No residential or commercial space is complete without a proper seating area. The best way to adorn your seating area is with sofas. You can sit on them and get all comfy for relaxation or having intimate conversations. But like all things made for interior design, sofas do need care & maintenance. This mostly includes protecting the sofa upholstery with sofa covers. However, these sofa covers require cleaning & maintenance to keep them fresh.
The problem is that sofa covers; if not all but some fabrics, are prone to shrinking. For this problem, in this blog by L Shaped Sofa Dubai, we will explain how to wash sofa covers without shrinking.
Know Your Sofa Cover Fabrics
Do not just start taking off those covers and putting them into the washer. There are different fabrics for these covers and each has its own cleaning instructions. You need to know the fabric type of your sofa cover to come up with the right cleaning & washing method. This is the first step to prevent the sofa cover from shrinking.
- Cotton: It is the most common fabric choice for sofa covers and is totally machine-washing safe. Avoid washing in warm water or dry on high heat; both cause shrinking.
- Linen: This is a natural textile that is also machine washable but air dry to prevent fabric from shrinking.
- Velvet: This is a luxury fabric that requires delicate maintenance. You need to hand wash it or do dry cleaning to resist shrinking or other fabric damage.
- Microfiber: This blend of synthetic & natural fibers is highly durable and is safe for machine washing. Still, refrain from high-heat drying to prevent shrinking.
- Polyester: This fabric is often used standalone or mixed with other materials for durability & longevity. It highly resists shrinking from machine washing.
Washing Guide: How To Wash Sofa Covers Without Shrinking
1. Pre-Washing Tips
Before you move on to washing you need to make use of these pre-washing sofa cover tips.
- Your sofa cum bed cover will have a care label; read it to know the specific washing & drying instructions.
- Before you do actual washing, do a colorfastness test. For this, test a small area of the cover to check if it loses color or not. Use a white cloth to rub the small washed area to see if the cloth gets the cover’s color. If it does, you need to get a professional cleaning service.
- If your sofa cover has stains or spills; see them before you start the actual washing. Make your own stain cleaner with a mild fabric cleaner, a good detergent, and water. Mix them all in the right proportions and apply some of it on the stain. Let it sit for a few minutes and then use the blotting technique to clean the cover from stains.
2. The Right Washing Method For Sofa Cover
There are normally two washing methods for sofa covers; Machine washing & hand washing. You need to use the right one as per the fabric type & its care instructions to prevent shrinking. Below is the step-by-step process for both these washing methods.
(i) Machine Washing Sofa Covers
Most sofa covers allow machine washing. However, there are still some things and steps you need to perform to achieve ideal machine washing.
- Always use cold water for machine washing these covers. Hot water results in fabrics such as linen & cotton to experience shrinking.
- Put the machine on a gentle cycle as much agitation results in damage to fibers which leads to shrinking.
- Buy a mild detergent for sofa cover washing, especially for delicate sofa cover fabrics. Strong detergents have harsh chemicals that weaken the fabrics & shrink them.
- Do not put different color sofa covers in one washing load. Instead, either wash them separately or wash similar sofa covers at a time. Also, not overloading prevents the covers from getting wrinkles.
(ii) Hand Washing Sofa Covers
If you are working with softer & delicate Arabic Majlis sofa cover fabrics, hand washing is the best method. Hand washing is recommended for luxury natural fabrics like silk, linen, or velvet.
- Take a big basin or a tub and fill it with cold water. Now add in some mild detergent and mix it with your hand.
- Take your sofa covers & dip them in the water gently. Start mixing them to evenly distribute the detergent to the entire sofa cover.
- Let it soak for half an hour before draining the soapy water. Now refill it with cold water once more and rinse the covers. Do this a few times until all the detergent solution is clean.
- Squeeze the covers from excess water gently; do not wring or twist them as they cause wrinkles in the fabric.
3. Drying Your Sofa Covers
There are also two popular drying methods after washing your sofa covers. The drying method also plays a great role in the prevention of sofa cover shrinking. The two types are air drying & machine drying.
(i) Air Drying
The steps to efficient air drying are as follows.
- Take your washed sofa covers and lay them flat on a dry rack. Do not hang them or the fabric will stretch.
- Always place these washed covers away from direct sunlight exposure in a shaded area. This prevents color fading and resists shrinking.
- To avoid wrinkles in the covers, shape these covers in their original dimensions. This also prevents shrinking and the cover will fit properly once all dried up.
(ii) Machine Drying
If your machine has a dryer, use the following guidelines to prevent the sofa cover from shrinking.
- Set the dryer on a low-heat setting or put it on the Air-dry cycle.
- Make sure that you take out the sofa covers from the dryer as they are still a bit wet. This will prevent the covers from over-drying which causes shrinking.
- Now lay these slightly damp sofa covers flat on a drying rack and let them air dry. Fold them into their original dimensions to ensure their perfect fit once all dried up.
Our Final Say
That is all about how to wash sofa covers without shrinking. Follow our tips for pre-washing, the right washing and drying techniques for sofa covers to protect them from shrinking. Additionally, make sure to repair sofa instantly if get damaged. A well-maintained sofa cover not only adds to the charm of your interiors but also provides a hygienic sitting place.
