Care & Materials
What the trays are made of, and how to not ruin one
Short version: a damp cloth, dried straight away. Everything below is the detail behind that sentence, including the two things that genuinely damage a tray.
The three formats
| Format | Size (approx.) | Frame | Base | Heat | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal lap tray | 44 × 34 × 5 cm | Pale wood, rounded inner lip | Bean-filled fabric cushion, grey | Not rated | $18 |
| Botanical lap tray | 44 × 33 × 5 cm | Natural wood, rounded inner lip | Bean-filled fabric cushion | To approx. 90°C | $22 |
| Serving tray | 40 × 30 × 4.5 cm | Navy faux leather, stitched corners | Rigid board, no cushion | Not rated | $26 |
Six trays are animals: the sheep, the lion, the hedgehog, the French bulldog, the cockapoo and the German shepherd. Four are botanical: paprika pepper, garden pea, sweetcorn and red chilli. Two are navy serving trays. Lap trays weigh about 0.6 kg each.
Materials, in plain terms
- The surface is a printed, faced board. It is not solid timber and it is not laminate flooring; it is a print bonded to a board with a protective face, which is what makes it wipe clean.
- The rim is wood with a rounded inner lip. Pale on the animal trays, a warmer natural tone on the botanical ones.
- The cushion is fabric filled with beans, sewn to the underside. It is not removable and not washable.
- The serving trays are faux leather bonded over a rigid board, with the print applied to the inner base and the corners stitched.
The two things that actually damage a tray
Water at the edge
The board is faced on the top, not sealed all the way through. Standing water that reaches the join between board and rim will get in and swell it, and that is permanent. This is why no tray we sell goes in a dishwasher, and why a spill is wiped rather than left.
Heat on an unrated tray
The four botanical trays are rated to about 90°C, which covers a mug straight from the kettle. The six animal trays are not rated, so use a coaster with anything freshly boiled. Nothing in the range takes a pan straight off the hob.
Cleaning
- Damp cloth on the printed surface, then dry it. That is the whole routine.
- No bleach, no scouring pad, no solvent, no furniture polish. Polish on a faced board leaves a haze you cannot get back off.
- Faux leather dislikes soap as much as it dislikes water. Barely damp, dried immediately.
- The cushion: brush off crumbs, spot-clean with a barely damp cloth. Do not soak it, and do not put it in a machine.
Living with one
- Store lap trays flat or standing on their long edge. Stacked face to face is fine; stacked with something heavy on top is not.
- Out of direct sun. Print on board fades, and the reds go first.
- Lift a lap tray by the frame, not by the cushion. The cushion is stitched on, not structural.
- If the cushion flattens over time, a firm shake redistributes the filling.
What is normal, and not a fault
- Slight variation in wood tone between two trays of the same model — it is wood.
- A millimetre or two of difference in outside dimensions across a run.
- Cushion firmness settling after the first few weeks of use.
- The print reading very slightly warmer in the hand than on a screen.
Anything not covered here: info@jovrenta.com. Damage in transit is covered by our refund policy, and we replace without asking for the tray back.