How Often Do You????? - Reston,VA

Updated on January 11, 2012
C.O. asks from Reston, VA
10 answers

How often do you replace your pillows? I typically wash ours every 3 months - but changed to six...It seems that after 1 or 2 years they need to be replaced.

How often do you replace your bedding? As in comforters, etc.? I have two sets - one for winter and one for summer...they have the same 'basic' colors so we aren't changing everything up.

how often do you clean your fabric couches/sofas? I am THINKING about renting the rug doctor to clean our family room couch...have to admit kinda scared to do it as it is 9 years old. Yes, I'd rather replace it, however that is not in the budget right now.

I think it will be interesting to see how often people change things up!

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So What Happened?

Thanks!! Keep them coming! I like hearing how people do their stuff!!

the sofa is a Lazy Boy. The dog threw up on the cushions, which I took off and washed (which brought up the oh my! I think we need to clean the couch!!) and the fabric held up just fine! Whew! It's a sectional/pull out so a cover might not be the best option for that. Although we haven't been using the pull out like we used to!!

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~.~.

answers from Tulsa on

Replacing pillows: Whenever they get too flat, which is about 2-3 years. Even then I keep the flat ones in the closet in case we need to prop up with pillows. I think I have about 6 old ones in there.

Replace bedding: I bought new when I bought my house, so that was two years ago. I take off the comforter in the summer and have 2 or 3 sets of sheets for each bed that we rotate. I had had my old bedding set for about 10 years before that. Bought when I was in high school, not used for the 4 years in college, and then used after I graduated until I bought the new stuff.

Clean the sofas: When something spills on it. I'll remove the cushions and vacuum the bottom, but I don't make a point to clean the fabric.

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S.F.

answers from Utica on

As for pillows we change them probably once a year or so and just rotate out the even older ones because we have 8 pillows on our bed so we will usually by 4 new ones and keep the other 4 that are the 'newest' as well. For bedding we too have a summer and winter set as in a nice summer knitted blanket and an amazingly - sleep with a cloud goose down duvet for the winter that we have a few duvet covers for. Its been about 3 summers now with the summer knit and I dont see myself spending the money to replace that anytime soon and as for my cloud duvet I dont see myself replacing that any time soon. For the couch - we went out and bought a leather couch while I was pregnant with my first and I think it was one of the smartest choices we made. That sucker cleans up in amatter of seconds with a nice warm damp cloth - and there have been many a spills on it. I wouldnt want to see a fabric couch after what mine has been through. Maybe if you get your couch cleaned or clean it yourself and then look into getting a couch slip cover to help to keep it 'newer' looking

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M.L.

answers from Houston on

I never replace our pillows, we have had them 8 years :)

I wash sheets/pillow cases 1x a week.

Bedding, I have the same down comforter I had 6 years ago. It need replacing b/c it is getting holes all in it b/c I wash it so much. We also have a quilt, but we very rarely use it. If I had the money, I would get a new set of linens/curtains and all that.

I have slipcovers on my couches, I wash them about every 2 weeks. I have 2 sets of slipcovers (brown and white) and about 15 slipcovers for throw pillows, so I can change my living room up a lot if I want.

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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

If your couch is 9 years old, make sure the fabric is up to a cleaning. Otherwise, give it a good vacuum & put a cover over it...which I think is safest.

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J.✰.

answers from San Antonio on

I will go a few years with the same pillow, depending on how well it stays nice and thick and supports my head/neck. My husband, just bought two new pillows. He seems to need a new one every 3 or 4 months.

Bedding? We are due for some new sheets and comforter. He had this comforter already when I married him 4 years ago. When we paint our bedroom (it's a new house, right now we have white drywall walls) we'll get new comforter and new sheets. But we have to sets of sheets we switch out. One comforter.

Couch? - we have only one right now. I've vacuumed it in the past. It's totally due for a good cleaning. Again, we are in the process of building and 'creating' the interior of our home so once we pick a color scheme for the living room, we'll buy all new furniture. But I have never washed a couch (rug doctor or otherwise). I hate to think what's hiding in the cushions. I am so glad my couch is tan with a touch of other colors. What I can't see can't bother me too much. If my couch was white? Aggh. I hate to think about it. I would likely sit in my plain wicker chair instead of the stained couch.

all in all - there's a reason I shower daily. Our pillows, and couches are likely very dirty. On the bright side - the bedding is easily washable and therefore stays decently clean. :)

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J.D.

answers from Cincinnati on

I replace pillows every 3-4 months. I buy the cheap ones at target.

