Can Sunlight Damage Indoor Furniture? 5 Ways to Protect Your Home’s Interiors

Natural light is one of the cornerstones of interior design. With big, open windows ushering in the soft morning glow and sunset views in Mississauga, it’s one of the most beautiful and eco-friendly ways to illuminate and open up your living space, accentuate decor, and treat you to a relaxing vibe. But is natural light all that good? Or is it time to close the windows and blinds?

The good news is, it’s possible to let light peek in through the blinds, while keeping furniture in excellent condition. Plus, there are tons of ways to keep the windows open and your living space bright and cozy, without being too hot and sunny. Let’s take a look at how you can preserve the home-sweet-home feeling you love most with balanced natural light and protection for your home’s interiors:

The Natural Light Low-Down: Can Sunlight Damage Furniture?

The short answer is, yes. Over the years, lots of homeowners notice changes to their home’s interiors. Once vibrantly coloured carpets, couches, and even prized artwork are now faded, making for less-than cozy interiors. Suddenly, natural light is a lot less about charm and depth, and more about damage to furniture. 

The culprit? Too much sunlight, especially from stunning floor to ceiling views that cause prolonged UV exposure. Aside from fabrics, UV rays can also change wooden furniture, causing them to permanently discolour, fade or darken depending on the type of wood. And even when it’s not sunny outside, don’t mistake the clouds for lack of UV rays because they can still flow right in and cause further deterioration.

How to Protect Your Furniture from the Sun

So, what’s the best thing to do to let just the right amount of light in? It’s all about furniture placement and interior design basics. Keep your furniture in excellent condition and your living space warm and bright, without any risk of sun damage. Try these tips:

1. Reorganize your living space

It’s hard to imagine a beloved couch, bookshelf, or painting going anywhere else in your home. But maybe it’s time to switch things up, especially when they start to fade or discolour due to sun exposure. 

When reorganizing, consider the placement of your most valuable pieces to make sure they’re away from direct sunlight. Avoid areas close to windows and skylights, and instead, place them in shaded areas. Here’s a bonus: reorganizing can even let you accommodate more natural light, so you’re free to let the afternoon glow bathe the walls without damaging furniture and decor.

2. Protect furniture

When reorganizing isn’t an option, such as if your living space is a bit more compact and light reaches every corner, consider added protection for your furniture. Protective coatings like varnish, lacquer, polyurethane, shellac and wax are some of the most popular, tried-and-tested options for sealing wooden furniture to protect it from sunlight, heat, and moisture. Plus, these sealants can also enhance the grain, restoring them to excellent condition.

There are also several ways to do this for fabric upholstery and leather. To start, consider longevity when shopping. Fabrics like silk and linen are more susceptible to fading and wear, so opt for upholstery blended with acrylic, polyester and nylon. Similarly, choose lighter colours because fading is less visible than in dark fabrics. To prevent premature wear, spray your couch with a specialized fabric protector.

Leather furniture is a bit trickier, as it can not only fade but also stiffen and crack from too much sunlight exposure. To prevent this, make sure to condition leather regularly and avoid placing leather pieces close to windows, skylights, and within direct sunlight.

3. Apply window films

As their name suggests, window films are a thin, protective layer you can apply to your windows to block up to 99.9% of UV rays. This means long-lasting furniture without obstructing your view of Mississauga’s outdoors and city skyline. Plus, they’re also energy-efficient and can help keep your energy bills down, thanks to the added insulation.

4. Install window blinds

Look no further than this tried-and-tested way to keep the sun’s blinding rays out while maintaining an optimal flow of natural light and warmth indoors. Window blinds come in a variety of forms and materials, including specially designed solar blinds that filter out harmful UV rays but still keep your home’s interiors bright and warm. 

The best thing about blinds is that you’re in total control: you can set the slats to open at the exact angle you want, so you can filter as much — or as little — light in, and see the outdoors or increase privacy.

Not a fan of blinds? You can also try other types of window treatments, such as shutters, shades, and even curtains and drapes. Plus, with an endless variety of colours, fabrics, and styles, window treatments can easily enhance your home’s interiors and complement decor.

5. Replace windows

Is it time for an upgrade? Windows are, ideally, built to last. But if your home still has older windows, it might be time to switch to modern ones that do a better job at keeping UV rays out. Window replacements are an investment, so take a moment to consider your needs, budget, and the value of special features like UV-blocking properties and energy efficiency. 

Too Much Sun is Bad, But You Can Block It Out

No matter how beautiful, direct sunlight — and letting it flow freely indoors — can damage your home’s interiors. The good news is, there are lots of ways to block it out. Some options like window blinds are much more flexible, giving you lots of control over how much natural light you want to keep out the worst of the sun’s blinding rays and even prying eyes. And with lots of colours, styles, and materials, you also have a lot of design choices for enhancing your living space.

To learn more about protecting your home’s interiors against sun damage, and browse our selection of window blinds made for the Mississauga sun, call Window Blinds Direct at 647-503-4357 or contact us here.