---
title: "How to Wash Cushion Covers: 86°F (30°C) on a Gentle Cycle"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-to-wash-cushion-covers-30c-gentle-cycle/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-02-23"
updated: "2026-02-23"
keywords: "how to wash cushion covers, cushion cover washing temperature, wash cushion covers 30 degrees Celsius, machine wash corduroy cushion cover, floor sofa cover washing"
---

# How do I wash the cushion covers, and at what temperature?

*A buyer in the US once read the 30 on our care note as Fahrenheit. It means Celsius: a lukewarm 86°F, gentle enough to keep a sage velvet sage and a cream cover cream.*

Also asked as: What are the washing instructions for the covers?; Is that 30 degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius?

> **The quick answer:** Wash cushion covers at 86°F (30°C) at most, on a gentle, delicate or cold cycle, with mild detergent and no bleach. Unzip the cover from the foam first and turn it inside out if you can. The 30 on the care note is Celsius, not Fahrenheit. Air dry instead of tumble drying, and iron on low if needed.

![Sage green and cream velvet floor sofa under hanging planters and pothos, with wicker baskets, palms and a jute rug](https://cushionguide.com/media/modular-floor-sofas/sage-velvet-floor-sofa-botanical-plant-room-1600.webp "An indoor jungle of hanging planters, palms and pothos frames a sage-edged floor sofa.")

## Key facts

- Maximum wash temperature is 86°F (30°C); the 30 on the care note is Celsius, not Fahrenheit.
- Use a gentle, delicate or cold cycle; corduroy covers go on the gentle or delicate program.
- Use a mild or extra-mild detergent, and no bleach.
- Turning the cover inside out before washing is recommended.
- Air dry instead of tumble drying, and iron on low if needed.
- On floor sofas, the covers unzip from both the seat cushions and the mattresses.
- The white non-slip bottom parts of a floor sofa must never go in the washing machine.

## Wash day for a zippered cover, in six moves

1. **Unzip and slide it off**: Ease the cover off the foam. On a floor sofa, unzip the seat cushions and the mattresses alike.
2. **Set the non-slip base aside**: The white [non-slip base](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#non-slip-base) pieces never go in the machine. Wipe them by hand.
3. **Turn it inside out**: The face of the fabric then meets the drum less.
4. **Choose the cycle**: 86°F (30°C) at most, on gentle, delicate or cold. Corduroy gets the gentle or delicate program.
5. **Mild detergent, no bleach**: Mild or extra-mild detergent is all a cover needs.
6. **Air dry, then press low**: Skip the tumble dryer. Iron on low if it wants smoothing.

## Why 30 means Celsius, and why that keeps the color

Thirty degrees Fahrenheit would be ice water, so the question was a fair one. The number is Celsius: 86°F, lukewarm to the hand. The workshop gives the same limit for every fabric it sells, whether you bought a full cushion or [a cover only](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/cushion-covers/).

The eye sits down first, and it notices a tired color before a stain. A cool, gentle wash keeps the sheen of [velvet](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/velvet/) and the ridges of [corduroy](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/corduroy/) as they arrived. For more, read [washing cushion covers without shrinking them](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-wash-cushion-covers/), and let [stain first aid](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-stain-removal-first-aid/) deal with the soda first.

Which cover in your home is asking for the machine, my friends?

> **Tailor's margin:** The 30 on a cushion cover's care note is Celsius: wash at 86°F or cooler on a gentle cycle, never at a warm guess.

> Cushion covers wash at 86°F (30°C) at most on a gentle cycle, then air dry: no bleach, no tumble dryer, and the non-slip base stays out.
>
> — Élodie

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can the cover go in the washing machine, and how?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes, it's removable and machine washable. Wash at 86°F (30°C) on a cold or gentle cycle with mild detergent and no bleach, air dry without the dryer, and iron on low. Corduroy goes on the gentle or delicate program.

**A common question:** How should I wash the linen covers on my floor sofa?

**The workshop's answer:** At 86°F (30°C) or below. The 100% linen covers go on a gentle cycle with mild detergent and air dry. The zippers let them come off, but the white non-skid bottom parts are never machine washed.

**A common question:** How do I wash the covers on a teddy or corduroy floor sofa?

**The workshop's answer:** Unzip the covers from both the seat cushions and the mattresses, then wash at no more than 86°F (30°C) with mild or extra-mild detergent, ideally turned inside out.

**A common question:** Can the covers go in the tumble dryer at all?

**The workshop's answer:** Air drying is best. If you do use a dryer on the fabric covers, choose the low setting, never high heat, and never put non-slip bottom pieces or rubber-backed covers in it.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Can I use a fabric protector spray on the covers?

You can apply one yourself once the covers arrive. Most of the built-in protection is washability, since covers unzip and machine wash at 86°F (30°C). The teddy fabric is water-repellent; velvet has no stain-repellent coating.

### Do I have to turn every cover inside out?

It's recommended rather than required: most workshop answers suggest it, and one calls it optional. It takes seconds and keeps the face of velvet, corduroy or linen away from the drum.

### What do I do with the white non-slip pieces of a floor sofa?

Unzip and remove them before washing, wash only the colored covers at 86°F (30°C), and wipe the non-slip pieces clean by hand. A little white dust shed from them early on should stop over time.

## Related at the atelier

- [Are the cushion covers removable and machine washable?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/removable-machine-washable-cushion-covers/): Yes, every zippered cushion cover is removable and machine washable, velvet and linen included, on full cushions and cover-only orders alike.
- [Can I still machine wash a cushion cover with a non-slip base?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/machine-wash-cushion-cover-non-slip-base/): Yes, a zippered cushion cover with a non-slip base stays machine washable, velvet included.
- [Is the quilted sofa topper, or the pet couch protector, machine washable?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/quilted-sofa-topper-pet-protector-washable/): Yes: the quilted sofa topper and the pet couch protector covers both go in the washing machine on a gentle cycle at 86°F (30°C) or below.
- [How to wash removable cushion covers without shrinking them](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-wash-cushion-covers/): To wash cushion covers, unzip them fully, turn them inside out and machine wash at 86°F (30°C) at most on a gentle cycle with mild detergent and no bleach.
- [Custom Cushion Covers in Caramel Bouclé With a Side Zipper](https://cushionguide.com/readings/caramel-boucle-cushion-side-zip-front-view/): Custom cushion covers with a zipper along the side panel come off without moving the bench, which matters most when you host.
- [Custom Cushion Cover in Forest Green Bouclé, Hidden Side Zipper](https://cushionguide.com/readings/forest-green-boucle-cover-hidden-side-zip/): A bouclé cushion cover can hide its zipper completely when the zipper sits in the seam of the side boxing strip: once closed, the loops lean over the tape and the front reads seamless.
- [Replacement covers for a floor sofa: fit, color change and single pieces](https://cushionguide.com/guides/floor-sofa-replacement-covers/)

*With color and care — Élodie*

---

Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-to-wash-cushion-covers-30c-gentle-cycle/