Thanks, pee-pants cat.
December 12, 2009 7:51 AM Subscribe
I need advice on replacing couch cushions but know nothing about furniture.
One of my cats wee'd on the couch, which is awesome in & of itself, but the unfortunate part (besides the fact that it is the only piece of furniture I bought new instead of at an estate sale/inherited from my grandparents' basement) is that the cushions are stuffed with feathers. What I'm wondering is twofold:
1. Whether it's possible/advisable to replace the feather cushions with foam (as I have pretty much determined that the feather-stuffed cushions are totally ruined since it's pretty well impossible to get that delightful cat pee smell out of them).
and
2. Whether it's possible to buy foam replacement cushions on the internet rather than going to an upholsterer, & if so, where!
The couch is a huge overstuffed corduroy-esque monster from Crate & Barrel. I assume that replacing the feather cushions with foam will make the couch less squishy & awesome, but I'm hoping that foam will be easier to clean &/or replace & will be more affordable.
One of my cats wee'd on the couch, which is awesome in & of itself, but the unfortunate part (besides the fact that it is the only piece of furniture I bought new instead of at an estate sale/inherited from my grandparents' basement) is that the cushions are stuffed with feathers. What I'm wondering is twofold:
1. Whether it's possible/advisable to replace the feather cushions with foam (as I have pretty much determined that the feather-stuffed cushions are totally ruined since it's pretty well impossible to get that delightful cat pee smell out of them).
and
2. Whether it's possible to buy foam replacement cushions on the internet rather than going to an upholsterer, & if so, where!
The couch is a huge overstuffed corduroy-esque monster from Crate & Barrel. I assume that replacing the feather cushions with foam will make the couch less squishy & awesome, but I'm hoping that foam will be easier to clean &/or replace & will be more affordable.
I would put some effort into cleaning the existing cushions first. Take them to a dry-cleaner, perhaps, or saturate them with a gallon or so of Nature's Miracle or some similar pet smell remover. This will be much cheaper than foam.
Since couches are not standardized, I doubt you'll find any off-the-rack cushions that fit well.
posted by jon1270 at 9:54 AM on December 12, 2009
Since couches are not standardized, I doubt you'll find any off-the-rack cushions that fit well.
posted by jon1270 at 9:54 AM on December 12, 2009
Response by poster: jon1270 -
No luck with a cleaner -- two of them actually told me they'd feel guilty taking my money knowing that they wouldn't be able to get it out! I'd considered going the Nature's Miracle route (which is what I'm doing on the parts of the couch she hit that AREN'T cushion), but I wasn't sure if that'd totally destroy the feathers. Though I guess I couldn't wreck them worse than she did!
posted by oh really at 10:28 AM on December 12, 2009
No luck with a cleaner -- two of them actually told me they'd feel guilty taking my money knowing that they wouldn't be able to get it out! I'd considered going the Nature's Miracle route (which is what I'm doing on the parts of the couch she hit that AREN'T cushion), but I wasn't sure if that'd totally destroy the feathers. Though I guess I couldn't wreck them worse than she did!
posted by oh really at 10:28 AM on December 12, 2009
Best answer: Have you considered buying some feather stuffed pillows and dumping the contents into your newly cleaned cover.
You can wash a feather pillow in your regular washer and dryer (you'll have to empty your lint trap a lot more than normally) so maybe you could sew the feathers into a couple pillow cases or something and run them through the washer and dryer a couple times and see what happens.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 11:09 AM on December 12, 2009
You can wash a feather pillow in your regular washer and dryer (you'll have to empty your lint trap a lot more than normally) so maybe you could sew the feathers into a couple pillow cases or something and run them through the washer and dryer a couple times and see what happens.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 11:09 AM on December 12, 2009
I have no idea what your pillows look like, but one other option instead of foam is loose cotton/poly batting. That would likely mimic the fluff of the pillows, and it would be much easier to find a nonstandard size. Again, wrapping the edges with either sheets of batting or foam will help give it a more standard shape.
Could you take a picture of what the cushions look like now?
posted by Madamina at 2:37 PM on December 12, 2009
Could you take a picture of what the cushions look like now?
posted by Madamina at 2:37 PM on December 12, 2009
Response by poster: The cushions are currently in large garbage bags in the back of the car (so are not accessible for a photo), but I didn't know that you can actually wash a feather pillow -- that's not a bad idea! Thanks -- I will make several attempts & report back if possible.
posted by oh really at 4:12 PM on December 13, 2009
posted by oh really at 4:12 PM on December 13, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by hoppytoad at 8:06 AM on December 12, 2009 [1 favorite]