Picture this, you’ve spent a lot of money on a gorgeous sofa, and you love how it looks. It really adds to your living room, but you start noticing a problem. A few months after you bought it, the sofa seems to have changed colors. It’s started to fade and look washed out, but why has this happened?
Well, furniture fading is a common issue that’s caused by UV rays from sunlight. When your windows are open, sunlight streams into your home, and the UV rays can damage the color pigments in your furniture and make the colors fade. Is there a way to stop this? Yes, in fact, there are multiple different things you can do:
Install new windows
Are your current windows extremely old? A good way to know if this is the case is by looking at the frames and the glass panes. If your windows aren’t double-glazed, they are extremely old. Likewise, if the frames have started peeling away from the walls and you feel lots of drafts coming from them, then it’s time for an upgrade. Investing in new windows can provide lots of benefits for your home, one of which is that you can prevent fading. This is because modern windows are better at blocking UV light than older ones. So, fewer UV rays are exposed to your furniture, meaning the fading rate will decrease. As a bonus, you get brand new windows that are more energy-efficient and block out more sound. Sure, this isn’t an idea that everyone will look to try, but it is a good option if you need new windows anyway.
Purchase window films
This is a more budget-friendly option than the one above. If your windows are already fairly new - and you have no other issues with them - it makes no sense to invest in new ones. The process will be costly and time-consuming, and you can see a similar benefit by getting some window films. Find a company with quality custom window treatments, and you can get a special film placed on all of the windows in your house. Effectively, this film has UV-blocking properties that stop the sun from damaging your furniture and making the colors fade. It is such a simple solution that means you can still get a lot of natural light into your home without worrying about what this light will do to your furniture.
Move your furniture around
If you’re looking for ideas to prevent fading that don’t include spending any extra money, this is one of them. Try to organize your rooms so your furniture isn’t in direct sunlight. Granted, this can be easier said than done in some rooms. But, try your best to move the big furniture pieces into more shaded areas, so they aren’t exposed to the sun. Similarly, you can keep alternating the layout of your rooms every few months. Move pieces around, ensuring that they aren’t constantly in the sun. Again, this can delay or prevent fading because you are reducing a piece of furniture’s sun exposure. Plus, it’s kind of fun to keep playing around with layouts as it feels like you have a new room every few months!
This tip will work best in rooms like your living room or dining area where you can move things around a lot. For your bedroom, it can be a lot harder to move the bed away from direct sunlight, so you might want to focus on the other tips in a room like this.
Use curtains or blinds
This is somewhat similar to the idea of using window films in that the aim is to block light from entering the home. Curtains can do this, but they also might make the room darker. You can get some summer curtains that are thin and allow light through, but their presence means that less UV light actually hits your furniture. Blinds are possibly the better option as you can control light levels more effectively. You can have the blinds half closed to block light from shining directly onto a piece of furniture at a certain point in the day, but because the window is still half exposed, the light will naturally filter in, meaning the room isn’t completely dark.
There you have it; four different ways to prevent furniture fading from sunlight. It can be a tough battle as you do want natural light in your home, but you don’t want it to damage your furniture. These ideas represent different ways in which you can protect your belongings. Read through them again, and think about which idea might be the best one for you.
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