thoughts on a white couch + how i keep ours clean.

Let’s talk about a white couch.

When people see our couch I get one of two reactions. They go something along the lines of “Wow, a white couch with two dogs and a baby (and now a cat) – you’re brave” or I get genuine questions along the line of “what do you think of it and how do you keep it clean?” Let’s talk about the latter.

Actually first, let’s talk about why we have a white couch.

Simply put: it goes with the design aesthetic and décor that we love. When G and I first got married, we purchased two mismatched sofas off Craigslist that were made of leather and dark brown in color. They worked fine for that home and the look and feel we had going on – and honestly, we really liked those couches. But you know something? They still got really dirty and they were still a pain to clean. And back then we only had one dog and it was just the two of us. So, I learned then that just because your couch is a dark color, doesn’t mean it’s easier to keep spotless. Knowing that, why not have something I actually like to look at? Another key factor in the choosing it for our décor purposes was, at the time we purchased it, we were living in our previous home – which had dark floors, dark cabinets and a dark fireplace. Adding any sort of dark couch (especially a large sectional which is what we wanted) would have made the living area feel too drab and shrunken.

Okay, now that we got the why out of the way, I want to talk really quick about the couch we have – because it plays a big role in this whole owning a white couch thing.

The EKTORP Couch

We purchased this sectional from IKEA. When I was in college, my roommates and I actually used the sofa and loveseat version in our living room and we loved it, so I had fond memories of this specific series. It’s a great casual, yet polished shape and I love that the backs don’t come up too high. I knew it would be perfect for the open floor plan and layout in our previous home. But there were two main reasons we chose them when we did:

1. It was affordable.

Compared to all the other sofas we considered, this was the most economical considering our lifestyle and our phase in life. We knew when we bought it there would eventually be kids in the picture and we had both dogs at that point.

2. The covers are washable.

This is key when owning a white sofa. Every inch of white you see on this couch is removable and machine washable, making it super practical. If it weren’t we never would have purchased it.

Another key factor is that IKEA offers replacement covers in several different colors, so we knew if something were to happen or if we simply got tired of the white we could easily switch it up for less than it would cost to buy a new couch.

How I Clean our White Couch

Is this whole white couch thing starting to make sense at all? I hope so. But let’s talk about the clean factor. It probably won’t surprise you that keeping this sofa clean isn’t all that easy. I think it takes a certain mindset to own a white couch – that or a certain amount of precaution.

I wash our covers about once a week with regular detergent and a scoop or two of Clean Mama’s oxygen whitener. When the covers need an extra whitening boost, I’ll add a ½ cup of regular vinegar in my fabric softener ball.

If we’re having company over I’ll save the washing for that morning, otherwise I pretty much do it every Sunday night. Why Sunday? Because during the week we keep the dogs off the couch during the day and weekends are when we all spend the most time on the couch (aka they get the most dirty). We have baby gates up in several parts of our home for Fischer, but we use them to lock the dogs out of the living area for most of the day until G and I are hanging out on the couch after dinner.

Here’s a list of the precautions we take to help keep our white couch white:

– bathe the dogs once a week

– wash the covers every week

– keep the dogs off of couch during the day

– ensure baby eats in high chair + washes hands/face after meals

Let me assure you, our white couch is not clean all the time, but what couch truly is? At this point in my life I’m okay with a few marks here and there on the sofa. I have to say, there’s also something to be said about being able to see when your couch is dirty – which brings us to the last section of this post:

The advantages of having a white couch

To a certain degree, a colorless sofa is not a wise choice for a clean freak. UNLESS, you subscribe to the idea that it makes it easier to see when it needs cleaning. I’m in this camp. I actually like being able to see the dirt and scuffs and spills because then I know, when I plop down on the couch at the end of the day, that what I see is what I get. Know what I’m saying? If I can see the dogs tracked mulch or grass onto the couch, I get out my dust buster and I vacuum it up. If peanut butter smears find their way to the cushions I can spray some Shout on the area and wipe it clean. If we happen to spill wine (which has happened several times) on a section, I can quickly remove that cover(s), apply an oxygen cleaner and get it in the wash. A dark couch that hides the mess is great for vanity purposes, but not necessarily when it comes to cleanliness.

What do y’all think? Agree? Disagree? Agree to disagree? Haha – I don’t know why ‘white’ has the ability to be such a contentious subject. I’ve received soo many negative or condescending comments about the amount of white or light-colored things in our home. Yes, our walls are an off-white/gray. Yes, many of our rugs are a version of cream. Yes, our kitchen cabinets and backsplash are white and YES our big white sectional in our living room is WHITE. I like my surroundings to feel light and airy, crisp and clean. If color is your thing – you do you. NO judgement here. But, if you steer clear of white for cleanliness purposes, I will be the first to contend that, with the right cleaning schedule and a certain level of precaution, it’s actually easier to have a clean home when the things around you show a little dirt!