I know many people love white slipcovers. And I know there are just as many skeptics. Could white slipcovers really be as easy to take care of of some people say they are? Just throw them in the wash and they are good as new? What about if you have kids? Or dogs? Or husbands? Or eat on your couch?
Today I’m going just going to tell you what I have experienced with mine since I’ve had them for quite a few years and offer you five things to consider.
5 Things to Consider about White Slipcovers:
1. White slipcovers will turn blue if people with newer dark jeans sit on them.
Just sayin’…I have several white pieces of furniture at my house, my parents have them at our beach house and have had a white coverlet on my bed for like a decade so I am all for the love for white, but it is just a fact. Newer dark jeans, which a lot of people wear, make white fabric kind of blue even after only one time sitting on it. {Note: Especially if you live in a rainy climate like I do in Seattle!} The blue does come out in the wash, though, thankfully! Right now every white piece of furniture in my house is kind of blue. If you are OK with that, proceed on to consideration #2. If you aren’t OK with that, and anyone you know wears dark jeans, white slipcovers will drive you crazy.
2. Guests might feel uneasy and uncomfortable with white furniture.
Just telling you the truth, some people when they come over don’t even want to sit down on my white furniture! Especially if they have kids. We have people over A LOT and I assure them it is fine and that I don’t worry about it because I really don’t, but some people still look for a less WHITE place to sit! Which is nearly impossible at my house. If I sense someone is worried (especially if they have kids) I usually run and grab a quilt to throw over the seat so they feel more comfortable.
That kind of makes me feel bad, I don’t want people to be uncomfortable at my house or flopping down on my sofa. We like to open our home to people. If you will feel terrible if your guests ask to sit on the floor instead of your couch, you might want to think twice about white. If you think you can deal with it, move on to consideration #3.
3. You will not feel like washing slipcovers as much as you might need to.
Yes, everyone says that slipcovers can be washed and bleached so they are cleaner than most sofas would ever be. This is true. But if you really use a white sofa or chair every day, especially if you have children or pets that you allow to sit on your furniture, VISIBLE things get on it almost every day. Hair. Pen marks. Shoe scuffs. Dirt. Lunch. Snot. Spaghetti Sauce. Newsprint. Dog paws. Who Knows What. I have to pick long brown hairs off my sofa before company comes. White slipcovers are not maintenance free and you don’t always have time to wash them before a party, once you notice how bad they look the company might already be on their way.
With a patterned slipcover or colored upholstered piece, you can go a long time before you feel like you have to clean it. With the white, it will get the same dirt and grime as any furniture, but you will see it right away — which is good if you are going to keep up with it and not so good if you don’t want the hassle. And I’ve heard that over bleaching can cause yellow stains on some fabrics, which can be a problem on white sofas too. If you are up for regular care or can handle a less than pristine white fabric in between washings, proceed with white slipcovers! But, you still might want to consider #4.
4. If you want to actually sit on your furniture, you might want to find creative solutions.
Our homes need to be a place where we feel comfortable and can flop down on a couch without worry of messing it up. So, to be real and honest, even though white slipcovers look lovely in a photo, in real life I keep a washable quilt or blanket on the slipcovered sofa we use most. Because even though you can wash slipcovers, I am lazy and don’t want to have to unzip and stuff cushions back in every two days. And, I love my dark jeans. I don’t want to have to shout at my son when he is eating jelly toast nor do I want to ban my kids from our furniture.
I don’t want to be maniac mom because I have white girlie white furniture and a nine year old boy.
I can wash a quilt really easily, plus I can whip it off when I want to take a photo to fake you all out that I have perfect white sofas and chairs and a nine year old boy in the same house. HA! Yes, it is a little crazy that I take the extra care necessary to have white slipcovers. But, before you think I am crazy, you have to consider #5.
