White Slipcovered Furniture...Makes Me Nervous

By Sara

Ok, give it to me straight: Do white slipcovers REALLY make sense when you have children and animals? We're going to be remodeling our basement into a playroom/rec room in the next couple of months and I'm beginning to gather ideas for couches and seating. I need a sofa bed because we are out of extra bedrooms and I keep coming back to the Ektorp sofa from Ikea:

The price is right at $650 and the slipcover can be washed and bleached. I'm not interested in investing more money in a better sofa because eventually it will have smelly teenagers sitting on it and just no. But does a white slipcovered sofa EVER make sense? Do any of you, dear Lushers, own such a sofa and can report about it's ease of cleaning and durability? 

(Photo from Ikea)

 

Comments

[Megan @ Mama Bub]

I had two white slipcovered sofas pre-children. I gave them to a friend with three dogs and she LOVES them, but she says she has to wash them frequently. That, to me, sounds like the worst part - taking off the slipcovers, washing and putting them back on. Slipcovers can be a giant pain.

[Jess]

Emily from Imperfect has this couch, a dog, and two children, and loves it. I think she washes the slipcovers quarterly? She posted about it last year: http://www.imperfectblog.com/2011/03/blog-business-and-missing-email.html and again this year in more detail: http://www.imperfectblog.com/2012/02/washing-white-slipcovers.html.

[Jess]

I have an Ektorp but have a beige color, from several years ago. I LOVE that I can take the covers off and wash them. They wash well and I do it 1-2 times per year. If you do it all it takes 5 loads for my sofa, loveseat, chair and ottoman (just 2 for just the sofa). Idk about the white though. we have had some stains on the covers that haven't completely come out, but are fine. The seats are also looking a bit dingy but we've used them pretty heavily for 10 years or so. I think the bleaching would be a big plus.

[Auntie G]

I had either this exact couch or an earlier year's equivalent, in red, pre-children but back when I had two beagles who were allowed on the furniture. My experience was that the fabric was very sturdy but the back cushions were not; my dogs quickly smushed them into submission. The sofa bed mattress was a bit thin but doable. Stains were not really an issue, but fading was - then again, in white and in a basement, not so much a worry. If you don't do shoes or food in the basement that will help, but if you're going for a rec room, that will be a hard sell. We are big into coloring right now and I shudder to think what Theo would do to such a couch in 5 seconds flat. White + MY dog's hair would drive me INSANE. ;)THAT SAID...I share your philosophy about price and longevity when kids and animals are involved. I DO think I'd try to go IKEA, though probably not white for a rec room, and just understand that I'd be recovering or repurchasing in 5-7 years.

[chan]

I have the couch, the loveseat, and the chair in my main living room. Yes, in white! We've had them for five years, and have had to replace the slipcovers once in that time. I really love the all white look, and that, to me, is worth the maintenance they require. I wash them at least once a month, and if I had more time, I would do it more often than that. I have two kids who like to color on things and forget to take off their shoes, so they look pretty grungy if they don't get washed monthly. They have a few stains on them that totally bug me, so I think we're due for another new set of covers in the next few months. They CANNOT go in the dryer or they will shrink down too small to fit back over the frame, so finding a place to dry them is a chore every time. They also, obviously, don't come out of the washing machine looking all smooth and ironed, so unless you want to iron them every time (NOOOOO), you better like the crumpled, shabby chic look.
So, yes, I love them, and I think they can work with kids and dogs and all that. Just be prepared for the extra maintenance.

[Amy]

The good thing about this particular set up is that if you find the white's not working for you, you can buy another slipcover for under $200. I did that because I got sick of the white. Just don't dry the slipcover all the way or you'll never get it back on!