Wood is a wonderfully natural material that is constantly changing. Changing in texture, color, and even shape. Through expansions and contractions, UV exposure, and use your wooden wares will change over time. With some basic care along the way, natural aging can add to the character of the piece.

1- Do not soak.

2- Do not place in dishwasher.

3- If the grain has been raised due to contact with liquid over time, you can always sand it back down moving from low to high grit sandpaper.

4- Refinish your wares now and then to maintain and enhance the beauty of the wood. Use only food-safe and all-natural finishes. Refrain from using food oils to refinish with as they will spoil over time. VH Spoon Butter is a great option and is available in the shop.

CORDURA/XPAC/nylon

Outdoor fabrics will last a lifetime if properly cared for. The good news is that there isn’t too much care required. The materials used for bags are sturdy and intended for daily use indoors or out.

1- Spot clean with soap and warm water as needed

2- Water resistance and waterproofing works best when the material is clean. If you find that your bags used to have better water resistance it might be time to wash them.

3- Close all zippers and closures. Put in a washing machine with either regular laundry detergent or Nikwax Tech Wash on a regular, warm cycle.

4- Put in the dryer for an extra 25 minutes or so to help the water resistance treatment reset and get back to work.

linen

Linen is a perfect material that only gets better with age and use. Only high quality 100% OEKO-TEX linen fabric is used at the valley house. This means that whatever you have should last a long time and stand up to daily use. It is normal for all linen to begin to crinkle over time. This adds to its character. However, you may press these wrinkles out if you prefer crisp linen.

1- Machine wash or hand wash gentle and cool with like colors.

2- Tumble dry low or line dry.

3- Iron on linen setting as needed or desired.

wool

Wool is a natural material that has antimicrobial and hydrophobic properties. You should not need to regularly wash wool garments. However, if you choose to wash them, it’s recommended you remember this easy rule: handknit=handwash. It is important to note that although all hand-knitted wool garments have been blocked with water before leaving the valley house, additional washes may alter the fit and appearance of your piece.

1- Partially fill a wash basin or bowl with tepid water and a couple of drops of gentle soap, shampoo, or a wool-specific wash like Eucalan.

2- Add your wool garment and gently wash by hand by flipping the piece as needed to soak in water.

3- Wash for only about a half minute or so.

4- Gently squeeze water out of the garment after letting it drip a little into the basin. Do not wring.

5- Roll up in a towel on the floor and apply pressure to the wool burrito with your knees.

6- Air dry flat making sure to flip every day until dry.

FRAMES

VH frames are made from hardwood and are reinforced at the joints with splines. We use acid-free foam core as the backing material secured to the frame with framing points to ensure that your artwork and mat board will stay fresh for years. Our frames use UV-filtering clear acrylic in place of traditional glass. This keeps them lightweight to both ship and hang and far more economical.

Optional 1/8” spacers allow maximum airflow and can be added to any frame order. Frames under 16” come with single sawtooth mounting hardware and hanging hook and nail.

Frames over 16” come with two D-rings mounted on the sides and strung with wire. We finish all frames in Osmo Poly-Oil. This hard wax/oil blend is a natural, durable satin furniture finish that gives the wood a matte look and allows the artwork to be the center of attention.

In addition to mounting and hanging hardware, your frame will ship with peel-and-stick foam wall bumpers. They will ship in a plastic bag with your hanging hardware, giving you the option to apply them to keep your wall happy.

1- When cleaning acrylic, it is important to use only an acrylic cleaner. Other cleaners will scratch the surface. We recommend Brillianize and a microfiber cloth.

2- Use a lint-free cloth to dust the wood part of the frame. If you would like to spruce up the wood, you can always add our spoon butter to give it a little shine from time to time.