Seeking Advice/opinions on Family-friendly Furniture

Use sheets as slipcovers for the time being. When my kids were toddlers and even up until 4th & 5th grade, I would put older towels on the cushions and then a sheet as a makeshift slip cover. When they get dirty, toss them into the washer.

We had the same issue and about 7 years ago bought leather. I don't know if it makes a difference but it was advertised as Italian leather. The one thing we knew to look for was to make sure that when checking out the furniture you need to run your hands down the back. If it is a quality piece and will have the ability to stand up to a young family it needs to be solid all the way down the back. If you run your hands down the back and you can feel where the frame is and there are big spaces right in the center of the back of the piece, don't get it. We had 4 kids less than 6 years apart and the furniture held up wonderfully. We actually just replaced it due to the fact that the kids are older now (12, 11, 9, 6 1/2), bigger and we're having another baby. We just didn't have the seating space for our growing family and someone usually ended up sitting on the floor to watch a movie on family movie night. We kept the older leather furniture and put it in our family room (we do our movie time in the living room). This time we purchased the microsuede stuff. One of the nice things about the leather is that it doesn't stain...it wipes up nicely. Oh, almost forgot, we got a dark bluish/gray too. It's still a neutral color with the benefit of the dark to hide any and all dirt that the kids may transfer. We went to Levin because they usually have great 0% for 2 or 3 years. My husband is self employed while I stay home and having smaller payments with no interest for 24-36 months was really helpful. Sorry this was so long...I completely know where you're coming from!!
Good luck!

I'm in the same boat! Hopefully there are some helpful responses!

I have found that the microfiber upholstery out there stands us to A LOT! We have a 5 year old daughter and until recently a big furry dog and the microfiber has stood up to the test. Ours is treated with scotchguard or some other type of stain repellent and the spills just wipe right off.

Good luck!

This may seem counter-intuitive but my opinion is to buy the best furniture that you can afford. I bought Drexel furniture for our family room and although it was expensive it has held up SO WELL. It is five years old now and still looks brand new. (I have 2 little boys who constantly jump on it, build forts with the pillows, and even eat on it.) When furniture is constructed well it will last forever. On the other hand if you buy cheap furniture it will easily fall apart from wear and tear. I notice this in many friend's houses.

Also-buy darker and patterned-this hides anything. And get the scotch guard option that most makers offer. IF you are close to Pittsburgh check out DFO. They carry a lot of great quality furniture at reduced prices.

This is just the first thing I came up with when I read your post...

What you could do is instead of getting all new stuff, put some plastic on the furniture, then get some decorative furniture covers. Put the plastic over the furniture first, then put the furniture covers over top. That way it is a little easier to clean (not sure if you can put the furniture covers in the washing machine, but I would look into that)and if there are any spills or accidents on them, just take the furniture covers off, clean them, wipe down the plastic covering all the cushions and stuff, and its fully protecting your furniture! Then, when the kids are out of the house, you can remove all of the plastic and covers and then get the beige/off-white furniture fully cleaned (or you can find a way to do that first) and either stick with that, or find some more decorative furniture colors that you like that will go with your taste and room colors at that time. JMHO. Hope this helps.

D. Lidwell

If you need to buy new buy a set that is made with the durapel material. You can just wipe off with a warm rag and soap. We have them and if you don't let it sit forever it is great. I have 4 kids under 9 so keeping the couches, etc. clean is a huge task. Any questions just ask.
J.

we have a microfiber couch in my family room and living room. so needless to say i would recommend this. i have 4 children 11,10,9, and 21months. id love to say the older ones are less messy but they are not. we have and would purchase this type of furniture again. it is easy to keep clean and i think we spent @$400-500 for the couch and another $300 for love seat. so pretty reasonable $800 for both pieces. good luck

P.,
I too went through many covers,stain protection devices and furniture to no avail. I finally caved in and bought Lane leather furniture. What a Godsend it has been!! It is expensive compared to other furniture out there, but it holds up well to kids plopping or even jumping on it. As far as cleaning, I use a damp cloth and mild soap-wipes up everything. Lane also has an excellent service warranty. My youngest placed a serving tray with sharp resin on the bottom on the couch then proceeded to drag it off. Well it left a superficial scratch (it wasn't all the way through). I called Lane and within a week, they replaced the entire cushion. I really thought since it was superficial,they would have simply patched it up.If you figure out how much money it will cost you to continuosly replace covers or redo Scothguard over the years, it will be cheaper in the long run to buy really good furniture now.Good luck in whatever you choose to do!

