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How to Keep Couch Covers in Place

Samantha Volz

Couch covers help you completely change the look of your furniture without expensive reupholstering. While they are handy for this reason, they have one major drawback: their loose fabric tends to slide all over a couch, moving anytime anyone sits down or stands up.

Couch covers tend to bunch up or slide off when people sit or lay on a sofa.

This can leave your couch looking more like a bunched-up mess than a decorative masterpiece. A few simple actions help smooth things out to keep them in place.

Tip

If necessary, push the fabric cover down into the crack between the back of the seat cushions and the couch back with a spatula or long serving spoon to achieve a tight tuck. It may also help you to have someone help tuck or keep an eye on the cover to make sure it doesn't expose the original couch fabric underneath while you work.

  1. Drop your couch cover into your clothes dryer with a damp rag. Set the machine to cool or warm--not hot--air and run it for 10 minutes to remove wrinkles, which in turn reduces the tendency of the fabric to bunch.

  2. Attach a piece of rug grip just smaller than the dimension of the cushions to the bottom of each with hook-and-loop tape to reduce sliding action when people sit down and stand up.

  3. Tuck the ends of the couch cover up under the arms of the couch, as well as firmly under the cushions and the back of the couch. Tuck as far down and back as you can without exposing any of the couch upholstery--the tighter the tuck, the more secure the cover.

  4. Slide a dowel rod in the crack where the slipcover is tucked into back of the row of seat cushions, pushing it down so it is hidden from view to weigh down the tucked material and prevent slippage.

The Drip Cap

  • Couch covers help you completely change the look of your furniture without expensive reupholstering.
  • This can leave your couch looking more like a bunched-up mess than a decorative masterpiece.
  • Slide a dowel rod in the crack where the slipcover is tucked into back of the row of seat cushions, pushing it down so it is hidden from view to weigh down the tucked material and prevent slippage.