Should I risk machine washing dry clean only sofa covers?

[Mumto2LovingEveryday]

Hi ladies, I'm at my wits end. Our beautiful red dfs gala sofa is disgusting. Spot cleaning no longer works. Everything from pen to baby puke to coffee. It makes my living room look dirty even when I've blitzed the place. I'm under strict instructions from DH not to wash the covers (I moan about them daily) but nor do we have the money right now for dry cleaning. I've got the the point where i think it's ruined anyway and needs a throw so was wondering if I should risk a cool machine wash? Will the colour fade badly? Would love to hear experiences xxx

What is the fabric?

Fwiw I've always washed my dry clean only sofa cover on a wool/hand wash at 30 and they are still almost as new 14 years later!

I got a mixed result. Out of 8 covers 2 shrank a bit but still useable just darn hard to squish seating cushions/pads back in. Colour was fine on all. If do it again would probably do on a wool cycle with wool/silk detergent.

I'm really not sure of the material

I thought they were only dry clean only due to the fact washing removes the fire retardant coating

As I'm not a smoker I couldn't give a fig and regularly bung them in the machine at 30 degrees

I wash mine even though they're dry clean only.

Do you have any cushions or anything that's the same material that you could test first?

Oh is tht why? Ah I'm not a smoker either so not worried about that :) it's only the cushion covers that are removable the arms and base cover are stapled on :-/ I'm going to take the chance and just do what DelGirl and iseenodust have done and put them on a wool cycle fingers crossed x

I wash my dfs covers all the time on a 30 wash, dfs say not to because of the fire retardant spray they have on but I do it anyway!

I wash mine too. Sort of tweedish fabric and always been fine at 30 wash.

Good luck!