I second the Ikea Ektorp furniture-- it is slipcovered, and they wash beautifully. And, if they get too awful, the white covers are $39, so you can replace them. We've had ours for about 4 years and they've held up great. Pottery Barn also has washable slipcovers, if you are feeling spendy...

I would say to get upholstery with scotchguard or some type of coating that resists stains and spills. the other option is to get leather furniture which is costly and after is ages can crack and not look so nice.

I agree with Denise S - as a former designer, I HATE the look of microsuede/fiber and how it leaves hand/butt/whatever marks on it. I also don't like leather as it can be cold/slippery/sticky depending on weather and humidity.

We also planned ahead and bought an Ethan Allen sofa bed/couch in 2006 in a lovely woven light cocoa-colored fabric with "hidden" colors that I can play up (green, red and chocolate). It's not chenille, but I think chenille would wear the same way. We had it Scotch-guarded and with an active 2 year old that has peed, pooped, vomited, spilled food, etc. on it, it still looks brand new. We are pretty quick with using Resolve (the fabric is the water-based category - not the "S" label for solvent-based cleaners) and that has taken EVERYTHING out/off of it. We bought a chair and ottoman from Macy's in December and while we Scotch-guarded it ourselves and it's similar fabric, it is wine colored and shows every crumb and piece of lint. It is also "S" so I have to attack spills immediately with nothing stronger than water and don't have a great solution if my daughter spills something awful.

Go with a color that is the most neutral/darkest you can handle, get the fabric grade that can use Resolve (water-based), and Scotchguard it! Or go with the slipcovers until your kids are older! Enjoy!

Hi - if the furniture is structurally ok, and it's just the fabric that's worn/stained, have you thought about slipcovers? It's obviously much much less expensive than buying new furniture.

For new furniture, I love our ottoman, which we got instead of a coffee table. It works great, and no worries about scratching it, cup rings, or kids falling and bumping heads on sharp corners. For a while, I missed having somewhere to set drinks, then I went to my brother's house, and they found a large nice wooden tray that they set on the ottoman when they have drinks - the perfect solution!

I don't have great advice on upholstery - we went with a tan sort-of corduroy, and it does hide wear and tear fairly well, and doesn't show stains like off-white would. We've had it about 5 years, which is not that long though, so I can't comment on how it will stand up over longer times.

On new furniture, microfiber is very durable. La-Z-Boy furniture is very sturdy.

Another option is to buy used. Family Thrift, Salvation Army, Goodwill stores and antique marts sometimes have good buys. It takes a little legwork, however.

Another option is to buy from a hotel liquidation center.

It is possible to buy some decent slipcovers, as well, if your old furniture is still sturdy enough, but the upholstry is worn or stained. If you buy washable slipcovers, you can wash them when needed.

Hope some of these suggestions help,
L.

Microfiber is the way to go. We also have a cream colored set and it still looks as good as new! We got ours from Ashley's furniture and they guarentee that if you cannot get a stain out, they will come out free of charge and clean it for you. If they can't get it out, you get a new sofa/loveseat free! It may cost a little more for theirs, but we love the idea of never having to worry about what gets spilled on it! Good luck! :)

I have to say, if you wait to purchase new furniture until the kids are older, then you need to wait until they are nearly ready to move out of the house. Older children don't destroy furniture less. They just do it in a different fashion than the little kiddos. At one point, I had three teenage boys flopping and draping their bodies all over our family room furniture. Dirt from shoes and pizza stains replaced the sippy cup spills and diaper leaks. They'd sit on the chairs sideways and pus their legs up against the arm of the furniture and gradually loosed the construction of the things. We bought that set 24 years ago when we got married. We got it from This End Up, which basically went out of business, then came back for a while, and perhaps is out there now again. I don't know. It's very 1980s and dated looking. But, it was very sturdy. There are similar versions out there still. What I'm glad I did was buy a set that wasn't completely upholstered. The furniture was wood framed with simple back and seat cushions. Over the years, I've replaced the cushions when necessary, and have changed the cushion covers. It helps that I know how to sew. But today, there are lots and lots of slipcovers available for all sorts of furniture shapes.

