How do you check your furniture before each scene?

Pilots walk round the aircraft before every flight, even one they flew yesterday. Climbers check each other's knots before every climb. The check is a habit, and it makes everything after it easier to trust.

Restraint furniture deserves the same habit. A check before each scene takes a few moments once you know what you're looking for, and it means both of you begin knowing the piece is as it should be. This is our routine for any of our beds, crosses or cages.

Why check every time

Our pieces arrive flat-packed and are assembled at home with fixings. Fixings can loosen with use and movement, a finish can be knocked, and a piece that's been moved needs re-tightening. None of this is unusual for furniture that's used, and a check before each scene is how you catch it early.

The routine

The frame

Look at the frame as a whole. Is it square and level, as it was when you assembled it? Has anything shifted? Put a hand on it and check that nothing rocks or moves where it shouldn't.

The fixings

Check every fixing you can see, following the printed assembly instructions. Each should be tight. If anything has loosened, stop: don't use the piece, and contact us before it's used again.

The rings and welds

Look at each welded D-ring and the weld where it meets the frame. They should look as they did on the day the piece arrived. If anything looks different, stop and contact us.

The finish

Look over the finish, especially around the rings and anywhere restraints or hands rest. Small marks are normal on furniture that's used. A chip that goes through to the steel is a reason to stop using the piece and contact us before it's used again.

For a cage, the door

Open and close the cage door, and check it moves as it did when you last practised. If anything is used to fasten it, check that it's in the room, within reach of the partner who'll be outside.

Restraints and connectors

Check everything you'll attach: stitching, linings, buckles, clips and anything that opens. Open every connector once, so you know it works. Retire anything worn, frayed or stiff.

The room

Check the floor around the piece is clear, the room is warm, and safety shears are where you agreed, within reach of the partner leading. Have water, a blanket and somewhere comfortable ready for afterwards.

Who checks

The partner leading a scene takes responsibility for the check, because they're responsible for the room. That doesn't stop the other partner asking. If either of you wants to see the check done, or do it together, that's a reasonable request, and it's honoured every time.

Checks for each kind of piece

Beds

Check the posts, rails and headboard, the rings and the area around them, and every fixing. Check that the mattress sits neatly inside the frame, with nothing caught between them.

Crosses

Check that the cross sits square and level on the floor, that the rings and the finish around them are as they were, and that the floor in front of the cross is clear and dry. If any piece is fixed to a wall, a qualified tradesperson should have assessed the wall first.

Cages

Check the frame, the fixings and the door. Open and close the door, and look inside for anything that shouldn't be there. Put a clean mat or cushion inside for the scene.

A checklist to keep

• Frame square and level, with nothing shifted or rocking.
• Every fixing tight.
• Rings and welds as they were.
• No chips through to the steel.
• Cage door, if any, opening as practised.
• Restraints and connectors checked and opened once.
• Floor clear, room warm, shears in place.

Print this checklist and keep it with your restraints.

Keeping a record

A short record helps you notice change. Note the date the piece was assembled, each time it's moved, and anything you see during checks. If you ever need to contact us, a record makes it easier to describe what's changed and when.

When to stop

The rule is simple. If anything has moved, loosened or chipped through to the steel, stop using the piece and contact us before it's used again. Don't tighten and carry on, don't improvise a repair, and don't use the piece 'just this once'. Send us a description and a photograph, with your order number, and we'll advise you.

After moving a piece

Whenever a piece has been moved, even across a room, re-tighten every fixing following the printed instructions before it's used again, and then do the full check. If you've lost the instructions, ask us for another copy.

After a scene

The end of a scene is a good moment for a quick look too, once aftercare is over. Take every restraint and connector off the piece and put them away. Wipe the frame where hands and restraints have been, with warm water and mild soap, and dry it. Glance at the finish around the rings. Anything you notice now is easier to deal with than something found just before the next scene.

A fuller check now and then

Alongside the check before each scene, set aside time now and then for a closer look. Clean the piece with warm water and mild soap, dry it with a soft cloth, and look over every part as you go. Our guide to cleaning and caring for steel restraint furniture and our care guide cover the routine.

What the check doesn't replace

A check tells you the furniture is as it should be. It doesn't replace the agreements between the two of you. Before any scene, agree it sober, with consent that's freely given, informed, specific, ongoing and withdrawable at any moment, and keep the scene itself sober. Agree a safeword and a non-verbal signal; either one ends the scene immediately and is never discussed or overridden in the moment. Never leave anyone restrained or caged alone, and never use any piece to hold a person's weight off the ground.

Our guide to what to agree before using restraint furniture covers the conversation. For specific pieces, see what is a BDSM bed?, how to choose a cross and what a cage is used for.

Every piece in our BDSM beds, St Andrew's crosses and BDSM cages collections ships with printed assembly instructions.