5. What kind of person are you?
With anything, if you love it enough, you don’t care if it requires an extra measure of TLC or sacrifice. I had wood counters in my last house that I treated like my baby every day, wiping them down, using coasters and kissing them to sleep each night. I adored them. They were not nearly as difficult to care for as people might have thought, but they were a bit more effort than most people are willing to deal with. I actually enjoyed how beautiful they were, so caring for them was a pleasure. That is just how I am though, I am fine with imperfections AND I love caring for beautiful things. A match made in heaven for white slipcovers.
Bonus point #6:
Here is a key point for me though, I think it is great to have pretty things, even WHITE FURNITURE AND WOOD COUNTERS! as long as I don’t let them interfere or become more important than the people who need to be able to live around them and feel comfortable. If you sense that any of these things would be an issue for you in your own personal situation or home, it is 100% OK to not go with a white slipcover.
To be honest (again), even though I love them, the more I see them popping up in blogland the more I start thinking about going back to a brown tweed! Just to be unique — I’m kind of a rebel at heart. He heh heeh.
The important thing is you are making an informed choice based on what works for you and your family, not just based on all the pretty pictures you see. All white rooms and furniture are lovely in pictures, but may not be livable or feel right to you in your own home.
We all have different lifestyles and live in different climates! White is not the solution for every family. Go with what feels right to you!
Here is a clever idea, make a little “bib” for your slipcovered furniture!
Love this!
More super cute white slipcover ideas!
Disclaimer: This is just my own experience (remember, I live in the rainy NW where we have lots of water and mud, this is not a sandy warm beach town!) and my observations from my perspective. Results will vary at your home.
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I found your site via an organizing web site and the “community where you leave reviews” (I forget the name -lol)— anyway, I’m sooo glad I did!! I love this posting! I am actually downsizing from a large home to a 2-bedroom apt and want an Ikea sofa because you can change slip covers, wash them etc. I always wondered how practical white sofas were- they are “all the rage” on home blogs and sites these days! I’m so glad you gave us some honest things to consider!
I love your honest commentary and writing style- I am going to read your whole blog and add you to my Bloglines list to keep up with you!
Thank you for your review on white slipcovers — I am so close to purchasing them and I have 3 boys — ages 5 – 14!! I’m so glad to hear from one with real-life experience and a down-to-earth approach. =)
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What a great informational post! I call it “The Great White Post”. I, too, love the white slipcovered look but I don’t think I will ever have it in my home. I slipcovered (not in white) a chair years ago and I learned then that I didn’t enjoy taking the slipcover off and on to wash very often. But it is nice to know that the cover can be cleaned.
I bought some for my couch in the family room with only me sitting on it, and it was dirty after two days! Never again. I am a very clean person too, but those things just pick up everything.
Thank you so much for the information about white slipcovers. I only started blog reading a little over a year ago, but have been dreaming of a white slipcovered sofa in my living room for about 2 years. Even though I have ruined an office chair with my dark jeans, I never thought about what that would mean for a white sofa. It would not be in our TV room, but I really wanted to use it to read. Especially for when the husband is watching a scary movie that I can’t handle!
wow I’m late to the party! This was really a great post and very true. I’m a new white slipcover girl, and I have to say I’m so glad. I love the look so much that the care doesn’t bother me. I too am a clean freak but after twenty three years of kids I have learned to lighten up a little. Yes they are a pain to wash (still three kids two dogs and four cats at home) but all laundry is a pain! I wait for a beautiful day to wash mine and put them out to dry. I will never iron them. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? I also have an extra set so that I’m not freaking out if a celebrity comes over! haha. Love the bib idea… Great post <3
Love this post! I have white slipcovers in two rooms, and couldn’t agree with you more. I have a love / hate relationship with them. When they are clean, they look great, but with four kids, they are rarely pristine. My initial thought when deciding to go white, was, “hey, a quarter cup of bleach in the laundry and they’ll always look great.” But, you’re right, washing them is sort of a pain. I still love them though, and like you, am willing to put up with the extra effort involved (and the imperfections!).
Thanks!
I actually had this post “starred” in my Google Reader. I had to giggle when I read it because it was published the same day that… http://www.containchaos.com/?p=281
Love your blog. I am a fan.
