liquid and warm water; once set it is often permanent.
Prevent Damage
What actually causes the harm
- Loss of repellency
- Avoid fabric softener and harsh detergents, which strip the finish. Re-apply a fabric protector every year or two.
- Soap residue
- Rinse thoroughly. Residue attracts dirt and makes the fabric look grubby faster than no cleaning at all.
- Abrasion
- Highly resistant, but rotate cushions anyway to keep the appearance even.
- UV
- Solution-dyed fibres are excellent here. Piece-dyed synthetics are not — check which you have before leaving anything in permanent sun.
- Heat
- Synthetic fibres melt. Keep away from fire pits, heaters and cigarettes.
- Outdoor exposure
- Only outdoor-rated fabrics should stay outside. Indoor performance fabric still has no UV package.
Never Do This
Damage that cleaning cannot undo
Each of these changes the surface permanently.
Fabric softener
It strips the liquid-repellent finish that makes the fabric perform, and it cannot be restored by washing.
Bleach on indoor performance fabric
Only specific outdoor olefins tolerate it. On anything else it removes colour and weakens the fibre.
Very hot water
Synthetic fibres distort and the weave puckers permanently.
Leaving soap in the fabric
Residue is tacky and attracts dirt, so the fabric re-soils faster than before you cleaned it.
Direct heat
Synthetic fibres melt rather than scorch, and a melt mark is permanent.
Repair
Putting it right
A fabric shaver used flat. Uncommon on good performance weaves.
Re-apply a fabric protector spray designed for upholstery, on a clean dry surface.
Ease it back through with a blunt needle, or trim flush.
Permanent. The panel needs replacing.
Enzyme cleaner followed by a thorough rinse and full drying.
Maintenance Schedule
A rhythm worth keeping
- daily
- Blot spills.
- weekly
- Vacuum and rotate cushions.
- monthly
- Wipe down and check for soil build-up at contact points.
- quarterly
- Clean thoroughly with mild soap and rinse well.
- annually
- Re-apply fabric protector and deep clean.
Where To Put It
Indoor placement
The most forgiving upholstery we sell. Site it wherever life actually happens.
Site It Like This
- Use it in the busiest room in the house — that is what it is for.
- Rinse thoroughly after cleaning; residue attracts dirt faster than no cleaning at all.
- Re-apply a fabric protector every year or two.
- Check whether your specific fabric is rated for outdoor use before leaving it out.
Not Here
- Fabric softener, which strips the liquid-repellent finish permanently.
- Very hot water, which distorts synthetic fibres.
- Fire pits, heaters and cigarettes — synthetics melt rather than scorch.
- Assuming indoor performance fabric is weatherproof; it has no UV package.
Weekly Care
The five-minute routine
Vacuum and rotate cushions.
Then monthlyWipe down and check for soil build-up at contact points.
Common Questions
What owners ask us
For water-based spills, yes — they bead and lift with almost no effort. Oil is its one genuine weakness, so treat greasy spills promptly with washing-up liquid rather than assuming the fabric will handle it.
It strips the liquid-repellent finish that makes the fabric perform, and washing will not bring it back. You would be paying for performance and then removing it.
Only on specific outdoor olefins where the maker explicitly permits it — check the specification. On anything else it removes colour and weakens the fibre.
Soap residue is slightly tacky and attracts dirt, so an inadequately rinsed patch re-soils faster than the fabric around it and ends up looking worse than before you cleaned.
Solution-dyed fabrics have colour locked into the fibre itself and resist fading remarkably well. Piece-dyed synthetics do not, so it is worth knowing which you have.
Not really, and that is the trade. Performance fabric looks much the same in year ten as in year one. If you want patina, linen or leather is the better choice.
Lifespan & Ageing
How it will look in ten years
With Proper Care
Ten to twenty years with very little visible change. This is the most durable upholstery in the catalogue.
With Poor Care
Six to eight years, usually from stripped repellency and accumulated oil rather than from wear.
How It Ages
Very little. Solution-dyed performance fabric looks much the same in year ten as in year one, which is precisely its appeal — and its limitation, if patina is what you were hoping for.
Microfibre Specifically
Very stable. Shading from brushing is normal and reverses; genuine wear takes many years to appear.
Not Sure
We will check it for you
If you are unsure which material your piece is, or you have a mark you would rather not experiment on, tell us the piece and what you are unsure of; when we reply, you can attach photographs.
Ask us