WASHABLE SOFAS and slip covers

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Loose covered furniture
Custom-made covers
Fabric options
Denim (ODD page)
FAQ's

THE WASHABLE SOFA COMPANY
a division of Mainly Chairs

CUSTOM - MADE COVERS: available in quantities from 1 to 1,000. When you need to dress up your old dining chairs for an intimate family occasion or you need to make an elegant statement at a large corporate or family function, we can design and supply chair covers to suit.
Call into our Panmure workroom (but ring first) to discuss or email info@mainlychairs.co.nz

A testimonial (sort of). The reaction of the husband when I returned this sofa to the home was, at the very least, unexpected. Being unaware that his wife had ordered a loose cover for it, (he thought it had gone away to be repaired) his first words were to the effect that I was returning the wrong sofa. You can imagine the scene .... busy businessman comes home early only to find that the stupid furniture man has mixed up his couch with someone else's! So to persuade him to help me lift it from the trusty Commodore SW I had to lift its skirts and show the original fabric underneath. After we deposited it on his lounge room floor, all he could say was "brilliant, bloody brilliant!" (or words to that effect). Turned out that he was the founder of one of the country's most successful franchise operations and what he said in the subsequent few minutes has stayed with me. It set my thoughts along the path we are now treading

DENIM .... the real thing: a tough indigo dyed denim which is enzyme washed in the traditional method of releasing the indigo dye component to give a 'stone-washed' effect. Some inconsistency in colour results but fantastic for family rooms. Further details see our ODD page

Nearly every piece of furniture, dining or lounge, can be dressed up (or down) with a loose cover. You treat the covers either in a totally practical way as a means of protecting the original or as a design feature which has the very real benefit of washability: great for heavy family use or extreme commercial areas. Or you may simply want a change of look or take the approach that you are taking the alternative to complete re-upholstery.

Whatever reason you have, bear in mind that the end result in most cases will look like a loose cover; do not expect a sharp, very tailored look. If this is the result you are wanting, don't take the loose cover option, you will only be disappointed. Having said that, we of course think the results are both attractive and highly practical (but we might be a bit biased!!) ...have a look at the before & after shots below..

they are either hand or machine washable (and if we do the laundering, we offer an unconditional warranty on this)*

* there are conditions applicable to what can be dyed and machine washed and what cannot. Types of fabric, how the fabric has been pre-shrunk and the methods used in the making of the covers are all factors which dictate. We are happy to advise in these matters.

COMMERCIAL USERS ... OFFICES, HOTELS, MOTELS, CLUBS ETC: Where volume is involved please contact us for pricing and other fabric options. We are happy to provide a full after sales service which includes a guaranteed* laundering service (and of course collection and delivery nationwide) and repair service.

* The guarantee applies for three years or the first five washes and covers damage, colour loss and shrinkage resulting from the laundering process. We do not guarantee to remove all stains (altho' we have been successful in almost all instances in the past). This guarantee is also not applicable where other cleaning methods have been used outside of our control. In the event of problems or advice, use our cleaning hotline 0800 washable (0800 927422). This only applies to covers supplied by Mainly Chairs Ltd./ The Washable Sofa Co. Any other problems, refer to our Fabric Care page or see foot of this page.


Casual ready-made covers, with or without sash in two sizes, from $65 plus fabric	Custom-made to fit most chairs with detailing to suit. Priced from $69 plus fabric	Short covers to suit most chair styles; custom made from $49 plus fabric

Ready-made chair cover for low version of Resin Chair; in Calico $45

Classic Directors Chair cover; in Washable Cotton Canvas @ $69,

And in black woven Ticking stripe @ $69

And in Sanderson Stripe Navy/Beige @ $79

Both of above covers available in any fabric. Costing: $35 plus 2.2 metres

Directors Chair cover with pocket in Denim @ $79

Custom - made sofa covers ..... In most cases, we can make these covers from templates which we make in home. If we have the item of furniture to work with we subsidise the transport costs to and from our Auckland workroom. This is an alternative to re-upholstery and despite being less expensive it is not to be considered in any way an inferior alternative. In fact, quite the opposite. Our covers can be fully machine washable and may be able to be recoloured and they can be made to fit most shapes from ultra contemporary to traditional. Although not every fabric is suitable, we can nevertheless offer a wide variety which are. What we cannot do is accept customers' own fabric for these covers just as we only guarantee their washability if you use our (very inexpensive) laundry/dry cleaning service.
before ......	after ......

before ......	after ......

not nice!! ...........		party time!! ...........


This particular design of cover we made 400 for an Auckland secondary school for parent functions which they hold in the school dining room. Covers, which are washable but require no pressing, can be made in any quantity and design to suit pretty much any style of chair.

This is a cover that's been washed by a commercial laundry who specialise in the washing of restaurant and hotel table and bed linen. Their method is designed to bleach and whiten in the most aggressive manner. And it's successful at what it's designed to do. But not for loose covers. Zips were left open which doesn't help but the main problem here is the method of laundering and the chemicals used.

We have always recommended you use our laundry service as it is guaranteed for the first four years of the life of the cover or the first three washes. Because we keep records of all fabrics used as well as any special instructions applicable to laundering, we are totally confident in the viability of the washable sofa concept and it is hugely appreciated by a vast number of happy customers who repeatedly bring their covers in for cleaning. And you should see the condition that many of these covers arrive in!

We advise on cleaning if you wish to do the laundering at home. But we do no more than offer this advice, with no liability accepted or for the end result. We learned the hard way with a commercial laundry who washed the cover pictured and we had a similar (but not so drastic) result with a cover when it was being dyed. Those two apart, we have had absolutely no problem and we have laundered 100's of covers. So, check with us first.