How to Prevent Color Fading from Sunlight

My morning routine always includes the ritual of what I call ‘waking up the house’; I go from room to room, opening blinds and pulling back curtains to let in as much natural light as possible. I love the feeling of sunlight in a room, how it brightens everything up and makes the house feel warm and inviting. Unfortunately, there’s a downside to having all that light flooding the house – sunlight fading. One option of reducing the chance of sun damage to furniture, rugs, bedding, and drapes is to simply leave drapes and blinds shut, but that doesn’t seem like a happy option to me. So A Cleaner World has come up with a list of suggestions to help reduce the chances of fading thanks to sunlight.

• While I don’t like this option, closing curtains and blinds, especially during the sun’s most intense times of the day, helps reduce the chances of things like bedspreads, rugs, and furniture fading.
• Use window film or sheers along with drapes to help protect your drapes longer and to add another barrier.
• When choosing drapes, choose those with lining as the lining will take the brunt of the sun before the front of the drapes.
• Prolonged exposure to sunlight can shorten the life of drapes; regular cleaning is a great way to add years to their life and beauty.
• If you are planning on placing items in a sunny location, consider natural fabrics like cotton, wool, and wool blends. Fabrics blended with acrylic, polyester, and nylon are also less likely to fade.
• Avoid selecting fabrics like linen and silk as they are prone to fading quickly.
• Darker colors fade more quickly than lighter colors, so choose your colors carefully.
• Rotate rugs at least once a year to help them wear and fade evenly.
• When caring for your household items, whether it is through washing, professional wet cleaning, or dry cleaning, be sure to have all matching pieces done at the same time to keep the appearance consistent.

While we don’t want you to feel like you’re living in a cave, we do want you to enjoy your décor at its best for years to come. The only way to reduce sun damage is to reduce the light coming into your home. Play around with these suggestions to see which work best for you and your family, and then sit back and enjoy your beautiful home.