Over time, your furniture may experience extensive damage from the sun’s rays, from fade or color loss to warped wood and brittle fabrics. Protecting your furniture from harmful UV rays by customize furniture packages does not have to be very complicated. Here are five simple steps to protect your furniture against the scorching sun and fade for several years.
1- Install Awning or Outdoor Shade: For rooms with large windows, consider installing awnings or outdoor shades. These will block sunlight before it even reaches your windows, providing an extra layer of protection for your indoor furniture.
2- Retractable options available: Modern retractable awnings can be extended or retracted as needed, giving you more flexibility in controlling sunlight.
3- Keep Your Room Temperature Regulated: Extreme heat can intensify sun damage. Keeping your room cool with air conditioning or fans can help reduce the impact of sunlight on your furniture.
4- Use ceiling fans: Circulating air can help cool down your room and prevent furniture from heating up under the sun.
5- Maintain a steady indoor climate: Consistent indoor temperatures protect your furniture from cracking due to heat.
Additional Tips to Protect Your Furniture
You can use UV Window Coverings
Some of the best ways to protect furniture from sun damage include UV-blocking window treatments, such as UV-protective curtains, blinds, or shades. These will block sunlight from entering your home. Those with solar shades or blackout curtains can help filter out harmful UV rays while still providing brightness in your space.
Types of UV-Blocking Window Coverings
There are several different kinds of UV-blocking window treatments each offering different degrees of protection and beauty.
UV-protective curtains and Drapes
Heavy, dense curtains and drapes made from UV-blocking materials can block quite a bit of sunlight. Heavier colors and more dense materials provide heavier hitting UV-protective coverage; however, lighter materials can also provide some protection while letting in additional light.
Solar shades are probably one of the most popular choices because they can filter all that destructive UV radiation while letting natural light into the room. It also comes in different openness factors where it decides the amount of light and visibility you want. This offers an ideal balance of protection and brightness.
Blackout Curtains
Blackout curtains are the best if you want complete protection from UV rays. Heavily colored, these curtains don’t let any sunlight penetrate and ensure that all your furniture and decorations under your roof are perfectly preserved. They also are wonderful for bedrooms and media rooms where darkness is required.
Window Blinds with UV Coating
Some blinds are coated with a special UV resistant coating. This outer layer may reflect away the UV rays from your window outside into your home preventing sun damage on the interiors. Other styles of horizontal and vertical blinds made of wood, faux wood, and PVC also deflect UVs from the sun.
Slip Covers or Throw Extra Layer of Protection
Slipcovers or throws can be considered to keep your upholstered furniture away from the sun quickly and in a stylish manner. They add extra layers of protection, easily removable for cleaning or replacement purposes, and with these fabrics resistant to UV light, that you’ll be strengthening the protection as much as possible. Slipcovers also allow you to switch up decor while still maintaining the integrity of the furniture.
Additionally, using an aluminum sheet as a reflective barrier can further enhance this protection while being a sustainable option. The reflective properties of aluminum effectively bounce sunlight away, reducing heat absorption and keeping your furniture safer from sun damage. Slipcovers also allow you to switch up decor while still maintaining the integrity of the furniture.
Apply UV Protection Window Films
Another excellent means of limiting how much damage UV rays create on your furniture is through applying window films. They have the capacity to block up to 99% of UV rays outside and do not impede light. They are easy to apply, have low maintenance, and many users find it an excellent means for furniture and floors not to fade.
Apply Protective Coatings on Wood Furniture
Wood furniture is extremely sensitive to sunlight. The more extended the UV rays from the sun, the duller the color gets and the warped the wood becomes. To cover it, apply a protective coating, such as varnish or wax, over the wood. These not only bring out the beauty in the natural wood but also place a protective layer to prevent UV from doing its damage over time.
Rearrange Furniture Out of Direct Sunlight
The easiest and most straightforward approach to prevention of sun damage is just rearranging the furniture so that nothing is ever hit directly by the sun. If most of your sunlight hits windows, try to push your most susceptible items, like a fabric sofa or wooden tables away from those windows as far as possible. In cases where you can’t move anything, simply continue to rotate them so each thing gets an equal share, and no one spot fades more than another.
Conclusion
It does not have to be such a hassle, preventing the sun damage that sunlight may do on furniture. Some very simple solutions, such as using UV-blocking window treatments, applying protective coatings, or rearranging furniture, will greatly extend the life of your pieces. A good way to further defend vibrant, unbroken furniture for the foreseeable years is by installing slipcovers or window films.
