Hi moms.
I would like to ask you for some advice about buying a new sofa.
I have a 29 months old and one on the way so my question is: What is your experience with leather versus microfiber sofa and do you succeed to take out stains from them. Is it very messy with small kids and what is your advice in general about that? We really like beige microfiber but I am concerned if it will survive:).
Thank you!
Buy something that has the back cushions attached... the throw cushion type will always look messy. Beige unless it can be washed, is an invitation for obvious stains. Consider covering it with a sofa cover and uncovering it when children aren't around or when company comes over. Buy a style you like that you'd be willing to re upholster. Investing in the style you like is more important than the covering which will wear out. Love new furniture!
I just purchased my second couch set since my twins were born.
I originally had the microfiber. Yes, it cleans off really well...However, while I had a nice set with a darker color to mask any stains that did not wash off so easily, The set was destroyed within a year of my children learning to walk. No matter what we do (time outs, no sitting on furniture, spanking, etc) our children STILL are found jumping on the furniture. The microfiber set broke within a year of this. They were in such poor shape that they were not even donatable...
I would also suggest veering from leather due to the upkeep of the material required. With two so young, you may find you do not keep it in the condition it needs to be in to preven drying and cracking.
However, any furniture with metal framing for whatever reason (pull out couch, reclining chairs, etc) will last you far longer regardless of the material you decide to use. I realize that the cost of couches with these items built in is a bit higher, but I promise you, with two little one (my twins are 4 yo) your furniture should not need replacing before YOU are ready to replace it... ;-)
Good Luck...
When the boys were 1, 3 and 4, we bought new furniture. We bought sturdy, upholstered sofas and chairs. It is not the prettiest. We found a nice red and navy plaid (with a little tan in it) for 4 different pieces. Heavy fabric, almost like denim.
But we have the middle child now getting ready for college at age 18, and we have the same furniture in the family room!
NOW, I can go get microfiber or leather furniture like I want! We have saved tons of money by buying something that lasted for 15 + years---has been cleaned 3 times.
Oh sister...Invest in a slipcover immediately for the new couch. Scotchgard the heck out of it. No matter what I said about the furniture, the minute my back is turned the kids are not following the rules. Buy one with a sturdy frame, durable fabric and attached cushions. I have boys so sometimes I feel like I am in the monkey house at the zoo. Anything not nailed down either gets lost, thrown or broken. Good luck to you!
My daughter and son in law bought a used sofa, which was well made. They still have it 10 yrs later. It has stripes cotton ticking, like denim. It is not the prettiest. Baby's throw up, toddlers have accidents so don't frustrate yourself with a new sofa. When the kids were 6 and 3, my daughter went out and bought a gorgeous leather sofa. The next week the 3 yr old wrote on it. Fortunately, she has bought the insurance and had it replaced. The other sofa is now in the TV room and still serviceable. A well made sofa is more important that the fabric as someone else has pointed out. I think the tightly woven cotton will work out better than microfiber.
Kathy
We bought a Mitchell Gold couch a few years ago and spent the extra $80 or so to have it stain protected. They spray something on it that bonds to the fabric instead of laying on top of it like Scotch Guard. It's a microfiber beige couch. We have a 19 month old who had serious reflux issues early on, and everything always wipes up clean. If it leaves a stain, all you have to do is wet a wash cloth and rub in the water a bit, and the stain still comes out. So, if you go with a fabric couch, just make sure you spend the extra $$ for the stain protection. I was expecting the stain protection to wear off over time, but after 4 years...so far so good!
Our sofa is from Lazy Boy (not a recliner) and is kind of a velvet fabric. It is fabulous!!! They put a guaranteed stain guard on all their fabrics and it definitely works. My son eats @ the couch quite often and I've never had any issues with cleaning up spills. We have a microfiber rocking chair from them also that lived in his room until he was 2 and I also never had any cleaning issues.
Good luck with the beige!
Ivelina,
We bought a new microfiber set last year and it has been great! My 3 year old drew on the ottoman with a pen and it came out no problem. I love the microfiber because a simple cloth and soapy water gets everything off, including greasy hand prints, drool, and various spills. We have 14 year old, 12 year old and now 4 year old boys:)
Another benefit is that the microfiber is also cheaper. We bought it on sale at Star Furniture almost 1 year ago. I imagine they are probably having a 4th of July Sale.
Good luck!
Cindy
I have 3 boys and will never have anything but a leather sofa. Spills just wipe off and I do not have to worry about stains. Our own body oils help keep it supple and shiny. I also have leather in my car...
Lovin' the leather! Very easy. BUT make sure you do not get "natural" leather. It will absorb every stain and will need constant conditioning. Get the dyed, sealed stuff.
Microfiber is fine ( We have beige microfiber) Just make sure that it says something in the information about "stain- resistant" Ours came that way. If not, it will need to be treated. A sofa cleaning company will do that for you. Regardless of if you buy it treated or it is treated post purchase, after about 3 years, the stain resistant coating will wear off and it will have to be redone.
