How to Care for an Upholstered Bed and Mattress

Every Eagle Bed is handmade in West Yorkshire and comes with a 5-year frame warranty. A bed is one of the few things in a home that gets used every single night for years, so a few minutes of care every month makes a real difference to how it looks and how long it lasts. This guide covers upholstered frames, ottoman and divan bases, and mattresses.

Looking after upholstered fabric

Our beds are upholstered in plush velvet, chenille, Coniston, Naples, Galaxy and Teddy bouclé. They are all fabric, so they behave like fabric — they collect dust, they mark if a spill is left, and strong sunlight will fade any colour given enough time.

• Vacuum monthly on low suction using the upholstery brush attachment. Run it across the headboard, into the panel seams and along the base sides. Dust is what dulls velvet, not wear.
• Blot spills, never rub. Press a clean, dry, light-coloured cloth straight down onto the spill and lift. Rubbing pushes liquid into the foam and can lift the pile permanently.
• Work from the outside in if you need a damp cloth, so you do not spread a small mark into a large ring. Use plain water first and let the area dry naturally, away from direct heat.
• Test any cleaning product on a hidden area first — the underside of the base or the back of the headboard. This is exactly what your free fabric swatches are useful for after purchase: keep one as a test patch.
• Keep the bed out of direct sunlight where you can, or close blinds during the brightest part of the day. Velvet in particular fades unevenly if one side of the headboard catches the sun all summer.
• Lift velvet pile that has been flattened by a pillow or a leaning back by brushing gently in one direction with a soft clothes brush.

Checking the frame and fixings

Our frames are built on solid timber, but every bed settles into its final position over the first few weeks of use.

• Re-check the bolts after the first month, then roughly every six months. Hand-tight and firm is right; over-tightening can strip a fixing.
• Listen for creaks. A new noise is almost always a loosened fixing or the bed having shifted so one corner is no longer sitting flat on the floor, rather than anything structural.
• Move the bed by lifting, not dragging, especially on carpet — dragging puts all the strain on the joints and legs.

Ottoman and divan storage bases

Gas lift ottoman bases and drawer bases have moving parts, so they need slightly more attention than a plain frame. Browse our Ottoman Beds and Divan Beds if you are choosing one.

• Let the gas struts do the work. Guide the platform up and down rather than forcing or slamming it. The struts are designed to take the weight of the platform and mattress together.
• Keep the lifting path clear. On an end-lift base you need clear floor at the foot of the bed; on a side-lift base you need clear space at one side. Both need clearance above to swing the platform open.
• Store soft items, not sharp ones. Bedding, towels, out-of-season clothes and suitcases are ideal. Avoid anything with hard corners that can press into the underside of the platform.
• Distribute the weight evenly across the compartment rather than piling everything at one end.
• Wipe drawer runners with a dry cloth if a drawer starts to feel gritty — dust in the runner is the usual cause of a sticking drawer.

Mattress care

Our mattresses are made in the UK and come in Single 3ft, Small Double 4ft, Standard Double 4ft6, King 5ft and Super King 6ft to match every Eagle Bed frame and base. See the Mattresses collection.

• Rotate head to toe every three months. This evens out the way the comfort layers settle. Our pocket sprung and memory orthopaedic mattresses are not designed to be flipped over — rotate, do not turn.
• Use a washable mattress protector from day one. It is the single cheapest thing you can do to keep a mattress in guarantee condition.
• Air the bed by pulling the covers back for half an hour in the morning before making it, and open a window when you can.
• Do not sit on the same edge every day when dressing — concentrated edge loading is the fastest way to soften one side of any mattress.
• Expect slight settlement. A small amount of body impression in the comfort layers is normal and is not a fault; springs that have collapsed are a different matter and are covered below.

Your 5-year warranty

Every Eagle Bed frame and base is covered by a 5-year frame warranty, and every mattress by a 5-year guarantee, against manufacturing faults. Fair wear and tear, accidental damage, stains and normal settlement are not manufacturing faults. If something is not right, email eaglebedofficial@gmail.com with your order number and a couple of clear photos and we will look at it properly. Full terms are on our warranty page.

Before you buy: see the fabric first

If you are still choosing, we post free fabric swatches anywhere in the UK so you can see the colour in your own light before you commit — and keep one afterwards as a cleaning test patch. You can browse the full range of upholstered beds and handmade beds and mattresses, all made in our West Yorkshire workshop with free delivery across Great Britain (Northern Ireland £90).

When it is time to replace a mattress, see the 3000 Pocket Sprung Mattress or the 1000 Pocket Sprung Mattress.