All the details for the care of Alcantara®.
Maintenance instructions
Alcantara ® is the registered trade mark of the new generation textile, exclusively produced by
ALCANTARA S.p.A.
Elegant and functional at the same time, Alcantara ® combines qualities such as softness, refinement and
richness of colour, and is particularly stain resistant and easy to maintain.
It can be used in innovative and prestigious ways in furnishings, in car upholstery, in the world of fashion
and in clothing accessories.
Ordinary maintenance
In order to preserve the beauty of Alcantara ® it is recommended that regular cleaning is carried out. Don’t
rub too vigorously, and we don’t recommend using steam machines.
Daily cleaning
It is sufficient to dust Alcantara ® using a soft brush, a dry cloth, or a vacuum cleaner.
Weekly cleaning
After having dusted Alcantara ® , run a slightly moistened white cotton cloth over it. Avoid the use of
printed absorbent cloths/papers as they can release ink onto the fabric.
Yearly cleaning
If the upholstery is removable, it is recommended that you wash it in a washing-machine, following the
instructions below (general washing instructions).
If the upholstery is not removable it is possible to clean Alcantara ®, by using specific products listed in the
web-site Alcantara® . If such products are not available, please follow these instructions: dust the
fabric with care; moisten a soft cloth or a sponge in clean water, wring it thoroughly and run it over the
whole Alcantara ® fabric, making sure not to wet it excessively; rinse the cloth or sponge and repeat as
necessary. Leave to dry (overnight). Once dried, in order to restore the fabric, brush it delicately with a
soft bristle brush.
General washing instructions
If it is necessary to fully wash the furniture’s removable upholstery due to extensive staining, follow the
washing instructions below carefully:
In case of removable upholstery, Alcantara ® can be safely machine washed with water at about 30° C and
a mild detergent; do not spin-dry. If there are Velcro fastenings along the edges of the upholstery, they
must be protected with counter-Velcro before washing in order not to damage the upholstery.
Once the upholstery is washed, let it dry in the open air and brush it delicately with a soft bristle brush.
Alcantara ® is not to be bleached with chlorine.
If necessary, Alcantara ® can be ironed, making sure that a white cloth is put between the iron and the
product. The base of the iron must not reach a temperature higher than 110°C.
In case of dry cleaning, trichloroethylene must not be used and direct contact with steam machines must
be avoided. The use of the “spray extraction machine” is allowed only at low temperature.
For the cleaning of non-removable upholstery follow the instructions given in the section “yearly
cleaning”.
General instructions for stains removal
In the case of localised stains, and when the specific products for the cleaning of Alcantara ® are not
available, (a list of such products is available on the web-site Alcantara®), the upholstery can be
cleaned as follows:
• Act immediately (within 30 minutes) and begin treating the stain from the outside edge into the centre
in order to avoid the stain spreading;
• never pour a cleaning product directly onto Alcantara ® ;
• before removing the stain, remove any of the substance that has fallen on the upholstery: if it’s thick
(yoghurt, jam, etc.) use a spoon or a plastic spatula; for liquids, use non printed absorbent paper or a
sponge;
•
avoid rubbing to prevent the stain from spreading or going deep into fabric;
• use a white cloth or a well wrung sponge for the removal of the stains;
• if you use a sponge, rinse it in clean water and wring it well between each wipe.
For the specific treatment of the different types of stains and the relative materials that should be used,
follow the instructions below.
Water-soluble stains
It is recommended that you use the specific products for Alcantara ® cleaning, (a list of which is available
on
www.alcantara.com); if the products listed are not available, it is recommended, depending on the type
of stain, that you should use water, lemon juice, or pure ethyl alcohol (from liquors) and follow the
instructions below:
Fruit juice, jam, jelly, syrup, ketchup:
use lukewarm water, rinse by dabbing with clean water.
2/4ഊBlood, egg, excrement, urine:
use cold water; avoid warm water because it makes these substances coagulate, rinse by dabbing
with clean water.
Liquors, alcoholic beverages, wine, beer, coke and tea:
use lukewarm water; if the colour mark remains, treat it with lemon juice and then rinse it well.
Indelible pencil, cocoa, chocolate, pastry with cream or chocolate, ice-cream, mustard: use
lukewarm water; rinse by dabbing with clean water.
Vinegar, hair gel, tomato sauce, coffee with sugar:
use lemon juice and then wipe with lukewarm water; rinse by dabbing with clean water.
Stains not soluble in water
It is recommended that you should use the specific products for Alcantara ® cleaning, (a list of which is
available on
www.alcantara.com); if the products listed are not available, it is recommended, depending
on the type of stain, that you should use water, or lemon juice or pure ethyl alcohol (from liquors) and
follow the instructions below.
Lipstick, foundation, mascara, eye-shadow, perfume, shoe polish, oil and grease in general,
grass stains and felt tips in general (including the indelible kind):
rub with ethyl alcohol, then with water and rinse.
For grass stains and felt tips, which are quite difficult to remove, especially on light colours, it is
necessary to act as soon as possible in order to prevent them from becoming too “dry”.
Chewing-gum and wax:
put a plastic bag full of ice on the stain; when the material becomes hard remove the pieces and
then treat with ethyl alcohol.
Resistant stains
Repeat the above described treatments as often as necessary.
Even the stains that are not soluble in water often require to be treated afterwards with water.
Old stains of unknown origin
First of all treat with lukewarm water, then rinse by dabbing them with clean water. If you see
that the stain begins to dissolve in the water, repeat the treatment as often as necessary; let it dry
and, if necessary, treat with ethyl alcohol.
