Saving Money - A New Look For Old Furniture
Our living room furniture is starting to look really worn and dirty. We do not have the money saved for new furniture, so we brainstormed ways we could make the furniture look better. We came up with a list of options and then ranked them from the least expensive to the most expensive.
1. We could clean the sofa ourselves using a handheld Bissell spot cleaner and a spray-on upholstery cleaner.
2. We could have the sofa, loveseat, and chairs professionally cleaned.
3. We could purchase or make slipcovers for the sofa, love seat, and chair. Â
4. I could attempt to re-upholster the furniture myself or we could pay someone to do it for us. Â
We decided that we would attempt to clean the furniture ourselves, and if that didn’t work, we would look at hiring someone to come in and clean them with professional equipment. I got really brave and removed the cushion covers (they are zippered) and laundered them using a gentle cycle and a gentle detergent. I let them air dry. They turned out beautifully! I am amazed at how clean they are. I used the Bissell spot cleaner on the other areas of the sofa. Most stains came out entirely. A few places are just well worn and no amount of cleaning is going to make them look acceptable. I decided to use an afghan throw and drape it over the side of the love seat to cover the well worn/soiled areas.  Voila! Our furniture looks great again and we saved a ton of money by doing it ourselves.Â
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Disclaimer: I was fortunate that my sofa cushions could tolerate the washing machine. I make no guarantees that anyone else trying this will be as successful.Â
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I have laundered sofa cushion covers the same way, and mine, too, turned out great! I have cleaned the rest of the sofa, using the upholstery attachment of my carpet shampooer. That machine has paid for itself many times over.
Great site. I like all the saving money advice and tips you give on this website. If you like, we can trade links. send me an email and let me know. thanks.
[...] The Festival of Frugality #56 is up at Savvy Steward. Lots of great frugal ideas. NotMadeOfMoney participated with A New Look For Old Furniture. Bookmark to: [...]
I had to do this recently & was suprised at how well it turned out, wish I could throw the whole thing in the washer! (ds7 & dd3, I get a dirty couch fast!)
We have a mission style futon couch for just these reasons- very easy to wash the futon cover or change it up. We rotate two covers we have for different “looks”. The wooden frame easily washed and spruced up with polish once in a while. Our plan is to not buy “good” furniture until our kids old enough to not muck it up. Since they are 8, 4, and 1 1/2, we will make do with our futon couch for a LONG time.
[...] Thou shall save money by giving old furniture a new look (Not Made Of [...]