Tips and Tricks - Two things I've never done before!

Warning: This post has a photo that's "icky". You've been warned... my mother in law in particular. :p Please don't come and do the white glove test on me. You'll be so sorely disappointed!

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I did something the other day that I've never done before. In fact, I accomplished two new things. One simple. One Scary.

Let me start by saying, that I love my kitties. They are sweet little "peoples" and I try to make their lives happy. Sadly, I can't say they always do the same for me, and they certainly don't do the same for Gene, but nevertheless, they make me happy. If mamma ain't happy, ain't nobodies happy, right?

Hello?

So the other day, I sat down in the middle of the couch to have my lunch. {Please don't rag on me about eating on the couch, I like it. It makes me happy.} I'm sitting in the middle of the couch, balancing the little box of frozen dinner diet meal on my knee because on either side of me is a cat. Mack on the left, Jingles on the right, doing their darndest to get cat hair in my perfectly acceptable meal.

What happened was, I saw my couch from a whole new perspective.

Wow.
Just WOW. I'm a sloppy eater.

A couple years ago, when Gene moved in, we needed a "new" couch. I had a couch when I split from the ex that was semi-cute, small, and also a double hideaway bed. It had definitely seen better days, had a worn out arm, which was equally uncomfortable and was heavy as it's weight in lead. There just wasn't enough seating in our little living room, without pulling out the office chair, just to watch a TV show.

Enter Garage Sale Goddess!
(that's me)

I happened across the cutest set one day, of a couch and loveseat combo in very great condition. (Hi Shari!) They were desperate to get rid of it, and I was desperate to take it. What a match made in heaven. Heck they even delivered! It was a major bonus that the couch was also the same color as two adorable cats that rule this homestead.

Fast forward three years.

Or is it four? I lost count.

The seat cushions look a little rough. Yes, my friend, I am indeed hard on furniture. I sit with my knee in the couch and I balance things to eat on the arm. Somehow a spot of paint got on there (shhh... I don't think Gene ever noticed), etc etc. They are grubby!

{EEK!}

I try cleaning with resolve upholstery cleaner, which btw, works, but it was taking forever to get one tiny spot cleaned. My gut kept telling me to wash the covers.

Every bit of advice I'd ever gotten kept telling me, DON'T WASH THE COVERS. I went out on the internet. Could it be done?

The answer? NO!!!

But I'm stubborn, and I've washed plenty of things before, *successfully* that's not supposed to be washed, so I took the plunge anyway!

The result:

{Ahhhh}

It's not perfect, it still has spots on the back and on the arms which I cleaned with resolve. I also ended up going ahead and flipping the cushions and by golly it almost looks like a new set of cushions!

So I just wanted to share with you that this can be done, despite what everyone says. Let me give you my tips:

Washing couch cushion covers

1. Wash only fabrics that will not shrink from getting wet. These would be things like cotton, etc.
2. I pretreated all the spots with a stain stick
3. Be very careful with the zippers, if you break one, you are in for a big expense to replace them.
4. After removing the covers, zip them back up.. this is IMPORTANT
5. I covered the ENTIRE top of each cusion with liquid detergent. I also added some of my homemade detergent to the mix.
6. Wash on gentle cycle on COLD ONLY.
7. After it spins out, put back on the cushions. DO NOT DRY THEM. This is where people get into trouble.
8. You'll have to trim all the loose threads on the inside first.
9. Put the cushions on one corner at at time, again being careful of the zipper, don't put a lot of pressure on it. Put your hands down in the corners and carefully straighten out the corners into the cover.
10. Zip them back up and let them dry by sitting them in front of a fan. Rotate often.
11. I wouldn't do this process every week. You'll eventually wear out your zippers and the seams are not sewn to go through this A LOT. I would however not worry about every couple years.

They don't look brand new, but gosh darn, I don't feel like fumigating my house anymore.

The other thing I've never done before? Well, cleaning the couch was just in time for selling it! (know someone local that needs a nice couch/loveseat set?). This is because last weekend we went to the "big city" and bought new furniture. I'm so happy. Never in my whole entire life have I had a brand new set of living room furniture. Always used or hand-me-downs.

Perfectly perfect how I wanted them, and I'll see them sometime around the fourth of July (!!) as they are being made right now - we designed it ourselves.

Why yes, they are Mack/Jingles colored, why did you ask?