WRECKED SOFA! BLOODY DFS!

[Sheeshisthatthetime]

Hi,

If anyone out there has some practical advice on this I'd be so grateful.

Bought my fabric sofa a year ago from DFS. Knew at the time their add-on £30 cleaning kit would be a rip off but got it anyway.

Yesterday, I read and re-read the instructions on their (terribly worded) cleaning kit - was very keen to get rid of unidentified water type stains (the kind that leave an unsightly yellowish 'ring').

There are 3 different types of cleaners in the kit- I used the one specifically for water marks and yellowing. Seemed counter productive bunging a load more water on the sofa, but that's what it said (in so many words).

Today, my sofa has gone from being the proud focal point of my lounge, to looking like something from a care home for incontinent dogs.

Trying to stay calm but feel a breakdown coming on...... please help!!

Anyone... please?🙏

God that's awful. What have they said?

Get a local professional carpet/ upholstery cleaner to have a look at it. If it’s staining they’ll be able to sort it out.

Have you got a pic so we can see the fabric you are talking about? I have a fabric dfs. Sofa, had it a few years. I always treated it like a delicate thing in way of fabric care and hand washed it in the bath when needed.... Then as it got older and less precious to me I chucked the seat coverings in the washing machine and guess what they were absolutely fine could have saved myself a lot of bother of I'd done that in the first place but I thought they'd get ruined.

Do the cleaning kit instructions tell you to test the product in an inconspicuous area first? I suspect that if they do and you didn't, they will put the blame on you.

If they don't, they should pay for it to be professionally cleaned and, if that doesn't work, they should pay for a replacement.

If DFS aren't helpful, I would consider joining Which? legal service for £9.99 a month to get legal advice or check if your home insurance has a legal advice service.

@Delbelleber

Have you got a pic so we can see the fabric you are talking about? I have a fabric dfs. Sofa, had it a few years. I always treated it like a delicate thing in way of fabric care and hand washed it in the bath when needed.... Then as it got older and less precious to me I chucked the seat coverings in the washing machine and guess what they were absolutely fine could have saved myself a lot of bother of I'd done that in the first place but I thought they'd get ruined.

You need to check the product you use to wash fabric with flame retardant finishes as the finish can be damaged by soap. It might look fine but it might not be safe.

Hi all, thanks for your comments.

@Delbelleber I'm about to add some pics (they are mortifying). If I can chuck the removable covers in the wash then I'm tempted..

The cover that looks a bit loose is loose because I've half unzipped it. So there might be hope for that one.

But the kind of pattery stain is on an ottoman type thing which goes with the sofa, and that cover can't be removed.

@Maryhadalittlejam - I haven't contacted them yet..

@goingtotown - thanks, I have considered this and will probably end up doing it. It's just that I followed the instructions on the cleaning kit supposedly tailored for my sofa (well, not specifically but why would they flog it to me otherwise?) and feel that DFS are at fault.

@goingoverground yes it does say to test an inconspicuous area (and I didn't..) and in fact it has kind of bleached an area a bit paler, but my main gripe is the big ugly water stains left around the outside.

This is the non removable ottoman one

I've chucked my dfs covers in the wash after the dog peed on them and they came up good as new.

Fabric shops sell the flame retardant spray you can then use after as it takes the coating off.

@Slimeafterslime you give me hope!

Not sure how well you can see it here but trust me it is big and very ugly!!

I've had this cleaning a paler sofa. The trick is to clean the whole top of the cushion, so there's no water marks on the top.

I had the same so used violets mineral bleach (it's a power you add boiling water too) and sprayed it onto our ottoman. Misted it all over then rubbed it in and it gets rid of the weird watermarks. We also have a local upholstery cleaner come once a year to give the whole thing a general clean and it keeps it looking fresh.

Take the covers off, bung them on the wash. I also had this with my ottoman. I kicked up washing powder with hot water and scrubbed the whole top part. Came up a treat. My thinking was it was ruined anyway. I wasn't going to ask the guy that cleans my carpets to just come out for that, and I had a blanket over the top of it anyway 🤷

off the point and sorry to hijack but my sofa has acquired a smell that I am at my wits end trying to get out. I’ve washed the removable covers several times, hoovered the base and arms, sprayed with two different kinds of cleaner but the smell just comes back. Any ideas to get rid of it permanently?

