An extremely boring question about sofa throws, especially if you have a dog

[SotiredIcanttthinkstraight]

Sorry for inane question: long story but I’ve reached the point of fatigue where I can’t think straight!

My sofa covers are cream from IKEA . They wash really well and I combine those with loose dog blankets for summer and it works well.

Now autumn is coming and the rain, and muddy paws etc, I have bought some brown all-encompassing sofa throws (they are actually a nice dark taupe shade of brown, not hideous) and I want to know please …

… do you put the cream ones back on the cushions after washing? And then the brown massive throws/covers on top?

Or do you put the brown all-encompassing covers straight over everything without the cream underneath? Will marks go through to actual seat cushions etc?

I know, I know, I win a prize for most dumb question of the month! 😃😂🙈

Thanks for any pointers though!

😄😄

I’m past the young dc stage but I hear you!

I only double up on throws on the chair my dog spends the most time on and where she tends to scruffle about a bit. The others are just single layer cheap cotton throws from Amazon (quite thick though). Cream fabric sofas and haven’t seen any mud marks on them so far.

That sounds encouraging, thank you Saucery

I think I am going to invest in some darker covers for winter just in case though!

Our sofas are leather . I don’t find cosy ,even prior to having our dog we have multiple blankets/ throws. Our dog has so many allergies she makes everything stink, blankets washed very regularly. Preferably at the outside laundrette at the petrol station. Washing blankets at home leaves my machine full of dog hair requiring another wash on empty to clear it all.

Dog has outside access via the kitchen door. We keep a bath towel on the floor in the kitchen to mop any wetness on her feet as she walks in. Drying her feet helps keep the allergies at bay for her comfort.

Therefore mud is not an issue for us but dog yeasty stink and hair is.

@SotiredIcanttthinkstraight No, you are the wriggler. If your dog has allergies and yeast (you’ll probably get defensive about that too) you should wash their feet thoroughly- and that’s veterinary advice not something made up.

Ok I have leather sofas so no sofa covers. I have throws on the sofas. I have a mucky dog. When I take the throws off to wash them there is often no end of soil/sand under the throws! So I think your cream sofa covers could still get a bit mucky even with the brown throws on top. But I’d definitely use the brown throws.

But my dogs don’t have allergies or a yeasty smell (where did I say that? ). If you can’t be bothered to read the thread properly then I am assuming your intention is to be goady.

Thank you that’s very helpful Cormorant

Just out of interest Fortifiedtea because I am not in a position to buy new sofas atm, can you wet clean leather? How do you wash them down? Or do you polish them?

I’ve never had a leather sofa before but I know lots of dog lovers swear by them.

Our dog hates leather sofas (many holiday cottages have them and yes, they are ones where dogs are allowed on the furniture if on a throw!) because her throw slides off and it is UNCOMFY

I can't unsee that! My eyes 😁

I got given a box of leather sofa wipes when I bought my sofas and use those but you could use any sort of damp cloth. Baby wipes, floor wipes, paper towel and some spray.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emma-Barclay-Honeycomb-Recycled-127x152cm/dp/B0824735PV/ref=sr_1_15?crid=22XVUAO7SNOOL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bEBDVLQGjmdwlClkip3om8dgxAEqObLYM1IkPYGubTO4JEesTBkaf7duVDFUDhT-vNBeyc8E-TEANLQlibJrxPF5zZFQHoEbDFh84SL5TaHoRiAld2Xus-rpNm-ZBwbTU7cCtSLfEJMJOympDy1uDqA3KSSR2lcHI-BiZkTef8fPh57JPi_EbcpCYDsOMIKXQX7nyQsE5NMbJ-A4PR9M_umOJsZKmX8GmGInq4BUA0nyVVsEmVv9EOS2dlQehJ6Rzt6LrZM2cOjFGO7w-GV0owCSKCsSOw_jpj5GomyK3KI.CMvol-c1mHDzq-vKsaVz8N_PKQoJh_GUdyRV7dIu9RY&dib_tag=se&keywords=Cotton%2Bthrows&qid=1725782420&sprefix=cotton%2Bthrows%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-15&th=1
these are the ones I use mostly, also have some smaller ones. Previous dog was allergic to anything but cotton so we’ve stuck with these.

Thank you! I am definitely going to consider leather for my next purchase.

