Reselling second hand sofas and fire safety

[Guest Marc]

I came across this forum and have a little issue that I wonder if someone could help with . It is perhaps a mixture of a legal and moral issue .

I am a reseller and have recently started trying to sell sofas and sometimes wash the covers and I sometimes scrub/wash the main body . However I have come across something which has worried me . I am aware that sofas must have a fire safety label . However I have recently learnt that washing covers can sometimes remove any fire retardant/chemical  . Does this make them non fire  compliant ? Would I be right in saying that once washed they would no longer be compliant and therefore technically I would be breaking the law if i sell on and most importantly putting customers at risk?

How do professional cleaning companies clean without removing fire retardant? 

I have just read on the FIRA Document that fire retardant has to be 3-6 washes resistant , would I be safe to assume that items would therefore still be safe ? (Previous owners are unlikely to have washed 6 times). I guess my concern was taken from the DFS website which says fire retardant can be removed from washing covers. I’m hoping if I am to wash once, fire retardant is still going to affective 

The next solution would be of course to not wash covers if they do not say ‘washable ‘ . However as mentioned if I am acquiring second hand sofas , I do not know if they have previously been washed.

I am aware that charity shops who acquire sofas also do not know the history and fire safety labels are all that matter . Do sofas naturally  lose their fire safety features anyway?

I did think I could buy fire retardant spray and then spray them once washed for peace of mind but have read on the FIRA document  that this does not fully protect (should be soaked completely )  . But maybe this is a solution as they were already protected 

Lastly , I have thought I could buy replacement covers for the cushions , that  would ensure safety . This doesn’t help with the main body however . 

 Would I need to ensure anything in particular in terms of what fire regulation these covers  abide to as they would be   loose  ? I did try to interpret the FIRA document but am unsure.

Getting sofas retested would evidently not be financially viable .

Any suggestions or thoughts would be much appreciated . Apologies for the long post !