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Can You Wash Couch Cushions? (Tips to Keep Them Clean)

Can You Wash Couch Cushions? (Tips to Keep Them Clean)

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You probably spend a lot of time on your couch. After work, you love being able to come home and unwind.

Some people wind up making messes on their couches. You might eat on your couch while you’re watching TV in the evening.

If your couch cushions get a little dirty you might be hoping to wash them. Can you wash the couch cushions to make them look nice again?

Below, you’ll learn about couch cushions and what you can do to clean them. This will help you to keep your couch looking nice and you’ll also be able to make it smell better.

Some Couch Cushion Covers Are Washable

Before you start washing your couch cushion covers, it’s important to note that not all couch cushion covers can be washed in a washing machine. Some of them can, but others cannot.

To begin, you should refer to the manufacturer’s advice on how to wash your couch cushions. You might have received a booklet with your couch that goes over some details.

If you didn’t, you can look at the tag on the couch cushion covers. You’ll know that the couch cushion covers are machine washable if you see that the label is marked “W.”

This means that you can remove the couch cushion covers and put them in the washing machine. The “W” technically stands for “water-based cleaner.”

Not all couch cushion covers are removable. Some are going to have to be cleaned by hand without removing them from the cushions.

How to Wash Couch Cushion Covers

Washing couch cushion covers shouldn’t be too tough overall. There are a few ways that you can go about doing this.

As mentioned above, some couch cushion covers can be removed. If you can remove the cover and you see a “W” on the label, it’ll be fine to wash the covers in a washing machine.

Otherwise, you might want to wash the couch cushion covers by hand. Both options are very doable, but you’ll approach things in different ways depending on your method of choice.

Below, you’ll learn a bit about cleaning couch cushion covers in a washing machine. Later, you’ll learn about how to do this without using a washing machine.

Cleaning Couch Cushion Covers in a Washing Machine

Cleaning couch cushion covers in a washing machine is simple enough. Refer to the information on the manufacturer’s label so you can know what to do.

The label should contain various laundry symbols. This will give you information about whether the couch cushion covers are machine-washable, the appropriate temperature settings, and more.

Typically, couch cushion covers do well when washed on cold. You should use the delicate cycle on the washing machine.

Choose the type of detergent that you use carefully. It’s recommended to use a dye-free detergent pod that won’t negatively impact your couch cushion covers.

To keep the covers from getting tangled up in the wash, you should zip them up before putting them in the machine. You don’t want the covers to get damaged due to them becoming tangled together.

Once the washing cycle is complete, it’ll be time to dry the couch cushion covers. This should never be done in a dryer.

Instead, you want to hang the covers up on a line somewhere. Let the couch cushion covers dry naturally.

Putting the covers in the dryer will likely damage them. The heat can damage the covers and you might experience issues with the covers shrinking as well.

Cleaning Couch Cushion Covers by Hand

You can remove the couch cushion covers and wash them by hand if you’re worried about putting them in your washing machine. In some cases, this is going to be much safer than using a machine.

Fill your bathtub with warm water and then put a few drops of clear dish soap in the water. Swirl things around a bit and then place the couch cushion covers in the water.

Now take the time to gently clean the covers. It’s best to use an upholstery brush during this process.

Once you’ve rubbed the couch cushion covers enough, you’ll need to rinse them thoroughly. Rinse the covers with clean water and then hang them up to allow them to dry.

Can Microfiber Couch Covers Be Washed?

Microfiber couch covers are pretty popular. Buying couch covers is a great way to protect your couch from spills.

Many people choose to buy these covers because they work so well. Not everyone loves them, but many people find them to be very helpful.

Can you wash microfiber couch covers when they get dirty? You absolutely can, and it’s not hard to get good results.

To make things easier, you should try to vacuum up any debris that you can before putting the couch cover in the washing machine. It might even be helpful to pre-treat stains.

The vast majority of microfiber couch covers can be placed in a washing machine. You should look up specific information about the couch cover that you own to be sure, though.

Most of these microfiber couch covers can be cleaned in washing machines using warm water and mild laundry detergent. It’s generally best to let the cover dry naturally by hanging it up somewhere.

Many of these covers can technically be dried in a dryer using low heat. However, you don’t want to make a mistake and cause the cover to shrink.

Can Suede Couch Covers Be Washed?

Suede can be a bit of a tough material to wash. It can be washed, but you need to approach things right.

Some suede couch covers can be washed in a washing machine. As usual, you need to refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations to know for sure.

Original suede couch covers can often be washed in washing machines. They should be washed using cold water.

You can also clean suede couch covers by hand if you want to be safe. To get the job done, you’ll need a suede brush as well as fine sandpaper.