Thank you for the link!

I’ve never heard of an allergy in dogs to synthetic materials Saucery. How does it manifest itself if you don’t mind me asking? I want to know what to look out for!

Well I was going to say don’t let the dog on the sofa. It being a dog and all. But I can see this is not a thread for me.

I think many of us start off with good intentions Mymanyellow 😀😬🤷‍♀️

Similar here. I have leather sofas has the bonus of the pup assessing the situation and realising that her bed is cosier than the sofa! Also lots of tiny short hairs from her so I have to try to shake all the blankets down before washing....and even then the washing machine is absolutely covered. They get everywhere. Good job she's cute.

I’m interested in this thread for multiple reasons. I have ikea sofas and a large black lab. She does sleep on the sofas. We have been covering the sofa with fleece blankets but I’m now beginning to wonder if fleece is the best option with regards to smells? Yes, they dry quickly but I’m wondering if they hold onto smells more than cotton would?

Also dog appears to be particularly itchy at the moment. Perhaps I need to wash her more often? Particularly her legs? I’ve been cautious of washing too much as she is a lab with a double coat and I don’t want to damage her coat.

@SotiredIcanttthinkstraight we don’t use anything special on our sofas. If anything mucky or fruit juice spoilt on the seats a damp kitchen towel with a dot of fairy liquid does it. We got our current sofas from British Heart foundation. We’ve never had the money for new furniture or the inclination to buy new. We have a disabled DD, moping up spoilages is our way of life.

I am sorry a previous poster muddled my story with yours. I was just trying to explain that my contribution is less relevant because we don’t have fabric covers. It was meant as a helpful tip to put a towel on the floor because that does catch a lot of mud before our dog gets beyond the kitchen. Ours is a boxer (short hair) hates water never plays in puddles. If it’s been raining she gets a towel down in the kitchen and her paws wiped.

Thanks very much for the helpful info fortifiedwithtea

No need for you to apologise at all!

Sounds like you have found a very practical solution.

Our dogs do get their paws wiped too; it was just one poster who deliberately seemed to misunderstand my post for whatever reason.

What I meant was that autumn is the season of muddy paws; not that I have them in the living room, which is the entire point of this thread!

We live rurally and work with animals so we have a sort of lean-to or interim area where we offload mucky clothes and boots and where the dogs have the worst of the mud removed with a stack of old towels kept by the door for that purpose.

Edited to say: I love boxers; very loyal dogs!

Our dogs do get their paws wiped too; it was just one poster who deliberately seemed to misunderstand my post for whatever reason.

I'm not sure they did. You posted asking how to keep dirt off your sofa, they suggested washing feet. You then said she was accusing you of not having a clean house.

I’ve been very grateful for all the well intentioned info on this thread contributed by 99.9% of well-meaning posters.

If the poster in question had just said “I suggest you wash the dogs feet before they come in to the house” I would have thanked them too.

But they didn’t, they chose to make a snippy comment and added,

Your (sic) just hiding the dirt, it’s still there!

when they don’t know a thing about me!

Trying to suggest that someone’s house is not clean, or they not making enough of an effort to keep it clean, even when they are asking for suggestions on this very subject , is pretty rude if you ask me.

They then went on to misquote me and attributed someone else’s post to me.

What’s it to you anyway OrangeJeans if I may ask?

I replied to that poster a while back now and prefer to keep this thread civil and informative.

Anyway on the strength of this thread I have ordered some darker IKEA covers for winter and have put the cream ones away in storage for next summer. They washed surprisingly well I must say.

And I have put the two elasticated taupe all -encompassing covers on the sofas for now, with a load of freshly laundered dog blankets on top. That should keep the seat covers protected until the dark covers arrive.

None of it looks particularly elegant but it’s the price we pay for love I guess! 😀

So thank you again for everyone’s input.

@SotiredIcanttthinkstraight she itched under her armpits and on her stomach plus had itchy eyes. Nothing else changed (food, season, places she was walked ) but when I swapped throws to the cotton ones I had in the itchiness cleared up, so we switched completely to cotton throws.
Current dog is fine with synthetic fabrics, her ‘holiday’ throw is polyester and she’s currently fast asleep on a 100% Stylecraft nylon blanket I crocheted.
I think it’s quite rare, so hope your dog will be ok with whatever you go for.