Help! Anybody washed an Ikea armchair cover that says dry clean only?

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

It's \link{http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30105618/#/80168769\this one} - the first 4 covers are all 100% cotton & washable, but the last 3 are mixed fibres (this one is 50% viscose/rayon, 30% linen, 20% polyester) & it says they aren't

I know viscose shrinks, but then so does cotton...

[GoofyIsACow]

We have the ektorp sofa and i machine wash and tumble dry the cushion covers regularly, theya re fine, ours is the dark brown though, not sure what fabric it is... Hang on, ill check

[GoofyIsACow]

It doesnt say, just the care label, just inside the zip, am i looking in the wrong place?

[GoofyIsACow]

From the ikea website ours is made of this

Cover two-seat sofa w chaise longue:
40% cotton, 20% polyester, 20% linen, 14% viscose/rayon, 6% lyocell

It is absolutely fine in the washing machine and tumble dryer :)

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

I wash and tumbledry my Ektorp covers - we had the piped light brown and now have the red ones.
They do fade slightly along the creases but not enough to spoil the look.

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

ooh, quick responses, thanks

do your care labels say washable or dry clean?

[fruitloop84]

My erktop covers say dry clean only but I throw them in the wash and they are fine, never tumble dried them tho.

[GoofyIsACow]

Mine say dry clean only

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

Tunip, I think yours are described as washable anyway but Goofy, I just looked up yours on the Ikea website & it is dry clean only!!!

So if you can, that must mean I can - brilliant!

Fingers crossed...

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

X-posts

& another Ektorp dry-clean only from fruitloop, thank you too

all round!

[MinesAPintOfTea]

Move are dry clean only, I washed then on the curtain cycle and line dried them, no shrinking.

[GoodnessIsThatTheTime]

Ah now I've asked similar questions before... we have the ikea corner sofa mainly as I thought I could wash covers.

We washed the cream ones (in the days when they were all washable) BUT ran them through the tumble dryer and they shrank. Just about squeezed them on the sofa but very definitely shrank.

So we went to Ikea a few years ago - replaced them with a lovely green thick material and its only now, with 2 small children, I came to wash them and its dry clean only.

I really can't risk losing them as the corner sofa ones are so expensive to replace, but so is dry cleaning eleventybillion cushion covers!

I think most people have the older ones which WERE washable but mine explicity say dry clean only, and looking at the website I think most are now.... Bad ikea. The whole point of removable covers is that you can wash them...

I can't risk it!

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

Thank you, PintofTea

agree completely about bad Ikea, Goodness - I always go for removable covers for the same reason

could you try washing just one cushion cover - maybe a short soak first then a 20-30 degree wash (quick wash maybe, or delicates?) - & line dry & put back on very slightly damp?

[GoodnessIsThatTheTime]

Tempting...let me know how you get on maybe.... ;)

[janeyjampot]

I had some wool ones from Ikea which were dry clean only. I used to wash them quite regularly on a wool cycle in the washing machine and they were fine. I would not have put them in a dryer though.

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

I will report back

(Haven't put them in yet, machine is busy)

[Bootoyou2]

I have your chair in white and cool washed the cover- no shrinking.

[TheZeeTeam]

We have a 10 year old Ikea sofa in the playroom and I wash the dry clean only covers all the time. They've never shrunk. It is beginning to look a bit worn now, but that's because it's a heavily used, 10 year old Ikea sofa!

[homeaway]

I wash my cream chair covers on a cool wash , but I never put them in the dryer.

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

I have an ektorp corner with dry clean only covers. I washed two of the cushion covers a few months ago after dd vomited on them - they were ok, but I think shrank ever so slightly, they were definitely tight getting back on. They look fine now, but I'll only wash them again in dire necessity. I used 30c delicate setting.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

I machine washed Ektorp covers and they were awful afterwards - big white crease lines all over them that wouldn't iron out no matter how wet made them. It was as if the colour along the crease lines bleached out too.

I wash my body of the sofa cover bit in the bath now and line dry it. I put the cushion covers through the machine 2 at a time and line dry those.

They look like new when they're done but I couldn't rescue the creased covers.

I also find that spot stain removers bleach out the colour on the red covers too.

[mawbroon]

I washed and tumble dried a Poang cover that said dry clean only.

It fitted back on fine, but it STANK OF FISH FOR MONTHS AFTER!

God knows why it stank of fish. I emailed Ikea to ask but their reply did not answer the question!!

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

Well I did it on a 30 degree delicates wash, 600 spin

The fabric was quite stiff when it went in, but it's come out like cardboard (also practically dripping, too stiff to be centrifuged?)

Anyway I've slung it over the banister & will try putting it back on when it's nearly dry - if it regains some flexibility...

[FreakoidOrganisoid]

I have cream ektorp covers that say dry clean only but I wash them every 6 weeks or so and they're fine. I wash them at 40 and have tumbled them-still fine. Have had them 6 years or so, starting to look a bit tatty now but that's mainly the cats.

[FreakoidOrganisoid]

Do a faster spin to soften them up OP, I do mine on 1400

[ilovespinach]

I washed my Ikea dry clean only covers and they are completely ruined - shredded to pieces on the underside and seams despite being put on a delicate cycle :( The rips are now coming though to the topside - it' a discontinued sofa so we will have to look for a new one. If you've got away with it this time you've been lucky!.