Having some technical information about fabrics can help me make wise decisions. If you buy furniture from some of the chain stores, some of fabric that they use is not performance-based. They feel good when you sit on them, look at them, or touch them, but that's not the whole story.
Many are upholstered with brushed cotton or linen which doesn’t hold up. Think of what happens to your 100% cotton jeans over time. The knees stretch out, and your denim fades. Upholstery fabric does the same thing. If you have a pair of 100 per cent polyester pants, they last forever; they are impossible to stain. I’m not saying you want that on your furniture, but that’s an illustration of the difference between natural and manufactured fibers. When polyester or nylon is present in the fabrics, they hold up better. That’s a technical piece of information that is not available at retail.
