At Smitty’s, we want to help you furnish and decorate your home with beautiful, stylish, quality furniture and decor that works — whatever your lifestyle.

Each month we will feature a decorating tip to help you achieve your interior decorating dreams.

If you have questions or tips that you would like our Smitty’s interior decorators to answer, just let us know.

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Stains happen — whether you’ve got kids at home, pets, or you’ve just spilled your morning coffee on your brand new, white sofa.

We asked our expert interior decorators for their best advice on how to keep your furniture clean, and here are their answers to the most commonly asked questions:

1. What is the most stain-resistant fabric for my sofa, sectional, or accent chair?

Microfibre is a really stain-resistant fabric. This densel- constructed material is made from synthetic materials that are generally very durable and tend to repel liquids.

Depending on the spill, you can use your vacuum to help clean the mess, you can use a water-based cleaning solution, or you can use a solvent-based cleaner. If you aren’t sure which cleaning solution to use, check the manufacturer’s website.

Other stain-resistant fabrics include wool and leather. While these two fabrics are more costly, they wear really well and, with proper care, will last a long time.

2. What is an effective, natural stain remover product?

At Smitty’s, we recommend using Zucora to remove your furniture stains in an effective, natural way.

Zucora’s plant-based products are safe to use in any part of your home, from your child’s bed to your dining room chair — it’s even safe to use on your dog bed!

3. What is pilling and how can I prevent it?

While furniture pilling is annoying, it is not dirt and may simply be attributed to the normal wear of your furniture.

Pilling can occur on both natural and synthetic fibres, although it typically occurs on mixed fabrics — for example, when cotton and polyester are blended together. When fibres are woven together, especially if they are loosely woven, they can create fibres that have a “hairy” appearance. When these hairy fibres rub together they will create pilling.

Fibres that are most prone to pilling include: cotton, polyester, wool, nylon, and acrylic.

If you experience pilling, you can use the following tools to remove the fuzz: a defuzzer, or even a new shaving razor. Just be careful to shave in short, gentle strokes in the same direction as the fibres.

For answers to all your interior decorating questions, contact the team at Smitty’s — we’re happy to help.