Putting your sofa in this position in your living room could come at a hefty cost, experts warn

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Our sofas are one of the main items in our homes that we hope to have for years to come. Much like our beds, mattresses, and other pieces of furniture, the idea when we buy one of the best sofas is that it’ll endure for at least a decade – especially given how pricey they can be.

But just like everything else we own, taking care of it properly is important for ensuring it lasts as long as possible. And interestingly, that may even include placing it in the correct position in your living room (or in whichever room your sofa may live). Because according to the experts, placing your sofa in the incorrect space could cause it degrade more quickly over time.

How to position your sofa to ensure it lasts as long as possible

For most of us, there’s a logical place to put our sofa, or a place that we’d prefer it to sit to ensure the room works spatially.

But according to Lydia Lloyd, Homeware Textile Designer at M&S Home, you should always make sure that it’s out of the way of the direct sun as much as possible, especially if the room gets a lot of natural light.

'UV rays can cause colour fading on your fabric sofas or leather furniture,' she explains. 'To try and prevent this you can position your upholstery in the middle of a room, away from a south-facing window to avoid sun damage and fading. Or, if you have a corner sofa, position it in the corner of the room.'

(Image credit: Bridgman)

If it’s not possible to change the position of your sofa though – and if it does sit in direct sunlight – there are things you can do to try and stop your sofa being bleached by the rays as much (which will save you having to reupholster your sofa at some point).

One simple measure is to close your curtains and/or blinds whenever possible, especially if you notice that the sun is usually shining right on your sofa at certain points during the day.

You can also buy UV protection sprays for fabric, too, like this one from Lakeland, which are almost like sun creams for sofas. Though be warned, you should never use this on your skin…

(Image credit: Future PLC / David Giles)

To protect your sofa even further, you might want to keep it away from heat sources, too. 'It’s also important to try and keep your sofa at least one foot away from a radiator as the heat exposure could cause damage,' suggests Lydia.

So if you follow these tips – and learn how to clean your sofa properly – we reckon it should be as good as new for years to come.