An important part of cleaning your home and preparing it for guests’ visits is washing your sofa covers. As your couch is probably heavily used every day, it may get dirty quite quickly, making your living room less appealing and hygienic.
However, you may be worried that washing them will shrink them and prevent you from using them on your sofa. So, how do you wash couch covers without shrinking? Take a look at our guide and learn all about it to avoid unpleasant surprises!
How to Wash Couch Covers Without Shrinking? - General Advice
Here are some useful advice on washing your sofa covers that will help you to achieve the desired effect:
1. Take a Look at the Label Information First
Before you do anything with your couch cover, make sure to check its label first. There, you can find all the important information that will help you adjust your care and treatments to the fabrics used.
You need to be particularly careful with sofa covers made from cotton or linen because they are most likely to shrink after washing if you are not careful enough. Couch covers made from polyester, nylon, or other synthetic fibers (like our Magic Sofa Covers) are less susceptible to shrinking, but you still need to pay attention to the label information to treat them properly without causing any damage.
🌡️ Tip: If a fabric is prone to shrinking, wash it at cool temperatures and use a mild detergent.
2. Never Exceed the Recommended Temperature
Most importantly, the label will tell you what temperature to wash the couch covers at, so always follow it to avoid shrinkage or other unwanted effects.
Certain couch covers can be washed at slightly higher temperatures, like 140°F, while others require milder ones, like 104°F or even lower. If you follow the recommendations, you can preserve the couch's aesthetic value, keep it the right size, and extend its life so that you do not have to buy new sofa covers too soon.
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3. Wash the Sofa Covers by Hand
You can wash your couch covers by hand to prevent shrinkage or wear in the washing machine. This is especially recommended for the most vulnerable fabrics, such as cotton or linen.
However, different materials may require different care. For example, before hand-washing linen or cotton covers, you should test them for color fastness, as they are typically more susceptible to discoloration than synthetic fabrics. You can do that by using a little detergent on a hidden area and rinsing to observe whether the material loses any color.
When you make sure your covers wouldn’t be harmed by hand washing, fill a bathtub or sink with cold water and mild detergent. Soak the covers there and move them gently to remove the stains and dirt.
❗ Tip: Don't brush or rub the material too hard because it could damage it (especially if it's relatively delicate).
4. Use a Steam Cleaner
Instead of putting your sofa covers in your washing machine, you can also use a steam cleaner. This handy device applies steam to get rid of dirt and bacteria without using chemicals.
First, a steam cleaner heats the water poured into it to a high temperature and then produces steam that can be released through a nozzle. The steam can get deep into the couch cover’s fibers and eliminate all the microbes and bacteria accumulated there.
The good news is that a steam cleaner works great on different materials, including fabric, leather, or even suede couch covers. Moreover, it can help you remove stains and odors safely and quickly.
♨️ Step-by-Step Guide to Steam Clean Your Sofa
How to Wash Sofa Covers of Various Materials Properly?
The specific process of washing covers strongly depends on the materials they consist of. Take a look at a few examples of treatments adjusted to particular materials.
1. How Can You Wash Polyester Couch Covers?
- Washing: Our Miracle Sofa Covers and other polyester couch covers can be washed in a washing machine at a maximum of 86 °F. Remember to set a gentle wash cycle and turn the covers inside out before you wash them.
- Drying: To prevent shape loss, hang your polyester covers in the shade, protecting them from direct sunlight. Also, avoid ironing them.
- Stains: Blotting the stain with a damp cloth or sponge should be enough to remove most stains.
2. How Can You Wash Linen Sofa Covers?
- Washing: You can wash your linen couch covers in a washing machine, provided that you set the temperature at no more than 86 °F. Do not breach them.
- Drying: Avoid drying linen covers in a tumble dryer. Instead, hang it in a shady place away from direct sunlight.
- Stains: Most stains can be removed with a damp cloth. To clean the most stubborn ones, use a mixture of water and vinegar.
3. How Can You Wash Leather Couch Covers?
- Washing: You should never wash, iron, or dry clean leather sofa covers. Simply vacuuming and wiping them with a damp cloth is enough to keep them clean.
- Drying: So as not to damage the leather, do not expose it to direct sunlight and do not dry it with a tumble dryer.
- Stains: Prepare a mix of water with a squirt of dish soap. Dampen a cloth with this solution and wipe the stain from the leather sofa cover.
4. How Can You Wash Cotton Sofa Covers?
- Washing: You can wash your cotton couch covers in a washing machine at 86 °F. Make sure the detergent you’re using doesn’t contain bleach.
- Drying: Don’t dry your cotton covers in a tumble dryer. Instead, hang them in the shade and iron them if necessary.
- Stains: You can get rid of most stains by just blotting them with a damp sponge or cloth and then pressing a dry paper towel to soak up the water.
5. How Can You Wash Velvet Couch Covers?
- Washing: Velvet is a luxurious fabric that should be hand-washed only. You can also use your washing machine if it has a hand wash program. Remember to always use cold water with velvet.
- Drying: You should never dry your velvet sofa covers in a tumble dryer. If possible, dry them in fresh air but protect them from direct sunlight. You can brush your covers with a clothes brush to make the fibers stand up after drying.
- Stains: Blot stains from the velvet sofa covers with a damp cloth, rubbing carefully to avoid damaging the fabric.
6. How Can You Wash Microfiber Sofa Covers?
- Washing: Knock out all the dust from the microfiber couch covers (or use a brush), and then wash it in a washing machine with a hand wash program, or hand wash them in cold water.
- Drying: Avoid tumble drying, bleaching, or ironing microfiber sofa covers. Hanging them in a shady place to dry will work best.
- Stains: Spray alcohol onto the stain and carefully rub it off with a sponge. Then, gently loosen the fibers with a brush.
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Choose Sofa Covers You Can Wash Easily Without Shrinking
Choosing couch covers that pose no significant challenges when they need to be cleaned will make your life a little easier. We have designed our high-quality sofa covers so that you can wash them quickly and without too much hassle.
Namely, as they are made from 95% polyester and 5% spandex, you can conveniently wash them in your washing machine. They are very stretchy and zip-free, so you can easily put them back on your couch after washing and drying.
Various colors, sizes, and patterns are available, so feel free to browse through our offer and choose the one you like best. We also offer excellent pillow covers, sofa blankets, and other accessories that will help you protect your couch and make it more beautiful.
Make sofa cleaning easier with our products and save your time and energy!
