The following is a paid advertising feature for Aquaclean Fabric.

I’ve loved velvet furniture for pretty much as long as I can remember. Over the last decade, I’ve had 4 different velvet sofas, 1 velvet headboard, at least 4 or 5 sets of velvet curtains and I can’t even count how many velvet cushions I own. A lot. The luxurious softness is pretty hard to beat and the soft light-reflecting sheen of velvet creates drama in just about any room you place it.

That said, I’ve always understood velvet to be high-maintenance. It has to be treated with kid gloves, food or drink nearby is a slight nerve-wracking affair and dear god, do not go near my sofa with that glass of red in your hand. When we got Quito as a puppy, he was forbidden on the sofas unless there was a big throw there to protect the fabric, his (nearly always) mucky paws ready to pounce on for a snuggle before I had a chance to make sure they were pristine. 

If I knew now what I didn’t know then, I could have spent a lot more time relaxing. You see, fabric technology has come on leaps and bounds in the last decade and no company understands the beauty of new technology when it comes to fabrics like Aquaclean.

As I mentioned in my living room midi-makeover reveal, this is not the velvet you may be used to. Oh yes, it feels luxuriously soft, it has that lovely light-reflecting quality we all adore about velvet but this is different. It’s different because it’s stain-resistant in a way that I’ve never seen before.

When Aquaclean asked if I’d be their ambassador this year, I admit, while I was flattered and excited, I was also a little nervous. I’d been longing for a soft pink velvet sofa in my home for a good few years now but the idea of my dog jumping all over that luxurious light colour or the cats leaving tiny dirty footprints along the arms?

I couldn’t get around the fear that it would be ruined within months or that I’d be spending loads of money on professional cleanings just to keep it looking good. I needn’t had feared though because Aquaclean makes fabrics for people exactly like me. People with pets, people with kids. People who think they can’t have a velvet sofa.

How Aquaclean Technology Works

Now, there are a lot of fabrics on the market that claim to be stain-resistant. They’ll use a fabric spray that sits on top of the fibres which simply creates a superficial film – but it’s not really protecting your investment the way it should be. After a short time, the stain will penetrate this layer, bonding itself to the fabric and making stains more difficult to remove once they’ve set.

What makes Aquaclean different is that the technology is bonded on a molecular level to each individual strand of fabric – yes, it’s that science-y – making it almost impenetrable to your everyday standard household stains. It actually forms part of the fabric, meaning that using just water (no harsh chemicals required), you can get just about anything out – from dirt and mud to blood, ink, wine, oil and more. The stain is no longer allowed to bond to the fabric as every strand is protected, meaning even after the stain has dried, it can still be lifted and removed with a damp cloth.

Impressive, but it is Eco-Friendly?

My first thought when I heard about the technology they use is that this couldn’t possibly be eco-friendly. I mean, as much as I love a good eco-friendly product, even I get tempted at times to reach for the bleach when I’m cleaning to tackle the toughest stains. So surely, something this hardcore must be using some seriously dangerous chemicals?

Well, you can relax because Aquaclean doesn’t use any PFCs in their manufacturing process. What are PFCs, you ask? TLDR: They are bad. Really bad. Here’s a little explanation from Aquaclean’s website (emphasis my own):

In the textile sector, PFCs (Fluorcarbons | Perfluorocarbons) are artificial substances that have been used due to their effectiveness against the repellency of water, oil and dirt in general.

The processes of production, cleaning and disposal at the end of its useful life, makes these compounds a threat to people, since this type of substances accumulate in living tissues becoming potentially carcinogenic. In fact, these compounds have been found in animals such as dolphins, in the liver of polar bears, and even in human blood. In addition, PFCs can affect the thyroid gland, fertility or help the growth of tumors in humans.

In addition, these molecules have the potential to spread easily in our water resources such as rivers, lakes, marshes or seas, and once released into the environment, persist for multiple generations.

Due to all these drawbacks, the European Commission has drafted, urgently, a proposal to reduce the use of these compounds and list them as dangerous substances, to avoid their use by companies in the manufacture of their products. This initiative of the European Commission, in addition to the actions and campaigns that have been carried out since 2012 by Greenpeace, has led to an important increase in the number of products with PFC-Free technological alternatives in the market.

Aquaclean has joined this initiative, as we think that it is our responsibility, facing the legacy that we will leave to future generations, to avoid this type of substances and look for other alternatives to more technological, more sustainable and more eco-friendly PFCs.

Being part of this for years and seeing the importance of supporting these type of actions aimed at protecting our health and protecting the environment, at Aquaclean we do not use PFC’s in the manufacture of our fabrics, adhering to the PFC Free philosophy, because together we can support green manufacturing through responsible consumption.

In addition to this, fabrics with Aquaclean Technology® have been certified with the Made in Green® registered trademark, which guarantees the absence of harmful substances in fabrics and guarantees that the textile product has been manufactured using sustainable processes under environmentally friendly and socially responsible working conditions. 

Where to Get Aquaclean Fabrics

My little sofa you see above came from John Lewis who are one of Aquaclean’s partners in the UK which have an impressive array of gorgeous sofas, armchairs and beds made with Aquaclean fabrics. 

The first step is to just click ‘choose your fabric’. You’ll then get this screen…

Just make sure when you are making your fabric selection that you tick on ‘Aquaclean’ on your filtering choice to see all the fabric choices available. On the bottom, you’ll see the brand come up – this is where you’ll want to click ‘Aquaclean’!

You can also purchase Aquaclean products through The Lounge Co. which again, has an incredible selection of traditional and contemporary sofas and armchairs. When choosing your fabrics, look for those with the Aquaclean logo or make sure to tick the ‘Family Friendly’ range of fabric options. As you can see, Aquaclean do more than just velvets – you can get beautifully woven fabrics too.

For more info on purchasing Aquaclean’s products, you can also view a selection of sofas and armchairs directly through Aquaclean’s website. Or you can purchase Aquaclean fabrics by the metre via Sunbury Design, Plumbs, Ross Fabrics, Villa Nova, Sekers and Balmoral Textiles.

So while all of that is rather exciting, how well will it fare? My next post for Aquaclean is going to see how well the Aquaclean claims hold up to real-life so that should be fun! Stay tuned for that but in the meantime, are you as impressed as I am with these incredible fabrics? Have you held back purchasing velvet furniture for fear of stains from kids or pets (or a clumsy partner!)? Would this change your mind? Let me know in the comments!