Washing day: the complete care guide
Machine-washable covers, our plain and striped cottons, linens and cotton-linens, wash at 30 degrees with natural-based detergents, with a cool tumble only if the care label permits. Florals, prints and cotton velvets are dry-clean only, and English Garden must never see a machine. The care label on your own cover is always the final word, and when in doubt, ask before washing, never after.
Removable, washable covers are a core design feature of our sofas, not an afterthought, which is why washing day deserves a proper guide rather than a line of small print. Done right, it is one of the most satisfying rituals of ownership: the sofa comes back brighter, the fabric a little softer than before, and the whole piece smells like a fresh start. So: the whole day, start to finish.
First, know which camp you are in
Everything begins with one question: is your fabric machine washable or dry-clean only? The plains and stripes in cotton, linen and cotton-linen are the washing machine camp. The florals and prints are the dry cleaner's camp, including prints on cotton-linen bases, because machine washing degrades the print; English Garden is the strictest resident of that camp and must never be machine washed. Cotton velvet is dry-clean only too. If you are ever unsure, two authorities settle it in under a minute: the care label sewn into your cover, which is always the final word, and Nadia, who knows the care rule for every named fabric in the library at any hour. The one thing never to do is guess optimistically; a wrong wash is the only mistake on this page that cannot be undone.
Washing day, step by step
For the machine-washable camp, the day goes like this. Untie the bows at the back and ease the cover off; this is the moment the loose cover design earns its keep, and there is no wrestling involved. Check the care label one more time, because it knows your exact fabric. Wash at 30 degrees with natural-based detergents, nothing harsher; the gentle chemistry is part of why these fabrics soften and improve with every wash rather than wearing out. Then dry with restraint: a cool tumble only where the label permits it, and otherwise let the label guide you. Finally, ease the cover back on and retie the bows, and take the extra two minutes to smooth seams and corners into place, because a well-dressed sofa is mostly in the tucking. If you ordered an additional cover, washing day is even simpler: the spare goes on, the washed one rests, and the sofa never has an undressed afternoon.
The honest list of what not to do
Hot washes, harsh detergents and hopeful tumble drying against the label's advice: these are how good covers shrink, fade and age before their time, and no fabric of ours needs any of them. No machine washing of florals, prints or velvets, ever, however small the mark and however confident the mood. No aerosol sprays near the fabric, especially odour neutralisers; the wash is the answer to smells, the spray is a risk. And no rubbing at spills between washes: blot with a dry towel, then let the proper wash or the professionals do the real work. Every rule on this list exists because somebody, somewhere, learned it the expensive way.
Between washing days
The covers are only half the maintenance story, and the other half takes seconds. Plump feather cushions as their fill asks, daily for the all-feather romantics, occasionally for the foam-core pragmatists, so the wash-day sofa looks as good as it feels. Rotate and turn cushions regularly so light and wear are shared evenly across every face. And keep an eye on the calendar rather than waiting for a crisis: covers washed on a gentle rhythm stay easy, while covers washed only after disasters live a harder life. None of this is a regime. It is a few unhurried minutes that repay themselves for thirty years.
The sofa comes back brighter, the fabric a little softer than before. Washing day is a ritual, not a chore.
SophieLovely things to do next
Bookmark this page, and keep these three beside it for the moments between washing days.
Questions, answered honestly
What temperature do I wash my sofa covers at?
30 degrees, with natural-based detergents, for our machine-washable plains and stripes in cotton, linen and cotton-linen. Nothing hotter and nothing harsher; the gentle wash is exactly why these fabrics soften and improve over the years rather than wearing out. The care label on your cover is always the final word.
Can the covers go in the tumble dryer?
Only on a cool cycle and only where your care label permits it; where it does not, follow the label's guidance instead. Drying is where most fabric regret happens, so this is the step to take slowly. When the label and your instincts disagree, the label wins.
How do I take the covers off and put them back on?
The bows at the back untie and the cover eases off; it was designed for exactly this, and no wrestling is required. Going back on, ease rather than yank, retie the bows, and spend two minutes smoothing seams and corners into place. A beautifully dressed sofa is mostly in the tucking.
Which fabrics must never be machine washed?
Florals and prints, including those on cotton-linen bases, because machine washing degrades the print; English Garden is the strictest of all and must never see a machine. Cotton velvet is dry-clean only too. For these, blot any marks dry and take the cover to the professionals, who will keep print and pile perfect.
How often should I wash the covers?
On a gentle rhythm rather than after disasters: covers washed regularly stay easy to keep beautiful, and machine-washable fabrics genuinely improve with washing. Let your household set the tempo, and if the sofa works hard, an additional cover means washing day never leaves it undressed.