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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

Why won't my cushion covers zip shut after washing? Did they shrink?

Also asked as:Did my covers shrink in the wash?Cushion cover won't zip after washing

The velvet came out of the machine the same size it went in. The trouble was hiding underneath, on the side nobody photographs.

Answered by

The Colorist of New Orleans · · Updated

Cream velvet floor cushions stacked three high with navy, pine green and rust ends, plus bolster arms and backrestsSave
Three bases stacked to armchair height, with bolsters as arms and backrests in matching end colors.

The quick answer

No, the fabric covers don't shrink when washed at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle. When covers won't zip, or tear in the same spots, the non-slip bottom pieces went through the wash, sometimes the dryer too, and those pieces shrink or tear. Unzip and remove them before washing. If it has happened, photograph the shrunk or torn pieces and send the photos to the workshop.

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Key facts

  • Fabric covers do not shrink when washed at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle.
  • The non-slip bottom pieces are not meant to be washed.
  • Washing or machine drying the non-slip pieces can shrink them or tear them in the same spots.
  • In the reported cases, the workshop made and sent replacement non-slip pieces after seeing photos.
  • The workshop does not work weekends; replacements go out on the next shipping day.
  • Covers wash at 86°F (30°C) maximum, turned inside out, on a gentle cycle with mild detergent and no bleach, then air-dry.
  • A modular floor sofa seat mattress measures about 79 x 39 x 6.5 in (200 x 100 x 17 cm), so its long zippered cover goes into the wash with the non-slip pieces taken out.
  • Firm foam is cut slightly larger than its cover so the cover looks full; a clean cover that zips snugly is doing its job.
  • Fitted mattress covers are made about 1/2 in (1-2 cm) under the measured thickness, because the fabric stretches slightly.

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Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Fabric covers do not shrink when washed at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle.
Foam
Firm foam is cut slightly larger than its cover so the cover looks full; a clean cover…
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
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In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

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The cover held its size; the grip underneath didn't

A velvet cover that zipped on Monday and fights you on Saturday looks like shrinkage. It almost never is. The fabric covers keep their size at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, which is the whole point of a cover that unzips.

What changes is the non-slip base, the grippy bottom piece that keeps a modular floor sofa seat from drifting across the floor. It is made to hold, not to be laundered. Washed with the cover, or tumbled warm, it draws up or tears, and the zipper can no longer close around it.

Before the next wash day

  • Unzip each cover and lift the non-slip bottom pieces out first.
  • Wash the cover on its own at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle.
  • Keep the non-slip pieces away from the dryer; warm heat shrank them in one reported case.
  • If a cover still won't close, stop pulling and photograph the zipper line and the underside.
  • Send those photos to the workshop before anything else.
A real project

Two long covers and a Tuesday

A buyer got in touch that the covers on a long floor sofa would no longer zip shut after washing, and asked the fair question: did they shrink? The photos told the story. The non-slip pieces had gone through the wash and then the dryer on warm heat.

The workshop made two new non-slip pieces at no charge. It doesn't work weekends, so they went out on the next shipping day, a Tuesday. Another buyer's flat cushion covers had torn in exactly the same places on each piece: same cause, and two new bottom parts. When did you last turn your seat cushions over, my friends? The cover washing Pattern is worth a look before the next load.

Cushion covers that won't zip after washing rarely shrank. Check whether the non-slip bottom pieces went through the wash or a warm dryer.

Élodie
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Since I washed them, my long sofa covers won't zip shut. Did they shrink?

    The workshop's answer

    No. The covers themselves don't shrink at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle. Here the non-slip bottom pieces had been washed and then machine dried on warm heat, and those pieces aren't meant to be washed. The workshop made two replacement non-slip pieces at no charge and sent them on its next shipping day, a Tuesday.

  2. A common question

    Our flat cushion covers tore after washing. Can we get replacements?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. After seeing photos, the workshop sent 2 replacement non-slip bottom parts free. The tears came from washing the non-slip base together with the cover, so unzip and remove it before the next wash.

  3. A common question

    Can I take the cover off a tufted cushion to wash it?

    The workshop's answer

    No. Tufted cushions are stitched through with buttons, so the cover doesn't come off and can't go in the machine; spot clean instead. For a washable cover, order the untufted version with a zippered cover and piping.

Questions buyers ask next

What wash setting keeps zippered cushion covers from shrinking?

Use 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle. At that setting the fabric covers keep their size. Take the non-slip bottom pieces out first and wash the cover on its own, so nothing that grips goes into the drum with it.

Can the non-slip bottom pieces be washed at all?

They aren't meant to be. Washing, and especially warm machine drying, can make them shrink or tear, often in the same spots on every piece. Keep them out of the machine, and if one is damaged, photograph it and message the workshop.

Will a replacement non-slip piece ship on a weekend?

No. The workshop doesn't work weekends, so a replacement goes out on the next shipping day; in one case that was a Tuesday. Photos come first, because they show which pieces need remaking.