Removing stains can be done with a little bit of water and a suede brush. You might need to use a mild detergent to get rid of some stains.

Dry stains can easily be removed with fine sandpaper. Just be gentle when you’re cleaning suede couch covers and everything should be fine.

Do Couch Covers Work?

Couch covers can be a great idea when you want to protect your couch. You can cover your sofa to keep it from getting dirty.

Buying a couch cover is an inexpensive way to protect your sofa from harm. Generally, you can buy these covers for under $50, and they do a good job of keeping your couch safe.

You simply put the cover over the top of your couch. Of course, you need to buy a couch cover that will fit your couch.

The goal of using these covers is generally to keep the couch from getting dirty. However, people use them for other purposes as well.

Sometimes people buy couch covers to cover up old couches that don’t look too nice. You might have an older sofa that is a bit worn, and buying a couch cover might be a way to make it look more presentable.

Couch covers do indeed work, but not everyone loves them. You might not like the fact that it keeps you from enjoying how your sofa naturally looks.

Also, many people find them to be a bit uncomfortable. Some types of couch covers will shift as you move around. You need to find a couch cover that is a truly good fit for your sofa.

Depending on your situation, it might be worthwhile to buy one of these covers. The covers can be washed and you won’t have to worry about your couch getting dirty.

Can You Cover a Leather Couch With Fabric?

What if you have a leather couch that has seen better days? Is it possible to cover the couch with fabric?

You can do this if you want to, but it’s only a good idea if the rest of the couch is in fine condition. Is the leather couch in relatively good shape?

Ensure that the frame is sturdy and that there aren’t any structural problems with the couch. If the only problems involve issues with the leather, it’ll be fine to replace the leather with fabric.

First, you should remove the leather upholstery from the couch. You’ll need to use staple pullers and tack pullers to remove the leather.

Leather removal should be approached slowly and carefully. It’s common for leather sofas to have several layers of leather, and that means that this might take a bit of time.

Next, you can cut the fabric that you want to use and start applying it to the couch. The fabric needs to be stapled to the couch.

You want the fabric to be pulled tightly against the couch. Otherwise, it’s going to look wrinkly and bad.

For most, it’s not going to be practical to do this job. It’s time-consuming and it’s easy to make mistakes.

You can hire a company to reupholster your furniture for you, though. This will cost a bit of cash, but it’ll get better results than doing it yourself if you lack experience.

Tips for Keeping Your Couch Clean

Keeping your couch clean is a good idea. You don’t want to get your couch dirty, but that doesn’t mean that you have to buy a couch cover.

If you’d like to use your couch as normal, you can still get good results by being careful. You simply need to be mindful of what you’re doing to limit how dirty the couch cushions will get.

Generally, you want to have to clean the couch cushions as little as possible. So do your best to avoid getting dirt on them.

Make people take their shoes off when entering your home. Never let people put their shoes on your couch.

Keep your pets from getting on the couch. Cats and dogs can easily make the couch cushions messy, but you can train your pets to stay off of the couch.

When eating on the couch, be careful not to spill things. You might even want to avoid eating on the couch as much as possible.

Eating snacks on the couch might be acceptable so long as you’re careful. It’s not as wise to eat dinner on the couch since it can be easier for accidents to occur when you’re eating full meals.

Being careful will make a difference, but accidents can still occur. If you spill something on the couch cushions, be sure to clean it up right away.

It’s easier to get rid of stains if you take action fast. Don’t give stains the time to go deep into the fabric.

Final Thoughts

It is indeed possible to wash couch cushion covers, but you need to be careful. Some couch cushion covers aren’t meant to be washed in washing machines.

You need to unzip the cushions and look for the manufacturer’s tag. This will have information that will tell you what you can and cannot do when washing the covers.

If the tag says “W,” that means that you can wash it in a washing machine. This can be done by removing the couch cushion covers and carefully washing them using the appropriate settings.

Some people find it safer to wash the couch cushion covers by hand. You can remove the covers and do this in a bathtub.

Use an upholstery brush to scrub the cushions using warm water and a bit of clear dish soap. Then you can dry the covers and all will be well.

Never dry couch cushion covers in a dryer. You want to hang them up and let them dry naturally.

Trying to dry them in a dryer will cause damage if there’s too much heat. It’s also possible to shrink the covers, and they might not fit on the cushions any longer if this occurs.

Use this information to your advantage. Be careful to avoid getting your cushions dirty and wash them when necessary.

You should be able to keep your couch looking nice now. It’s best to avoid getting the couch dirty, but at least you know what to do when accidents happen.

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