Question from dahlia
I’m ordering a futon from local natural bedding company to be used as a couch. I need to chose a cover for the futon. At first I wanted to get hemp or cotton, but I am worried it will get stained very quickly. Most of the natural-fabric samples they had were light solid colors. We live in the country with 5 kids and pets. A very active household with lots of dirt tracked all over the place. Also, our well water doesn’t get things very clean, though I add borax and vinegar to the wash. All of our clothes end up pretty dingy and stained. Anyway, so I started looking at the polyester blends also, as they seem more durable. But the whole reason I’m not buying a regular new or used couch is to avoid chemicals, like the fire retardants, etc.
So I just wanted to know what you think of this compromise. Does polyester upholstery fabric (I think the one I’m looking at is a poly-rayon blend) have chemicals in it? It says dry-clean only, but I’m wondering if I could get away with washing it in cold water and hang drying.
Debra’s Answer
Typically polyester blend fabrics have finishes on them that emit formaldehyde, and also upholstery fabrics often have stain-resistant finishes.
Perhaps get a natural fiber fabric with some sort of pattern that would show stains less easily.
