The latest style in jeans is to purchase them softened, worn, faded, and actually torn. These "Vintage Destroyed Washed Jeans" are so popular that it can be difficult to find jeans that are not in such condition, especially in stores that cater to the youth market.

However, you can be certain that this style would not be considered to be attractive or desirable in furniture fabrics!

I recently had a discussion with a cleaner who was asked to clean denim furniture that had been exposed to sunlight, water, and mold damage. While his primary concerns were how to clean the fabric in such a way as to remove the water stains and mold, I steered the conversation to the most important part of the issue:

Attempting to clean this fabric could result in severe fading and even splits and holes in the fabric!

Strong light, even if not direct sunlight, will not only fade dyes, but also weaken fibers. Drapery cleaners have discussed this issue with their clients for years, but carpet and upholstery cleaners rarely have a clear understanding of this issue.

In addition, the enzymes produced by fungus (mold) to digest their food source (cellulose fibers) greatly weaken the cotton fibers in the fabric.  Enzymes are actually used to break down and soften fibers in jeans to simulate deteriorated condition that usually is brought on by age and time.

This article of furniture would quite likely fade considerably more from cleaning. If the cleaner also choose to use oxidizing agents to attempt to remove water and mold stains  this would likely cause even more color damage and also weaken the already light and mold damage fibers further.  It is very likely that the fabric would split during the extraction step.

While there are means of minimizing tearing by the use of special tools and screens, it is questionable as to how much value one is offering their customer in trying to restore such stained and fragile furniture.

The most important thing to in this situation is to clearly explain to the customer that the pre-existing damage will likely not be improved upon, but it is VERY likely that further damage will happen as a result of cleaning attempts.

Cleaners may sincerely want to “save furniture”, but in cases such as this, the risks FAR outweigh the rewards.

If you'd like to know how to explain such issues to your customers better, look at the reverse side of the Upholstery Condition Report.

Please feel free to download our Upholstered Furniture Condition Report to help you to better communicate these four questions with your customer.