Do you have a slipcover in your living space that could use a good washing? You might think that it needs “professional cleaning,” but this is not always the case! We were just about to throw out an ottoman with a dingy old cover, until we discovered a zipper on a bottom edge. Lo and behold, the label said it’s machine-washable! We followed the label’s instructions, and our ottoman looks like new. This is what we did to avoid shrinkage (and what you can do, too)…
After you’ve washed a slipcover (we washed ours in cold water on the delicate cycle), toss it in the dryer, but don’t wait for it to finish the drying cycle. Instead, remove the slipcover while it’s slightly damp. Put it back on the furniture, and let the material finish drying as it conforms perfectly to whatever it’s covering. You can use a hairdryer set on low heat to dry any lingering wet spots. Be sure that people and pets keep off the just-washed-and-still-drying slipcovers.
Note: Once you’ve washed and dried a cushion’s slipcover, it might be difficult to put it back on the foam cushion…especially if the cover has shrunk a wee bit. To remedy this problem, put the foam cushion in a dry cleaner’s plastic bag, cut off the excess plastic, then slip the cover on the plastic-covered cushion. This makes all the difference in getting it on the cushion. And if someone accidentally spills something on the cushion, the liquid won’t seep through to the foam.
More help with hard-to-clean items…
• How to Clean Your Baseball Cap
• Make Your Old Sneakers Look New
