Furniture & Classroom Care Guide

Last updated: 03.09.2025

Our Therapeutic Classrooms are designed to feel safe, calm, and inclusive. Looking after your furniture and soft furnishings helps promote the ethos, protect the investment you’ve made, ensures items last as long as possible, and maintains a nurturing environment where children learn to respect their space.

General Cleaning Guidance

• We recommend you always use eco-friendly cleaning products. These protect both the furniture and children’s respiratory health and allergies, making the space inclusive by design as well as practice.
• Avoid harsh chemicals, bleaches, or abrasives as they may damage surfaces and finishes.
• We recommend mild products such as eco washing-up liquid diluted in warm water, disinfectant and surface cleaners.

Chairs & Upholstered Furniture

• Wipe regularly with a warm damp cloth and eco-friendly cleaning solution.
• Spot-clean spills immediately to prevent staining.
• For deeper cleaning, use a gentle fabric-safe upholstery cleaner.

Tables (Wood & Bespoke Items)

• Clean with a damp cloth and mild eco detergent.
• Avoid abrasive pads, bleaches, or solvent-based cleaners as they can damage the lacquer or wood finish.
• Natural wood may show small marks, movement, or colour variation over time. This is normal.
• If you notice significant movement or bending due to heat or humidity, please send us photos and we’ll advise.
• Perspex table covers can be added for extra protection (available at additional cost).

Soft Furnishings (Fake Plants, Blankets, Pillows, Rugs, Sofas)

• Spot-clean regularly with mild eco detergent.
• Wash removable covers in line with care labels.
• Replace worn blankets and pillows quickly. When items look fresh and cared for, children continue to respect and look after them.
• Rugs last longer if shoes are removed. We recommend a no-shoes policy on rugs, which also links to our flexible classroom ethos.
• Wipe down fake plants, or rinse them off with warm water from time to time to keep them from gathering dust.

Lighting & Accessories

• LED lights should be charged every evening to ensure they last through the school day.
• A multi-charger station is recommended to simplify charging routines.

Fire Safety

• Many of our products are fire safety certified. Always check soft furnishings and LED items for damage.
• Replace items if fabric becomes burnt, melted, or unsafe.

Air Quality & Ventilation

• Where possible, air out classrooms regularly. This keeps the environment fresh, supports children’s wellbeing, and helps soft furnishings stay clean and dust free.

Storage & Organisation

• Store blankets, cushions, and accessories neatly when not in use to keep the space calm and ordered to maintain the therapeutic, calm ethos.
• Avoid placing heavy items on upholstered chairs or sofas, as this can damage structure and fabric.

Creating a Respectful Environment

• Children mirror the care we show, by maintaining furniture and refreshing soft items regularly, you model respect and responsibility.
• Promote life skills by building simple care tasks into daily routines. Ask children to help you charge the lights, fold the blankets and ‘reset’ rooms at intervals/ the end of the day.

Involving Children

Assign simple “classroom care roles” such as:

• Light Monitor –-ensures LEDs are charged and placed in the middle of tables at the end of the day.
• Blanket Folder – Gathers and folds blankets, adds/ puts them back in baskets or on chairs and tidies them away at the end of the day.
• Shoe Monitor -helps remind peers about taking their shoes off on rugs.
• Plant keeper- Water real plants and ensure all plants are placed back on the tables/ bookcases at the end of the day.

These roles foster pride, belonging, and shared responsibility and promote life skills within the classroom.

Weekly Checklist

We recommend a short weekly check to ensure everything is safe and well-maintained:

• Wipe down chairs and tables
• Spot-clean, soft furnishings
• Charge LED lights overnight
• Reset the space for the next day
• Air out the classroom
• Tidy away clutter

Further Guidance

Looking after your space is part of embedding therapeutic practice. For more ideas, see our blog:
“Why Classroom Care is Part of Therapeutic Practice”]