I replace bedding when i get tired of it or it gets a lot of wholes in it. I have a quilt and blanket for myself and then my husband has his own comforter and blanket. I wash the quilt and comforter when I have enough money to go to the laundry mat because my washer and dryer are small.

I usually wash the couch cushions maybe 2x per year. My couches are hand me downs and they have been through a lot and still look good so after I get my car paid off in 3-1/2 years I will replace them. I can't afford new furniture right now. My husband on the other hand thinks we should keep them forever. He wanted to keep our stinky carpet that came with the house and I finally put my foot down and said we are getting new carpet.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

We have down comforters and down pillows. I wash them every other month on average. My oldest one is 12yo, I buy one or two new ones every couple years... but that's a money thing (like having extra blankets for guests). The 12-8yo ones are in as good a condition as the 2yo ones. I've lost ONE due to a feather explosion, but that was my own fault. I SAW the tiny rip before I tossed it in the machine, and I saw a few feathers in the machine before I put it in the dryer... but they just didn't click. My son was an infant, so it must have been sleep dep. Two braincells decided to rub together and get a spark JUST before I opened the dryer to reposition the comforter. POOOFT. It was like a down grenade! The entire room, and myself, covered in softly drifting snow by the time my brain turned on. Oopsies.

HERE'S MY CAVEAT ON DOWN:

My husband decided that he'd be helpful (yay!) and wash a couple of them a few years ago. I had to trash them. With down you have to reeeeeeally let them dry!!! Tennis balls in the dryer, and when you think they're dry (about 6 or 8 hours in), you dry them for another 3-4 hours.

When down doesn't fully dry, the feathers clump and a good 50% of the loft is lost... but that's not the major problem, just the major annoyance. The major problem is that if the feathers are damp.... they molder. I could never get them unmoldy again. If they're just not fully dry, you can rewash and dry and the loft returns. If they've moldered, there's the smell / danger of breathing mold all night long... and the loft NEVER returns.
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I do the couch every 6mo. I should probably do it more often, but that's how often I do it. I bought the kind that all the fabric zips off of the cushions, so it's really easy. Zip off, washing machine, dryer, zip on. I bought this kind on purpose after being sick and tired of using Murphey's Oil Soap on my old leather couch!!! The leather chairs I don't mind using Murphey's on, because I can do 1 chair in about an hour, and leave the rest for whenever I feel like it. The leather couch meant 3-4 hours of work, because it all had to be done at once!

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

I do not replace my pillows, they are feather/down and I dry clean or steam clean once a year. I am not sure what pillows you are talking about but why replace them? Same goes for duvets (silk for summers, down and pure wool for winter) I dry clean them, they cannot be washed but I wash duvet covers at reasonable intervals. Same goes for washing the bed linens. I have many sets I use simultaneously (I have about 4 sets of summer and winter linens for each bed) if I see them getting worn out I give them away to my dad - he likes soft, worn out linens. For guest beds I clean after each time we have guests. Couch - steam clean, maybe every spring. I see that you have a dog. I do not have any pets. Maybe with pets in the house the linens and the covers need more frequent cleaning.

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L.G.

answers from Eugene on

I use pillow covers over the pillows and then the pillow case. This keeps the pillow intact much longer. My comforter is over 10 years old. It is down and in good shape still. I always use a blanket cover. Our family remained very European in that way. We had to make our own since they weren't sold in department stores. Today I buy my blanket covers from Ikea. I have one I dearly love which is wearing out because it has been in use so long. In order to keep pillows and blankets in good shape I change the bed every week. It takes about six sets per bed to rotate properly. Sheets and blanket covers often can be bought as matching sets.

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

wow for a moment there I was wondering how private this question is...ha
We pretty much follow the same protocol. We have a fluffy furry winter blanket so we put a lighter one on in the summer. My husband works with tools and oil, so his pillow gets gross sometimes, I wash and double up pillow cases on his. We replace them as they begin to look gross. Truthfully, sheets have been around for years until they get those little balls. eeeuuu

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