Don't do anything other than chuck a throw over it until you've spoken to DFS and taken legal advice. Anything else you do could cause further damage or give DFS a get out clause that you made it worse by washing it/cleaning it.

It's just that I followed the instructions on the cleaning kit supposedly tailored for my sofa (well, not specifically but why would they flog it to me otherwise?) and feel that DFS are at fault I agree with this on a common sense level but am not sure whether that is legally correct, which is why you need legal advice. I think the position DFS will take is that they recommended and sold you an unsuitable product so you are due a refund of £30 for the cleaning product but you caused the damage by not following the instructions to test it first. You need proper advice on whether the fact that it was sold with your sofa as a recommended product changes the position at all.

You can hire a rug doctor at johnsons cleaners it isnt too expensive and has saved my fabric sofa multiple times! Good luck

cleaning kit supposedly tailored for my sofa I think this might be the issue that decides the legal position and whether that means you could assume that you don't need to do a spot test. Did DFS specifically state this or imply that it was tailored to your sofa in anyway?

Of course, a tiny spot test with a small amount of water might not leave an obvious stain... Why don't you try it? That would change the legal position, if the spot test is ok.

Definitely in the machine, and when you put them back the cushions look new and plump again. Wash all of it even if not marked so that it looks the same.

Unsure of what to do with the ottoman. I'd be tempted to carpet clean the whole thing but I'm not sure what will happen.

Did the instructions say to do a spot test? If not, they are likely to be responsible for paying for the cleaning of your sofa if this was a kit that they specifically cited as appropriate for use with the fabric on your sofa. You can likely handle this without a solicitor, just get three quotes from local tradespeople to fix the issue, and send along with photos of the damage, the cleaner you purchased and the wording of the ‘tailor made’ statement to them. Don’t allow them to take the sofa to clean themselves without replacing it with a courtesy sofa for the duration.

Oh OP that does look bad. I have the same issue with our sofa (not DFS). Tried wiping/scrubbing stains off but have only made it worse - now left with huge water mark stains that are worse than before. If anyone has any ideas I’d be very grateful!

This happened to us. We had a leather sofa from DFS and bought the care kit. Toddler got felt tip pen on the sofa so I used the ‘pen remover’ from the kit. The pen remover bleached the sofa instead. Phoned DFS who sent out a repairer to re-dye the leather. The repairer didn’t seem the slightest bit surprised that the DFS kit had caused a problem, it wasn’t the first time he’d seen it.

Try calling DFS, hopefully they will help.

If it was me I strip the covers and chuck them in the wash on a delicate cycle. I’ve have done that before with a new sofa baby DS decided to projectile vomit on

With the ottoman I would use a damp cloth and wash all of the top with it and allow it to dry out.

Thanks so much all of you - loads of really good advice, and I feel some relief just reading that I have options!

@goingtotown
This is probably the most sensible advice going forward.. but it does go against my natural tendency to take the shortest route (in this case chuck it in the wash, screw my eyes shut and hope for the best..) I don't do myself any favours I know. And know I'm suggesting DFS is at fault- I do want them to take responsibility, but at the same time feel daunted at the prospect of getting the ball rolling..

@lurking, @iminaglasscase and @inkie I'm tempted to try the washing machine for the removable cover- and it makes total sense to wash to whole lot- wish I'd thought of that in the first place.

To anyone who's washed theirs and it's turned out fine- did that include getting rid of water marks like mine? @whatusernamecanihave - thank you- rug doctor could be a solution but the one time I used one it was a disaster (user error!) @hodgeheggery that sounds amazing and I'm about to google it- never heard of violets mineral bleach but this is also giving me hope.. again, thank you all so much and apologies for the block text- I don't dare press the enter key again as it's doing some kind of rage inducing witchcraftery and keeps deleting my text.. this phone is a bugger to type on!

@Lostmyunicorn bicarb bicarb bicarb all the way!!

Just chuck as much of it (DRY!!) over your sofa as possible and leave for maybe a day, then hoover. Smell should vanish..