How to plump your sofa cushions
What is the Best Way to Plump Sofa Cushions?
A simple task that’s often overlooked, regularly plumping your cushions can make all the difference - and we’ve got 3 easy steps to keep your cushions plump and pristine. When your sofa looks great and feels amazing to curl up on, you’re sure to love it for longer. Here’s our guide on the best way to plump your cushions.
Plump to perfection every time
1) Get out the vacuum
The first step in sofa care? Grab the vacuum cleaner and pick up any dust or grainy particles from the leather or fabric.
If your cushions are removable, pull them off the sofa so you can get into all the edges and remove any little bits that have fallen down the cracks. If you take the time to vacuum your sofa like this at least once a week, it will help to prevent the fabric or leather on your sofa becoming damaged or worn over time.
Use the vacuum to help the cushions bounce back to shape – as you pull the vacuum head across the cushions you’ll help to loosen and separate some of the fibres in preparation for a full plumping. Ensure you use the right vacuum head for the job, like the brush attachment, so it’s gentle on the fabric or leather.
2) Commence plumping
If you regularly plump your cushions, you will help to bring air back into your seat cushions, which will ensure your sofa stays comfortable. This is more important for ranges that have fibre fillings, but every type of seat filling, from foam and fibre toppers through to sprung core seats, need to be plumped at least once a week to keep them looking great.
To start, remove any throws or scatter cushions from the sofa. If your sofa has removable seat or back cushions, the best plumping method for you involves removing each cushion and individually plumping them.
Take the cushion in both hands and turn and rotate it as you plump, moving the filling back towards the centre. Do this with both the seat cushions and with the back cushions if they can also be removed, and then put them back into position. Move on to any scatter cushions you may have.
3) Plumping fixed seats and backs
Fixed seats and backs are a better option for people who might struggle to perform daily maintenance on their cushions. Normally, the fillings in these sofas are firmer and more supportive, needing a little less plumping to stay looking great.
We like to call the best method for plumping fixed seats the “Union Jack” method – smoothing the cushions so as to redistribute the fillings and plump it back to shape. Start with your hands in the centre of the cushion and smooth outwards in opposite directions – first left and right, then up and down then diagonally.
This method helps the fillings to separate and return to their natural shape after use, and is an easy and effective way to plump your cushions. Give each cushion a firm pat on the sides to invite air back into the filling, and your sofa will look as good as new.
Loving your sofa for years to come
We have a range of care and maintenance articles in our help centre that can talk you through the best methods of keeping your sofa looking its best, such as how to care for your leather sofa, tackling stains in your living room and general tips on keeping your sofa looking great.
We all want to enjoy relaxing comfort on our sofas year after year, so it’s always worth taking a bit of extra care with some simple plumping and cleaning daily or weekly.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you plump up cushions?
To plump removable cushions, vacuum, rotate and push the fillings towards the centre. For fixed seats, we recommend using the “Union Jack” method, hitting the cushions on the sides to work air into the fillings, then smooth out left and right, then up and down then diagonally from the centre.
How often should you plump cushions?
We recommend you plump your cushions at least weekly to keep them looking full and feeling comfortable. If your cushions are filled with fibre or feathers, we recommend plumping them after every sit if possible. This will help to prevent the cushions from flattening over time.
What is the best filling for sofa cushions?
It depends on your comfort preference and the maintenance you’re happy to do. Fillings like fibre or feather are more luxurious and offer ‘sink-in’ comfort, but need more maintenance to stay looking and feeling full. Foam and sprung fillings are firmer, more supportive and need less maintenance.