How to wash couch cushion covers without shrinking them

Step by step: how to wash couch cushion covers without shrinking them

1. 1

   Read the care tag and cleaning code

   Look for a tag under the cushion, on the deck or inside the zipper. You want words like “removable cover, machine wash” or a laundry symbol. A code letter alone (W, S, WS or X) is a spot-cleaning code for the fabric, not permission to launder the cover. If there is no tag, test-wash nothing and spot clean instead.

2. 2

   Vacuum the cushions before you unzip them

   Vacuum both sides of each cushion and the seams with the upholstery tool while the covers are still on. Crumbs, pet hair and grit come out more easily now than from a wet cover, and they will not scuff the fabric in the washer.

3. 3

   Label the covers and remove the inserts

   Take a photo of the couch and mark each cover with a safety pin or a strip of painter’s tape inside the zipper so you know which cushion it belongs to. Ease the foam or fiber insert out slowly, folding it in half if it is stiff. Set the inserts somewhere dry and flat.

4. 4

   Pretreat stains

   Blot each stain with a small amount of mild detergent mixed into cool water, or a stain remover that suits the fiber. Test it on an inside seam first. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes, but do not let it dry on the fabric.

5. 5

   Turn the covers inside out and close the zippers

   Inside out protects the visible face from rubbing and fading. Closing the zippers stops the teeth from snagging the other covers. Put very large covers in a mesh laundry bag if you have one.

6. 6

   Wash all the covers together on cold and gentle

   Wash every cover from the couch in the same load, or two loads with the same settings, so they age and fade evenly. Use cold or lukewarm water, a gentle or delicate cycle and a normal dose of mild detergent. Skip chlorine bleach and fabric softener.

7. 7

   Air dry or tumble on low

   Hang the covers on a rack or line out of direct sun, or tumble them on low heat for a short time if the tag allows a dryer. Take them out while they still feel slightly damp. High heat is the main cause of covers that no longer fit.

8. 8

   Refit the covers while slightly damp

   Slide each insert back into its cover while the fabric is still a little damp, working the corners into place first. Damp fabric stretches enough to go on smoothly and then dries snug. Let the cushions finish drying on the couch with a fan running for a few hours.

Can you wash couch cushion covers at all?

Only if the manufacturer says so. A zipper on a cushion does not mean the cover is washable. Many zippers are there so the factory can stuff the cushion, and the fabric may shrink, lose its backing or fade unevenly in water.

La-Z-Boy’s fabric care page is clear about this: for its water-cleanable and solvent-cleanable fabrics, it says cushion covers should not be removed and laundered or dry cleaned. Couches sold with washable covers say so on the tag or the product page, and Castlery, which sells machine-washable sofas, still advises checking the care label first, because not every removable cover can go in the machine.

If your cover is not washable, clean it on the couch instead. Our guide on how to clean upholstered furniture walks through spot cleaning by fabric code.

What the cleaning code on your couch means for the covers

The code tells you which cleaner the fabric tolerates, which also tells you how risky a full wash is. Use it together with the care tag, never instead of it.

American Leather’s guide to fabric codes notes that S fabrics should never be cleaned with water because it can cause damage or leave rings, and that solvent cleaning needs a well-ventilated room.

How to keep covers from shrinking or fading

Cold water, a gentle cycle and little or no dryer heat prevent most shrinking. Fading comes mostly from sun and friction, so inside-out washing and shade drying help.

• Wash all covers at the same time. One freshly washed cushion next to unwashed ones will look a shade brighter.
• Do not overload the drum. Covers need room to move, or the detergent will not rinse out and leaves stiff patches.
• Castlery suggests washing every four to six weeks in homes with kids or pets and every two or three months otherwise, with spot cleaning in between.
• Keep the cushions out of strong sun after washing; a sunny window can fade the top faces before the backs.
• If a cover has already shrunk, refit it damp and let it dry on the insert. It often relaxes back a little. Fold a thin layer of polyester batting around the foam if it still will not close.

Mistakes to avoid

• Washing covers that have a zipper but no washing instructions, then finding they no longer fit.
• Using hot water or a hot dryer, which shrinks cotton and linen blends.
• Washing only the dirty cushion, so it ends up a different shade from the rest.
• Leaving zippers open in the wash, where the teeth snag and tear other covers.
• Letting covers dry completely before refitting, which makes them hard to get back on.