Here a Q&A from Lee covering some of your questions. I don't have slipcovered furniture, but I do a have a set that is upholstered in 100% cotton. It was well scotchguarded, so the occasional blob of candy or spill from one of my nieces when they were little ones wiped right up. But in the 7th year of owning that set I wanted it steam cleaned when I was having a couple pieces done that were Olefin (or whatever that is that recliners are covered in ;). Cotton pieces weren't dirty (just DH and I, pets I kept off that set). I just wanted to freshen it up a bit. Guy from the company that came refused to steam clean the cotton set, he said "Ma'am, it will just shrink and be ruined." I wanted to at least do the skirt, so even tho it was still quite presentable I used the wand that goes on a carpet steam cleaner. Guess what happened? Skirt shrank. Not a lot, but just enough that the box pleat doesn't meet properly at the corners. Rather than lay flat, it falls short and curls at points, just enough to make me kick myself for ever touching it.

Just my .02, might be food for thought. Perhaps someone with a slipcover can offer more.

I'm not sure about the fabric, however, over in the furniture forum - there is one about ALan Ferguson in NC who sells Lee furn for significantly cheaper prices.

Trudi

I have a Lee slipcovered loveseat. I washed the original slipcover several times because our dogs LIVED on that loveseat. I washed it in our regular washing machine and then laid it out to dry until it was about 90% dry, then put it back on the loveseat. Of course, I suppose it depends on the fabric you choose for the slipcover. Ours was cotton or a cotton blend. We don't have it any more because I recently got a new slipcover (ordered from Lee) for the loveseat.

sueb20 and kswl - Thank you for the information about care of slipcovers. It is reassuring to hear from others that have had slipcovers and washed them sucessfully - I dont want the added hassle and expense of having to worry about having them done professonally and it is good to know that you can wash them at home.

Although it would seem that RH is more expensive, the price is not too bad of the one I'm looking at compared to other local dealers, and because I am in NC, the prices in high point would have additional sales tax so the savings is not as substantial, and RH seems like a more reputable dealer.

Smile, before you go for it, something else to consider is maintenance. I was thisclose to buying a wonderful white slipcover sofa but when I really thought about the reality of taking care of it...I backed off.

As the responses here have indicated, although the covers might be washable you do need to take the thing off, wash it, then leave it for some considerable amount of time to dry then wrestle it back on the couch. For me, the time and effort involved to *keep* a white slipcover couch looking decent wasn't something I wanted to commit to. And I REALLY loved (still do) the look for light slipcovered furniture. I must note though that I'm also not very tolerant of visible dirt or dinginess so I know I wouldn't be able to leave a cover on if I could see it was soiled. Maybe if tolerance is higher the caretaking wouldn't seem to be a bad trade off for the look; that would certainly be someone's individual opinion.

Good luck in your decision

How did I miss the fact that your slipcovers are going to be white??? I wouldn't do that unless they were strong white duck that could be bleached (and that itself will shorten their life). Really heavy fabric will have to be washed in a commercial washer, btw. Ours were green mattress ticking, and i would recommend any color of that type fabric as timeless and casual...the **real** thing comes in green, blue, red, black, and brown, just fyi.

kswl and running in place -

Actually the slipcovers I am considering are not white. They are a cream/beige color with some slight color variations in the fabric (natural cobble cloth from RH).

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1146047&navCount=3

I'm aiming for a neutral fabric that will match with the cream wood framed chairs I'm considering (a quilted but solid sage green fabric). They are the same chairs that paddytc has in these pics: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg0210512511234.html
but in a different fabric.

RH has a "stone" cobble cloth, but it is quite a bit darker and I'm not sure how it will look and if it will match with these chairs...plus I would worry it might fade with washing? Plus, the lighter color is "in stock" and would come promptly and is fully returnable if I don't like it.

I definitely would not get a white sofa, but even beige scares me -- although our carpet is the same color as the swatch and it has held up fine.

