3 Fabric Tests to Try Before Making Your Purchase

You’ve decided to invest in something big… a sofa, window treatments, or a rug. You order some swatches and they’re beautiful! So how do you make a decision? I’m here to tell you there are more benefits in ordering swatches than just making sure you like the feeling and look of the fabric. Sure, that’s important, but what about the durability of the fabric beyond the double rub count? How will it hold up to stains, pet fur, or sun exposure?

My husband, David, and I have been in the market for a new sofa for quite some time. We are after a neutral colored sofa with a timeless design so it can stay with us as our design style evolves, as it inevitably always does! After many months of researching and going back and forward on budget, we decided to go with a sofa from Maiden Home. This is not a sponsored post and all opinions are my own. We liked Maiden Home’s simple designs, American-made construction, and performance fabric options. Plus, their price point is hard to beat for the quality! What’s great about most modern furniture companies is you can order swatches, usually for free. I always recommend ordering swatches for any large investment you are making, be it a sofa, window treatments, rugs, bed frames or chairs. If the company you’re considering doesn’t advertise swatches, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask if this is an option. Even if you have to pay for shipping, it’s worth it to know you’re making the right selection. Once your swatches arrive, here are a few tests to put them through.

TEST I

The Pet Test

If you live with a furry friend, place or hang your swatches where the furniture item will be and where your cat or dog will be interacting with it. For a few days, I put the swatches on our existing sofa so we could sit on them and allow our very furry dog Finn (a Great Pyrenees who sheds like crazy) to lie all over them. With our previous sofa, Finn’s fur worked itself into the fabric weaves, so even vacuuming was a pain to get the fur out. I knew I wanted a fabric that had tighter knit so allowing Finn to lay on the swatches to test was a must. So far, the fur has stayed on the surface of the swatches and clumped easily so I don’t foresee this being an issue again! If your cat or dog scratches on your furnishings, I suggest allowing them to scratch at the swatch to see if any of the knots pull up easily.

Left to Right: Performance Textured Linen Flax, Performance Linen Cream

TEST II

The Spill Test

I like to do a coffee spill test. I can’t tell you how many cups of coffee I have dropped or knocked over on our sofas and rugs over the years. I don’t spill wine or food, somehow it’s always coffee! Knowing this about myself, I knew Maiden Home was a good candidate for us since all of their fabrics are performance fabrics, EVEN THEIR LINEN!!! Yes, I will repeat it… Even their linen is a performance fabric! Once I made my hot coffee (hot liquids stain worse than cold) I poured a bit of coffee on each sample. I was so happy to see the liquid stayed on the surface and bubbled up on 3 out of the 4 swatches! It was supposed to bubble on all 4 but for some reason one of the fabrics soaked the coffee right up, which rules that fabric option out immediately for us.

I let the coffee sit for a few minutes to see if it would soak in, which it didn’t! Next, I took a clean paper towel and dabbed up the coffee. The coffee-soaked up easily with very minor stains, even on the lightest color! Next, I used dish soap and water to lightly rub the spots. Afterward, I used water and a paper towel to wash out the soap.

TEST III

The Sun Test

After the spill test, I put the swatches in direct sunlight to dry. Our sofa location is going in front of a west-facing window which gets direct sunlight for multiple hours in the evenings. For this reason, it’s important to test how the fabric handles sun bleaching. If you are purchasing window treatments or placing a piece of furniture or rug in direct sunlight, I highly recommend you leave your swatches taped up on your windows to see if the color fades or discolors after a few days of sunlight.

Left to Right: Performance Textured Linen Flax, Performance Linen Cream, Performance Basketweave Malt, Performance Linen Sand

The Results

I have to be honest, I was in awe at the results! All four fabrics held together so much better than others we had tested from alternative companies. The coffee came out of all of the samples and I haven’t yet noticed any sun bleaching or discoloring on the samples. I have made my selection but will give it another week of Finn laying on it to see if it starts to pill or show dirt, but overall I’m very impressed by the durability!