My only advice is to buy one with attached cushions. All six of the cushions come off our sofa...and if I have to reassemble the sofa one more time I might scream and not stop screaming!! It is so annoying...the bottom cushions can be pushed off the frame by two small kids but it takes an adult to put them back on.
We are working on stopping the behavior...but the tents they build out of the cushions are creative...anyways...ATTACHED CUSHIONS!!!
Hugs!!
You already know the answer. Get a kidproof/spillproof sofa with a pattern that will not show it ! Kids are only young once and should be free to make spills without feeling bad about it afterwards. Leather is for after they have grown up and know how to use scissors and markers correctly....or get a black or brown one that is not new. Enjoy your children while you can....they grow up quickly ! Have fun.
Grandma Karen
I have a leather couch, a 4yo, and no stains. The microfiber/faux leather couch before it had a few. I felt like I was always cleaning it but the leather one doesn't absorb spills.
We bought a beige micro fiber sofa set last year. It has really been put to the test. My 22 month old and 3 month old grandsons live with us, my 11 month old grandson stays for weeks at a time and I took care of a baby from the time he was 6 weeks until he was 1 year old. Through all of this my couches still look great. It seems you can't stain them. They have had: formula, spit-up, drool, all different colors of juice, coffee, tea, all kinds of food, milk, ink, etc get on them. All I use to clean them is hot soapy water and a rag. The one thing I want to warn you of is that you have to clean them a lot. If your child drools on them it will leave a dark spot when it dries. You will have to at least clean it with water and a rag. The good thing is that nothing will soak through into your cushions. Everything stays on top. We replaced our old cloth couches because it seemed that everything that had ever spilled on them was still trapped in the cushions. I LOVE MICRO FIBER!!!
BTW...we got ours at Rooms to Go. We went to about 8 different stores so we could get the best bang for our buck. My advice is to shop around. AND I agree with the woman who said that you need to make sure that the furniture has a metal frame instead of wood. Good luck to you.
If its a reputable furniture store that sells good quality furniture & if the couch you pick out doesn't have stain guard from the factory, you can pay a little extra & get the stain protection sprayed on it before it leaves the store & you can purchase a warranty. The warranty should cover any stains that you cant get out yourself, any tears etc. If you report a claim on it for anything, they will send out a furniture repair man & if he cant get the stains out, fix the tear etc then the couch will be replaced with a new one. I have the warranty on all my living room furniture & have had to use it. My kids sat a glass of "something" on my coffee table & the ring would not come off. They replaced it with a new one, no charge! I bought my furniture at Ivan Smith Furniture in Louisiana (before we moved to Texas) but just ask the sales person about stain guard & a warranty that fixes & or replaces it if something should happen.
i must add this, I have a few pieces of furniture i bought before I bought the new set. If it gets spills or whatever on it, I soak it in oxy clean spray for several minutes & then wipe it all up. It may take two or three times of spraying & wiping, but that stuff is amazing! I use it in my carpet on my car seats etc! Not to mention I spray all the stains on our laundry before I was it.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
Hi Ivelina,
We just moved to the Spring area and for some reason my husband wanted new sofas with a potty training 2 yr old. We chose brown microfiber on the arms and chenille for the cushions. We did get it scotchguard. We have had a few accidents, one milk from a non spill sippy cup and the other has been a diaper leak. Fortunately it was on the same cushion. We just had it replaced. I keep blankets over the sofa unless we have guest. That seems to help tremendously. Along with new sofas, we purchased a coffee table too. I kept a table cloth over that as well. Now she's used to it and doesn't see how loud her toys can be when she bangs them on the table. We have 2 nicks in the table that a brown marker will fix. I won't even start on having carpet with a baby/toddler. LOL! Goodluck on sofa shopping!
Sincerely,
Jessica M
http://www.Best4MyKids.com
My Aunt visited us for the first time last year. (at our new place) She looked at my leather couch and said, "My, what a nice couch...when did you get THAT!!?!"....I said, about 10 years ago. ....hmmmm?...been married 4....yeah, about two boyfriends before that!!!..I believe the one BF helped me pick it out...I think he's married now with kids of his own!!
Point is....leather couches look good for a very LONG time. Just keep it wiped down with some sort of conditioner about once a year...I use Leather Wipes...Easy Cheesy!!!
I will NEVER do cloth/microfiber again...
Margaret :)
i bought a microfiber couch set when my daughter was 6 months old i was told that microfiber is the easiest to care for ....well that advice was wrong in my experience as we no longer have the couch after only 2 short years we sold it to my mom who now just cover it...when we would try to get a stain out it would just make it worst!! if you can spend the extra money and get a comfotable leather couch i would go that route or we just bought a chinelle* SP fabric couch and so far so good!! Godd luck with your purchase!
We bought leather this time around with my second child and I love it! If it gets dirty, I just wipe it off. We bought ours at Sofa Mart and they have great service. They have a lifetime warranty on everything as long as you own the couch. Our cushions started to sag a little and they came out and replaced them free of charge. You pay a little bit more but if you are going to have kids crawling all over them for a long time, it's totally worth it.