Mohair is as resilient and tough as it is absurdly luxurious. Like all beautiful natural materials, though, it has a few quirks... Here’s how to keep it looking splendid.
Mohair velvet is extremely soft, but it’s also surprisingly touch, which is why it’s often used in the grander hotels. It’s a natural pile fabric, and looking after it is mostly a matter of being reasonably gentle and understanding how the pile behaves.
The basic rule is: use it, enjoy it, vacuum it occasionally, don't panic about changes in the pile, and don't attack stains with random chemicals.
Here are the questions we're most often asked...
Do I need to do much to look after mohair?
Not really. For ordinary day-to-day care, the main thing is simply to stop dust and dirt becoming embedded in the pile. A gentle vacuum using an upholstery attachment will do this. Specialist mohair suppliers also recommend brushing the fabric periodically in the direction of the pile.
You certainly don't need to be perpetually grooming your sofa, just a bit of occasional maintenance.
Can I brush it?
Yes, gently.
A suitable upholstery or clothes brush can help lift the pile and remove loose surface dirt. Work with the direction of the nap rather than vigorously scrubbing backwards and forwards. Regular light brushing is much kinder to velvet than waiting until it is really grubby, so prevention is better than cure.
Can I vacuum it?
Yes. Regular vacuuming is widely recommended for keeping mohair velvet in good condition. Use an upholstery attachment and a fairly gentle setting, and move in the direction of the pile to lift out crumbs, dust, dog hair etc.
What if I spill something on it?
Act reasonably quickly, but don't panic and most importantly, don't rub.
Blot up as much of the liquid as you can with a clean, absorbent white cloth, lifting rather than scrubbing at the pile. Rubbing can spread the spill and disturb the velvet surface.
After that, we'd rather you asked us than reached automatically for carpet shampoo or stain remover. Our mohair has no stain-repellent treatment or protective coating, so it should be treated as the beautiful natural material it is.
For a significant stain, professional upholstery cleaning is the safest course.
What about steam?
Steam is commonly used by professional upholsterers to revive crushed mohair pile because the fibre has excellent natural resilience.
Specialist mohair manufacturers recommend gentle steaming followed by brushing to restore areas that have become flattened. The important words there are gentle and careful.
My mohair has developed marks where I've been sitting. Have I damaged it?
Almost certainly not.
Mohair is velvet, which means it has a pile: millions of little fibres standing above the base of the cloth. Sitting, leaning and generally using the sofa can push those fibres in different directions, creating darker or lighter patches which are sometimes known as pressure marks, shading or bruising. Quite often the pile will recover naturally.
This is a characteristic of velvet rather than a defect.
Will mohair fade in sunlight?
Like pretty much every naturally dyed furnishing fabric, mohair is happier if it isn't subjected to intense direct sunlight day after day.
That doesn't mean it needs to live in the dark, but if your sofa sits immediately beside a very sunny south-facing window, blinds or curtains during the strongest sunshine will help preserve the colour.
Does the pile always run in exactly the same direction?
Mohair changes dramatically according to the direction of its pile, the light falling on it and where you're standing. Areas can look darker, lighter or more silvery even though the colour of the fabric itself hasn't changed.
Normal use adds further little variations to that surface over time. If you want a fabric that remains a perfectly uniform, flat block of colour from every angle, mohair probably isn't it.
See also:
Why on earth are we making sofas in mohair?
How to care for a mohair sofa - FAQs
Mohair is as resilient and tough as it is absurdly luxurious. Like all beautiful natural materials, though, it has a few quirks... Here’s how to keep it looking splendid.
Mohair velvet is extremely soft, but it’s also surprisingly touch, which is why it’s often used in the grander hotels. It’s a natural pile fabric, and looking after it is mostly a matter of being reasonably gentle and understanding how the pile behaves.
The basic rule is: use it, enjoy it, vacuum it occasionally, don't panic about changes in the pile, and don't attack stains with random chemicals.
Here are the questions we're most often asked...
Do I need to do much to look after mohair?
Not really. For ordinary day-to-day care, the main thing is simply to stop dust and dirt becoming embedded in the pile. A gentle vacuum using an upholstery attachment will do this. Specialist mohair suppliers also recommend brushing the fabric periodically in the direction of the pile.
You certainly don't need to be perpetually grooming your sofa, just a bit of occasional maintenance.
Can I brush it?
Yes, gently.
A suitable upholstery or clothes brush can help lift the pile and remove loose surface dirt. Work with the direction of the nap rather than vigorously scrubbing backwards and forwards. Regular light brushing is much kinder to velvet than waiting until it is really grubby, so prevention is better than cure.
Can I vacuum it?
Yes. Regular vacuuming is widely recommended for keeping mohair velvet in good condition. Use an upholstery attachment and a fairly gentle setting, and move in the direction of the pile to lift out crumbs, dust, dog hair etc.
What if I spill something on it?
Act reasonably quickly, but don't panic and most importantly, don't rub.
Blot up as much of the liquid as you can with a clean, absorbent white cloth, lifting rather than scrubbing at the pile. Rubbing can spread the spill and disturb the velvet surface.
After that, we'd rather you asked us than reached automatically for carpet shampoo or stain remover. Our mohair has no stain-repellent treatment or protective coating, so it should be treated as the beautiful natural material it is.
For a significant stain, professional upholstery cleaning is the safest course.
What about steam?
Steam is commonly used by professional upholsterers to revive crushed mohair pile because the fibre has excellent natural resilience.
Specialist mohair manufacturers recommend gentle steaming followed by brushing to restore areas that have become flattened. The important words there are gentle and careful.
My mohair has developed marks where I've been sitting. Have I damaged it?
Almost certainly not.
Mohair is velvet, which means it has a pile: millions of little fibres standing above the base of the cloth. Sitting, leaning and generally using the sofa can push those fibres in different directions, creating darker or lighter patches which are sometimes known as pressure marks, shading or bruising. Quite often the pile will recover naturally.
This is a characteristic of velvet rather than a defect.
Will mohair fade in sunlight?
Like pretty much every naturally dyed furnishing fabric, mohair is happier if it isn't subjected to intense direct sunlight day after day.
That doesn't mean it needs to live in the dark, but if your sofa sits immediately beside a very sunny south-facing window, blinds or curtains during the strongest sunshine will help preserve the colour.
Does the pile always run in exactly the same direction?
Mohair changes dramatically according to the direction of its pile, the light falling on it and where you're standing. Areas can look darker, lighter or more silvery even though the colour of the fabric itself hasn't changed.
Normal use adds further little variations to that surface over time. If you want a fabric that remains a perfectly uniform, flat block of colour from every angle, mohair probably isn't it.
See also:
Why on earth are we making sofas in mohair?