If you decide to wait, then try slipcovers. If you are buying, well, I'm not a fan of microfibers, either. I bought a microfiber chair for our living room, and every time someone gets up from it, the imprint of their butt remains.

My kids are in a race now to see who will move out first. I have promised that the first one to leave will get the furniture, and then I'm going to get whatever I like. (And then probably the grandchildren will start coming and they'll ruin the furniture!) Whatever you get, choose fabric that can be cleaned with water-based solutions, choose neutral colors with a pattern that will cover stains, and then be sure that it's treated with Scotchguard or similar to prevent stains from setting in.

Hi! We bought 2 leather couches for our family room when our first child was born. We also used to have a cream colored couch whoch I ended up buuying a cover for - the dog used to sleep on it and stain it with slobber - gross! Our son is now 6 and we have a 2.5 year old girl and the dog who sleeps on the couch. The leather is dark brown and still looks great and it sure has seen it's share of spills, food, dog slobber and even magic marker and pen!! You don't have to spend a fortune to get leather. Go to big furniture chains or discount furniture. Shop around....there are nice looking leather couch/loveseat combinations for not much more than some fabric pieces. Oh, and the leather may feel cool when you first sit on it, but warms right up with body heat. Good luck!

I agree with Beth! Leather is the BEST thing to buy. Buy the best you can afford.
We are on our second set of a leather sofa/loveseat/chair in our family room. The maintenance cannot be beat--just wipe it off with a damp cloth/towel. My last set was ivory leather and it outlasted a husky and about 5 years of dog#2 (husky collie mix). I can wipe off the paw prints, juice, food whatever. Had they been fabric--they would have ben trash after about 2 years.
Also--the less seams the better made it is --made with larger pieces of leather. The pricey stuff is truly a dream--warm in winter, cool in summer so that's why I say buy the best you can afford but even if you buy a mediocre set, considering you have 3 small ones, it is NOT going to last forever. Maybe go to Levin's, Value City Furniture, Roomful Express and see what kind of groups they have. I don't think you could go wrong with leather. I think with slipcovers, you'll just be fixing them and re-positioning them every hour so they don't look a mess. Also--the less loose pillow the better for keeping things looking neat.

I had one of those microsuede sofas that were suppose to be easy to clean, but that thing always looked dirty - I wouldn't recommend that. I replaced mine with a second hand leather sofa which is wonderfully easy to just wipe down - be careful of sharp objects though. When I was growing up we had six children in our family, and my mother always looked for a tough fabric and we weren't allowed to drink on it - which will be easier to enforce when your little ones are older.

Have you considered slip covers for your furniture?
This might be a happy medium between the furniture that
you have and investing in buying new furniture depending
on the structural condition of your furniture.

We have a black futon with a black cover. when it gets really messy we just zip it off and throw it in the washer. The good thing about the futon is that it turns into a bed too. We have had it for 7 years or so and the mattress is still in great shape and the cover still looks good. Another fun thing about a futon is you can dramatically change the decor with just a few bucks for a new cover. Another option is Ikea.

Crate and Barrel is great. They have a stain guard coating option for extra. You can just wipe of spills or stains with a wet cloth. You don't even need soap. The fabrics are very nice and durable. We just picked the one that matched our dog's fur best, and it's been great for several years so far. I agree with the previous poster who says to get the best-built furniture you can afford--you pay a little more upfront, but it lasts a lot longer.

Hi Pam, I also have three children five and under, with now one dog (we had two, but one passed). We purchased a set of dark choc. microfiber couch and chair before we even had kids and it has held up wonderfully. I don't know the brand, but it cleans amazingly. I have friends who have kids and BIG dogs, and they have real leather furniture. I'm sure it's pricy, but my microfiber wasn't that expensive. You could also try microfiber or denim slip covers. Good luck in your search.

hi P.! we got our furniture about a year and a half ago, from Roomful Express. it's held up great in that time, and my husband and son are not gentle people.

the material is similar to courdoroy, but not that distinct and rough. we got it in a medium brown color with oatmeal edging, and so far we haven't had staining issues. i think we got the stain treatment on it, but i can't remember. unfortunately, i can't remember the name of the manufacturer. however, i do know that this stuff fell in to the "casual" category, so that may help in your search.

i know you didn't mention what price range you were looking in, but i'll tell you that we got one couch, one fold-out bed couch, and a seperate fouton for #$1700 including taxes. i think the cost for the 2 couches was around $1300 before taxes, because we got the pull-out option.

good luck with your search!