We recently ordered Lee slipcovered sofas but they haven't arrived yet. There were a bunch of different fabric types to choose from, with a range of care instructions. I'd get the fabric code of the fabric you're considering and contact Lee directly to ask for cleaning instructions. If it says washable and it doesn't behave well after washing, I think they stand by their products.

Smile, I think you are safe with the fabric you describe.

I've got a Mitchell Gold sofa, slipcovered in the Natural color (looks like white) from Pottery Barn. I believe RH's line is from Mitchell Gold also. I've had mine for about 8 years now. I have 3 kids and pets...mine has worn like iron. Of course, I try to keep filthy dirty stuff off of them...but really it is no big deal to wash them. I probably wash mine every 6 months, if that often. I spilled coffee all over the arm of my sofa and every bit of it came out. I actually have 2 sofas, one is slipcovered white and the other is red. The red actually shows more lint and to me is harder to keep clean looking.

Lee has a very good reputation...I almost bought 2 slipcovered chairs from them recently. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from them either.

I will never own another upholstered sofa...it will always have to be slipcovered. If I can't wash it, I'm really not interested in it. I also had a heavy linen slipcover made for another sofa I have several years ago...that one has held up beautifully also.

Don't know about RH, but I purchased a sectional sofa and an easy chair with slipcovers from Pottery Barn about five years ago. At that time (and I don't know if it is still so), the Pottery Barn furniture was produced by a very good company, Mitchell Gold. I have the cranberry twill slipcovers on the sectional and a red ticking stripe fabric on the chair and I have washed them in cold water using the gentle cycle and either the Woolite Dark Laundry or Cheer Dark Formula and then air dried them after a very brief tumble in the dryer on low heat to release wrinkles. I replace them on the furniture before they are bone dry so that I can get a nice fit. No shrinkage has occurred and very little fading. I think that this is a fantastic option in a relaxed, highly utilized area, such as the family room. We are well past worrying about kids spilling things, but we have a dog who is allowed on that furniture...

My experience has been like Sayrah's - I have a "sofette" from Mitchell Gold, with a very fitted slipcover in a very pale "natural" cotton duck / twill. It washes up nicely and goes back on easily. I love slipcovers.

Can you spray a slipcover with Scotchgard? Will that help repel dirt so it doesn't have to be removed and wash as often?

I just received my new slipcovered sofa yesterday so this will be my first experience with slipcovers. I ordered it from Macys, already forgotten who makes it. Like you I ordered the fabric in a beige ticking so the upkeep wouldn't be as bad as pure white. But it's still light so anything that spills on it will show.

Here's what I'm most afraid of after my bad experience with the last sofa which was leather. The dye on my denim jeans transfered to the leather. Will that happen with this cotton fabric too? Am I going to see a blueish tint to the seat cushions?

I keep trying to find the *perfect* sofa, first it was the upholstered one but that got too dirty. Then I tried leather thinking that was the be all and end all...it lasted less than the upholstered sofa! So now I'm hoping slipcovers are the best solution. At least with that option I can sew new covers without having to scrap the entire frame just because the fabric gets old. I'm looking for longevity here and I don't know if that's even possible.

The saleswoman at Macys told me to dry it 90% and then put it on the sofa slightly damp. What happens to the muslim underneath when a damp slipcover is placed over it...it won't get a little steamy under there in the dark? I've got a phobia about mildew, wet things in dark places scare me. But if that's what they advise I'll do it.

Fying Flower: You need to find out the brand of the sofa that you ordered from Macy's. One reason that led me to my purchase of the Pottery Barn furniture was the availability of replacement slipcovers. I thought it was a fantastic option not only for eventual wear and tear, but also for redecorating with a different color or pattern. I use the same method as your salesperson recommended and it works great. The fabric shouldn't be really wet-damp...just a tad less than bone dry. I usually have my ceiling fans on to expedite the final drying process. Most of the moisture is held in the seams and hems, so the underlying muslin is not affected. The muslin has remained clean and fresh. I am allergic to mildew, so this is also an important issue to me. I don't know about the Scotchgard...you should check with the manufacturer, as some fabrics are already treated with a soil repellant. You should also make sure that Scotchgard will not cause any discoloration of the fabric.