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This is an awesome, honest article! I actually bought a white slipcovered sofa three weeks ago and ended up selling it on craigslist a week after bringing it home because, although it was beautiful, I realized that it was going to be a source of constant stress for me. Every time my almost three year old child walked near the sofa, my heart would begin racing and I’d inventory everything that she was holding (juice box? fruit punch or apple?) not to mention that I have two shih tzu also that track in mud after it rains.
I LOVE the look and feeling of white slipcovered furntiure, but I am still on a quest for the right sofa.
Great post! I’ve lived with white slipcovers for 8 years and love them. Your points are great and absolutely true (dark jeans and light-colored furniture really don’t get along!). My tricks for sanity with white furniture: I’ve come to love the upholstery attachment on my vacuum cleaner – brilliant invention, even if you don’t have a white sofa! And I’ve never used bleach on my slipcovers – the standard powdered OxiClean has always been enough if a regular wash won’t clean them.
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Great post. I have white slipcovers and denim ones as well. White does get dirty especially with 3 boys. Be prepared to wash often and just let go. Denim wears so much better but is far more relaxed looking. I love the bonus comment that says that people are more important than anything. So true!! Oh so true!!!
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I love your blog! Little late but oh well… I seriously love the white, had them for awhile and got rid of them cause they shrunk quite a bit (IKEA Ektorp ones) but am so thinking of reording them as I just LOVED the way they look yes I have 4 children (ok so two boys as home) and 3 dogs, but still….
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I love that we both have a love affair with white couches! They are worth the extra washing.
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I just took the plunge. We are so NOT “white slipcover” people – we’re messy, have a hairy dog who tracks in leaves/dirt/mud/everything else, a sloppy kid, we eat on the sofa regularly etc etc – but as soon as we got it in the house it looked SO good that we’re going to give it a try. For the Ikea Ektorp couch we have the slipcovers are only $49 a set, so even if it’s a total wash, uh, disaster, the worst that happens is I dye them a darker colour and we go from there.
HOWEVER. In a fit of inspiration, I scored the bottom of an Ektorp slipcover (not the cushions, just the frame section) in the as-is section of our Ikea on half-price Wednesday, which meant it was only $5. I cut the arms off to make arm covers, and used the large piece leftover to make an “overcover”, which I’ve tucked in over the seat cushions (which are the ones mostly likely to get grubby, cf hairy dog etc). I can easily whisk these three unattached covers off for a wash anytime without the hassle of a full-set wash, and I think it may just make this work for us. I dearly love the look, as it opens up our small living room so much more than the pretty, but darker, sage-green velvet of the sofa we replaced.
In any case, just thought I’d pass on the tip. I’m very pleased with my $5 fix – we’ll see how it goes!
We have Ikea (Ektorp)white sofa’s and two chairs and ottomans.While I love the look of white, you hit the nail on the head-on all counts.Blue denim leaves marks, my three cats shed, drag in dirt, and company is very uncomfortable.Yikes, if I had known, I would have gotten leather instead(although Ikea sofas are surprisingly comfortable,and of course, very affordable!
I have had a white sofa with slipcovers for 7 years now. It has endured through my adult children and now my grand boys ages 5 hrs. And 18 months. You just pull them off and wash. Of course you get the comments from others like, your brave…. I would never have white. I say there’s nothing to fear but fear its self…
Thanks, Melissa! I am in love with white furnitures of all sort and think they need the same care as any other – I just bought same slipcovers in white, so I can change it for guests (my cleaner one). I love dark furnitures but they also need polishing and dusting all the time and I am not the biggest fan of dusting. Thanks for the tips!
Soooooooo thankful for the insight. I have been thinking of investing in this type of furniture for three years. I love white furniture not blue!! Never thought about the “jean effect”. I love company and love people and use my home to pamper my guests. I never thought they might be afraid to sit on white but I think you are right about this too. I just have to weigh out the washing effort I would want to put in because neither blue or dirty would be acceptable to me. Right now it’s just me and hubby at home and no pets so I don’t think I would have the work that others who wrote would. Thanks for writing about ” the dark side” of this option.