How to Keep White Slipcovers Clean

I LOVE white slipcovers and I often get questions how we keep them looking so fresh. So I’m sharing all my secrets. How to keep white slipcovers clean.

If you’ve been reading the blog for some time then you know I like white slipcovers. We have slipcovered dining chairs, a slipcovered sectional, and slipcovered arm chairs. All of them are white.

We also have two boys and two rescue dogs. All sit on the furniture, except for our black lab mix, Poppy.

So…..

I’ve become an expert and keeping these slipcovers clean and I wanted to share all my tips with you guys, but first I want to give you some background information.

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Our Slipcovered Furniture & How Long We’ve Had Them

Slipcovered Arm Chairs

We have two arm chairs. These were the Jennylund Armchairs from Ikea which we’ve had for years and years. I don’t even think they make them anymore. I checked out their site and can’t find them, but they do make something similar here. We bought replacement slipcovers, white linen, about three years ago for these chairs.

Slipcovered Sectional

This white sectional is from Boston Interiors and is by Rowe. We purchased it in the fall of 2017. It still looks great. I’ve completely washed it twice since buying it.

Slipcovered Dining Chairs

We’ve had these slipcovered dining chairs for nearly two years. We bought them after Luke built us this farmhouse table. I went with Ikea slipcovered chairs because they were comfortable, affordable, and I could buy extra slipcovers just in case the kids trashed them. We eat all our dinners in here and you know how boys can be….

I actually still have those two spare slipcovers in the closet. I haven’t had to bust them out just yet.

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Read the Directions for Your Slipcovers Before Washing

Okay, if you buy white slipcovered furniture, or if you already own white slipcovered furniture, READ YOUR CARE TAGS BEFORE WASHING. I’m going to give you tips for keeping your slipcovers clean but if your slipcovers say dry clean only or cold wash only disregard my tips. A friend had a beautiful white slipcovered sofa and she kept washing it to keep it ultra clean. The washing process broke down the fibers and her couch shredded. It was a dry clean only sofa.

I don’t want to scare you guys but just want you to read the care instructions before proceeding.

If you have the same slipcovered furniture as we do then you should be okay with the tips I’m sharing.

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How to Keep White Slipcovers Clean

This post contains a few affiliate links, if you purchase via these links I may receive a portion of the sale.

I try NOT to wash my slipcovers all the time. It’s a pain to take EVERYTHING off. So in an effort to not wash them, I have little cheats. My favorite little tool is Tide To Go Pens. If we’re eating dinner and someone, oops, drops a meatball or curry sauce. I get that pen out super quick!

I also vacuum them occasionally if there is dirt or crumbs.

Max, our little terrier mix, loves to sit on top of our sectional. He gets the best view of the neighborhood there, but he also makes the couch dirty up there so I will put a blanket across the top. I also have white blankets that I bought which cover the couch for added protection, but I really like how they look with nothing on them.

When washing slipcovered furniture it’s a good idea to wash it all at the same time to prevent the different parts coming out different colors. I think it’s okay to just wash one seat if needed but know that it might end up looking whiter or cleaner than the rest of the couch or seats (if it’s a dining chair). I try to do everything at once or around the same time.

For washing I’m going to split these up in two sections as I can’t wash the sectional at home, our washing machine is too small.

How to Wash Slipcovered Dining Chairs

To wash our white slipcovered dining chairs from Ikea, I like to spot clean them first. So if there are any food stains or marks. I have good luck with spray n wash.

My secret weapon to make these slipcovers look as good as new is White Brite cleaner. It’s available on Amazon and at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I’ve also used this on towels and face cloths and it makes them brighter white.

I bring three chair covers up at one time and soak them in my bathtub for twenty minutes.

You can see them soaking here:

To remove all that water from the slipcovers, I lay a clean white towel down, place a slipcover on the towel, and roll the towel on top of it. The moisture soaks into the towel. I had an issue with my washing machine over flowing without this step. We have a front loader and I don’t want to add more water than necessary to it.

Once the excess moisture is removed from the slipcovers I wash them with Method detergent on hot.

Do not tumble dry the slipcovers as it could shrink them. I dry them on the air dry setting and then place them on the airer.

Fit slipcovers when still slightly damp.

Smooth them out.

Max likes to walk under our dining chairs.

So sometimes, the skirts get spread a bit. I just take my HomeRight steam cleaner and press them.

It’s very easy to use.

Just add some tap water and plug it in.

Honestly, every time I wash the slipcovers they feel we have brand new dining chairs.

I do a similar method for our arm chairs.

How to Wash White Slipcovered Sectional

Our sectional is dry clean or machine washable. If you’re purchasing a white sectional I highly recommend that you purchase one you can machine wash, as well. You just never know if something is going to spill or if someone will be sick. It’s a home after all. We don’t eat dinner in front of the TV anymore like we did with the leather chesterfield I bought on Craigslist, but we do sip coffee or wine here.

The first time I washed the sectional I was petrified of ruining it. The couch was $2,000 (we purchased it from the clearance room at Boston Interiors), but would have been $4,000 new. I did check about getting a second slipcover made but that would have been $2k. So I opted not to do that for now.

As I said above, we have a teeny tiny washing machine so I can’t wash the sectional slipcover in it. Instead I have to take it to a laundromat and use the heavy duty machines there. It’s also very hard to soak the sectional so I add the White Brite to the wash cycle. I think they’d come out even brighter if I was able to soak them though.

I also don’t wash these on hot. I wash them on warm.

For drying, I do air dry setting at the laundromat or timed dry on low but make sure they aren’t completely dry when I put them on. It makes them easier to put on when they’re slightly damp and I can smooth the creases out more easily.

Every time I wash them it’s like having a brand new couch.

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Why I love white slipcovers

I realize white furniture isn’t for everyone. Some people like leather (which we loved when we had it) and some people love pattern. I get it. Here’s why I LOVE white slipcovers.

I love coastal style. For me crisp, white cotton or linen covers says coastal style to me. Even if they’re slightly creased that give the feeling of shabby chic. It’s a lived in home that’s comfortable.

Our home has dark woodwork and the rooms aren’t huge, by using white slipcovers the rooms feel bigger and light filled.

White is a calming and cozy color. When I come home after a long day running around I love to sink into the couch and watch TV with the kids or a movie with Luke.

White slipcovers pair beautifully with warm wood tones. I love reading the paper or enjoying a meal at the table. Our comfortable dining chairs make me want to linger just a little longer here.

They look so pretty with the sun hitting them.

Finally, I love them so much because with a little effort they look brand new every time they’re washed.

That isn’t possible with upholstered furniture.

I hope you found these tips helpful. You might like to pin the image below, if you want to be reminded of the products I like to use in cleaning my white slipcovered furniture.