I have four kids and I know all about the little children destroying your furniture. I have had many friends that seem to be able to control their kids and don't have them doing this? but for the life of me, I don't know how! we bought two leather sofa's in 1999, and they are still looking pretty good. They don't show dirt the way fabric does, and spills wipe up easily with no stains if you get it right away. Don't allow any pets on it (our mistake) because their nails can scratch the leather. That is the only minor issue we've had....the kids scratching it with fingernails or toys that have sharp edges. Honestly, these have been the best child proof couches we've ever had. All fabric couches looked destroyed in under 2 years if you hve small children. Good luck!

Looks like I'm the minority here, but I HATE my microfiber furniture. It gets water spots all over it every time my son drools on it (which, needless to say is a lot).

Hi! I hear your pain!! We have 2 small children and 2 very large dogs so I feel like all of our stuff takes a beaten! Anyway I wanted to suggest getting furniture from Ikea. We have 2 sofas and some chairs from there and they were inexpensive and all came with removable slip covers that can be easily washed. They are the individual slip covers for each cushin so they look like a regular sofa and you can always buy more then one slipcover to change the look whenever you want!!
Good luck!!

Our daughter is 5 months old and we haven't been in your situation (yet) but we tried to plan ahead when we bought our new furniture in April (daughter was born in August). We bought from Roomful Express and our sectional is like a microsuede and our recliner is kinda like a faux leather finish but they have an excellent protection package that you can purchase for your furniture that is really affordable (especially if you have lots of accidents on the furniture). It repels liquids and if the furniture becomes torn (we have a cat and were worried about him scratching the cushions) you call them and they come fix or replace the damaged section, cushion, etc... I think we spent like $200 for the extra stain & damage protection on a $2000 purchase (not too bad if you consider what it would cost to constantly scrub or fix furniture if it becomes stained or torn). Check them out.. they had a great selection and like I said, the protection plan can't be beat (at least from what we found around us in Butler). Hope this helps you out! :)

We have micro-fiber/suede-like fabric and I'm not a fan. Our previous set was leather and I would do leather again in a heartbeat. I would do slipcovers too until you can find exactly what you want.

We bought an olive green microfiber sofa last year at the Raymour& Flannigan Furniture Outlet and couldn't be happier. Everything just wipes off of it usually with just lukewarm water. I have three little kids as well 4 1/2, 2 1/2 and 6 months and it really has stood up. The Outlet is located on MacDade Blvd. & 95. You can even negotiate the price and make an offer that's lower than the tag price which had already been marked down anyway. I know some of the furniture pieces had been floor samples and some probably have small imperfections and I think some are overstocks. I think they tell you on the tag why it's marked down. It's hit or miss b/c they don't always have on the floor what you're looking for but you can find some very nice pieces of furniture at great prices. Best of luck with whatever you decide!

I haven't had good luck with slip covers, but I've heard that some people swear by them. Maybe more expensive ones stay on better and look better with active children. A few years ago we bought a sleeper sofa for our guest room instead of buying a bed. We call it the playroom and it's mainly for the kids to play with toys, watch videos and DVD'd (no cable hookup). We bought it from Value City Furniture, and we bought this stuff there that they have a guarantee that it will repel stains or they will clean it or repair it for free. I even specifically asked the salesman about body fluids and food stains and he said anything was covered. We haven't had any problems yet, so it must be working. If you have to get new furniture, maybe something like this would be the ticket. Good luck.

Hi. We have a futon in our family room and I buy a cover for it online for only about $40. It's nice with kids because I can take the cover off when it gets dirty and put it in the wash. And when there are stains that won't come out I just buy a new one. The extra bonus is that you have a place for overnight guests to sleep if you need it. Although it's not the most fashionable piece of furniture, I'm very happy to have it right now while I have young kids. In the future I plan to get a nicer couch to replace it, but that's several years down the road!

Good luck!