How to Look After Your Upholstery
In this blog we discuss the most common upholstery problems that can arise in use. We will break each problem down, looking at what it is, the likely cause and recommended remedies and solutions to avoid future re-occurrence.
CROCKING: What is it? Crocking is the term used to describe the transfer of excess dye from one surface to another due to rubbing and friction. The issue is increased by certain atmospheric conditions such as humidity and temperature.
Likely cause: In a situation where the dye is transferring out of the upholstery fabric (for instance a red fabric is turning pink) it will usually be a result of either poor quality dyes used during textile manufacturing or that the dyes were not set correctly during the dyeing and finishing process. Crocking can also occur when dye is transferred from an outside source onto the upholstery fabric, for instance a pair of new jeans can transfer blue dye on to your sofa giving it a grubby appearance.
Remedy: The key thing to establish with crocking is whether the discolouration is due to dye transferring out of your upholstery fabric or on to it from an external source. If it is transferring out of the fabric then it is important to check that some substance e.g. a solvent based product, has not come into contact with the fabric and affected the dyes. If all of the above can be ruled out then a genuine fabric issue may be the cause and the fabric will need to be replaced from another batch or alternative fabric.
FADING: What is it? Discolouration or lightening of the dye in a fabric due to exposure to ultraviolet light. Constant exposure to high levels of direct ultraviolet light can also result in fibre degradation, causing the fabric fibres to become brittle, which may result in areas of breakage.
Keep reading: www.curtainclean.co.nz...
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.