Can You Wash Sofa Cushions? Professional Carpet Cleaner Advice To Avoid Shrinkage

Is your sofa looking a little worse for wear?  Are you now at the point where you’re considering washing your Sofa cushion covers in the washing machine. Shall you? We have the answer below.

Always Check The Cleaning Label Before Removing Cushions

One of the most common questions we get asked “Can I wash my sofa cushions in the washing machine?” unfortunately, there is no straight answer to this question as there is so many variables.  What type of sofa material; And of course, if the material can be removed safely from the sofa carcass. My first point of call is always to feel the material and how soft the nap of the material is; always remember the softer the material the better chance of the material being dry-clean (I’ll cover dry-clean only down below) the second point of call is always the label attached to the sofa which is normally located underneath the cushions. If the cushions do not remove, normally the label is underneath the sofa.

There are times when there is no label or cleaning instructions on the sofa; this can happen in a few ways.

1. The manufacturer simply didn’t fit one after being assembled
2. The whole-saler removed the tag because it would be easier to sell.
3. The customer who booked in the sofa to be cleaned actually removed the cleaning instructions because they didn’t know the labels importance.

Always check the cleaning label before removing any cushions, this simple but important advice could save you a lot of problems later on down the line.

Shall I Wash My Cushions In The Washing Machine?

The simple answer to this question is; does the cleaning label say it can be washed? Does it need to be cleaned at a certain temperature? Can you iron the cushions afterwards? Does the label say you should dry clean? perhaps with the exception of certain chemicals? And finally, how to get the best results after washing.

Much easier if we break-down the cleaning process; Always remember that checking the label will keep your warranty safe,  this allows you to continue maintaining your beautiful fabric sofa without any short or long-term damage.

Remember that if washing your fabric cushions in the washing machine they might be a little tight to re-fit back on, for best results when re-fitting any washed cushion always get help. In my experience, two people working together can fit them back on without misalignment or damage and its also easier.

What Does A Dry-Clean Fabric Look Like?

Dry-Clean fabrics can be removed from cushions quite easily, and once cleaned they should fit back on just as easily.

Some of the dry cleaning material that we come across on a daily basis are; Chenille, Silk, Leather, Suede, and Velvet

In the last few years we have seen a large amount of people buying crushed velvet sofas; unfortunately they’re 100% dry-clean only.

My advice to anyone who is considering buying a new sofa, is always check the cleaning instructions on the label, if it doesn’t have a cleaning label on it, then ask the manufacturer for a break-down of the materials, with our guide above you have all the knowledge to choose wisely.

This allows you to make the correct choice when purchasing, and most importantly, the correct choice for easier maintenance.

If you’d prefer a professional sofa clean like us then we’re only a phone call away or would you like to see how we clean sofas?