Buying couches- best material????

LAmom613

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 8:10 pm

We gave away our very well used couches to a family in need and are looking to buy PRACTICAL AND COMFORTABLE EASY TO CLEAN couches/ sofas for the family room.

What do you think is the best type of couch for a family with kids? Think: easiest to clean/ most practical with kids/ most comfortable/ and of course looks good? I have no clue what I want. Thanks!!

pause

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 8:12 pm

I have a leather couch. Very practical, easy to wipe down. But, it gets hot, makes us sweaty. You don't want to get hot while trying to cool off on the couch in the summer months. The leather didn't hold up so well and is cracking all over. Next couch we get a fabric one.

allthingsblue

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 8:19 pm

Pause, was yours real leather? If so, was it good quality? How long did you have it before it started cracking?

pause

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 8:27 pm

allthingsblue wrote:

Pause, was yours real leather? If so, was it good quality? How long did you have it before it started cracking?

Real leather. I believed it was good quality when we bought. we didn't go cheap. It's hard to know when it started cracking because it happened slowly and by now the whole seat is full of it. I'd say two-three years in.

doctorima

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 9:09 pm

Leather is definitely easiest to clean. Fabric can get stained much more easily. Just make sure you buy quality leather.

bookie

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 9:19 pm

My leather couch is ten years old and is in perfect condition. Its not the prettiest but def the easiest to clean.

LAmom613

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 9:40 pm

Anything other than leather? For reasons someone stated, we don't find it so comfortable to cuddle up and spend time on.

cnc

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 10:01 pm

pause wrote:

I have the exact same issue. My couch wasn't cheap and I was told that it was real leather. After two years it was completely cracked.

I'm looking into buying another one now (for a different room) and I am hesitating to get leather for this reason. The salesman was actually pushing me to go for fabric that looks like leather (polyester/cotton). He said that it's not as sensitive as real leather and it's easier to clean because leather is much more sensitive to cleaning agents.

Would love to hear if anyone has any experience....

pause

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 10:04 pm

cnc wrote:

I would not get any synthetic materials because of the sweating issue. When it's even a bit warm or the person lying on the couch is a bit warm, the leather or plastic causes sweating, stickiness, and in general discomfort.

studying_torah

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 10:57 pm

You have to get full grain leather, not bonded leather, and clean/condition the leather often. Conditioning the leather keeps it supple and prevents cracking.
Mine is 10 years old, still looks brand new. However, my kids also can't jump or climb on this couch.
Some ppl swear by microfiber , but I'm not sure how one cleans it.
Or, buy a couch w a removable slip cover that can be machine washed.

nicole81

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 11:12 pm

I love my leather couch. Along with the matching recliner, it's in great condition and looks near new although it's about 8 years old. I don't find it sweaty in the heat, and it definitely hasn't cracked anywhere. It's also super comfortable. Unfortunately unscrupulous stores try to pass off bonded and bicast leather as actual leather, and then when these pieces don't hold up, high quality leather gets a bad name.

Microfiber couches are very comfortable and I like the way they look, but I can see them looking bad much more quickly with children.

amother

Brown

Sun, Oct 30 2016, 11:15 pm

If you dont want leather, see if you can get something with slipcovers that you can unzipper and machine wash.

Personally I love my leather couch. And how it gets softer & more comfy w/ age. When I lay on it I usually use a bed pillow so I dont get sweaty

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Oct 31 2016, 12:57 pm

I really like chenille. Our couches are over 15 years old and need to be replaced because of structural issues, buy the chenille fabric (which has a blend of different shades of green) has held up great, despite heavy use and abuse!