---
title: "Removable Cover Cushion for Pets and Kids: Skip the Tufting"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/untufted-removable-cover-cushion-pets-kids/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/"
published: "2026-07-10"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "removable cover cushion for pets, untufted cushion for kids, washable cushion cover pets, tufted vs removable cover cushion, pet-friendly daybed cushion"
---

# With pets or kids, should I get a tufted cushion or a removable cover?

*Buttons look lovely right up until a cat finds them. Here is the rule the workshop gives every family that writes in with fur on the daybed.*

Also asked as: Cats will sit on it all the time; Dog who sheds a ton: which cushion?

> **The quick answer:** Choose an untufted cushion with a zippered, removable cover if you have pets or kids. Every cover the workshop makes comes off and washes except on button-tufted pieces, because those covers can't be removed. For a shedding dog or a toddler, ask for untufted with piping; if your cats pull buttons, order as usual and request it without tufting.

![Burnt orange, rust and cream lattice jacquard cushion on a walnut daybed with curved end, pampas grass and Berber rug](https://cushionguide.com/media/daybed-cushions/burnt-orange-lattice-jacquard-walnut-daybed-cushion-1600.webp "A lattice jacquard in rust and cream makes a walnut daybed the centerpiece of the room. The Berber rug echoes its lines in a quieter voice.")

## Key facts

- All covers are removable and washable except on button-tufted pieces.
- A button-tufted cover cannot be taken off.
- For heavy pet or child use, the workshop suggests an untufted cushion with a zippered removable cover and piping.
- Any tufted design can be made untufted on request: order as usual and ask for no buttons.
- Unusual window or nook shapes can be sized from a drawing on paper.
- A few floor cushion styles are zipperless by design, so confirm before ordering.

## Five checks before a family cushion is ordered

- ✓ Order it untufted. Button tufting is the one thing that keeps a cover from coming off.
- ✓ Ask for a zippered, removable cover with piping, the pairing the workshop suggests for a shedding dog or a toddler.
- ✓ Cats that pull buttons? Order as usual and write that you want it made without tufting.
- ✓ Odd window or nook? Send the sizes first, drawn on paper if the shape is unusual.
- ✓ Floor cushion? A few styles are zipperless by design, so confirm the cover comes off before you pay.

## A shedding dog, a toddler and a window seat to fit

One buyer wrote in with a dog that sheds a lot, a toddler underfoot and a window seat waiting for a cushion. The questions came fast: was there a performance fabric, and would the cushion be firm?

The workshop started where it always starts, with the sizes, drawn on paper if the window had an unusual shape. Then came the advice I'd give my own sister: skip the buttons, take an untufted cushion with a removable zippered cover and piping, and keep the whole thing washable. A tufted cover would have had to be cleaned right where it sits.

## Why the buttons, not the fabric, decide it

Every cover the workshop makes unzips and goes in the wash, with one exception: button-tufted pieces. Tufting ties cover and filling together, so that cover stays on. One buyer thought only the corduroy covers came off. Not so; every non-tufted cover is removable.

So pick the shape you love, then order it plain. The [tufted or plain Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/tufted-vs-plain-cushions/) shows both looks side by side, and the [pet-friendly fabric notes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/pet-friendly-cushion-fabric/) cover claws and hair honestly. Kids and dogs are the real quality control. Who is hardest on your [daybed cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/daybed-cushions/), neighbor: the dog or the toddler?

> **Tailor's margin:** A button-tufted cushion cover never comes off for washing. With a shedding dog or a toddler, order untufted with a zippered cover and piping.

> Cats that pull tufting buttons are a note on the order, not a dealbreaker: order the cushion as usual and ask for it without buttons.
>
> — Rosa

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** I have cats. Do your reading nook and daybed cushions come with covers I can take off and wash?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Every cover is removable and washable, with one exception: button-tufted pieces, whose covers stay on.

**A common question:** We have a dog that sheds constantly and a toddler. Do you have a performance fabric, and how firm are the cushions?

**The workshop's answer:** The first step is your sizes, drawn on paper if the window shape is unusual. For easy care, the workshop suggests an untufted cushion with a removable zippered cover and piping, since tufted covers can't come off.

**A common question:** My cats keep pulling the buttons off. Can you make it untufted?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Place the order as usual and the cushion is made without tufting buttons.

**A common question:** Can you pad a bench corner or a fireplace hearth where my toddler plays?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The workshop adds padded flaps over bench corners, builds hearth cushions with a recess that sits over the stones, and adds tie straps for kids' furniture. Send photos and measurements first so it can size the piece.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Which fabric suits a cushion a dog sleeps on?

Pick from the pet-friendly fabric chart; its covers machine-wash at 86°F (30°C). Velvet resists stains best and soft fabric spot-cleans most easily, while striped 100% cotton is the one to skip for heavy family use.

### Is every floor cushion style zippered?

Not every one. A few floor cushion styles are zipperless by design, and tufted pieces keep their covers on. Every other cover the workshop makes is removable, so confirm the style before ordering if machine-washing matters to you.

### What size kids' floor sofa suits a two-year-old?

About 24 x 50 in (61 x 127 cm) works for a 2-year-old, and 28 x 60 in (71 x 152 cm) sets add a backrest and armrests. Ask for it untufted if you want the covers off for washing.

## Related at the atelier

- [Is velvet a good cushion fabric with cats, dogs or small kids?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/velvet-cushions-with-pets-and-kids/): Velvet cushions hold up well with pets and small kids: the tight weave resists snagging from claws, velvet spot-cleans easily, and the covers machine-wash at 86°F (30°C).
- [Daybed Cushion in Raspberry: Mixing Pattern, Plain and Texture](https://cushionguide.com/readings/raspberry-daybed-cushion-bolster-whitewashed-brick/): To mix patterns around a daybed cushion, let the room carry the pattern and keep the cushion plain.
- [Daybed Cushion in Raspberry – Reading Nook by the Bookshelves](https://cushionguide.com/readings/raspberry-reading-nook-cushion-walnut-bench-brass-lamp/): Choose a daybed or reading nook cushion in the color that appears most often on your bookshelves, and it will look as if it was always there.
- [Daybed Cushion in Stone Velvet: How It Ages With Kids and Sun](https://cushionguide.com/readings/stone-velvet-daybed-cushion-layered-pillows/): A stone-colored velvet daybed cushion holds up in daily use because a mid-tone hides dust and light marks better than cream, and a linen throw on top meets spills first.
- [Why does a tufted cushion cost more than a plain foam one?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/tufted-vs-plain-cushion-price/): A tufted cushion costs more because every tuft is set by hand, and in three past quotes that added about a third to a half over the same size in plain foam.
- [Is the cushion foam non-toxic, and does it have flame retardants?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/non-toxic-cushion-foam-no-flame-retardants/): The cushion foam is high-density polyurethane upholstery foam with no flame-retardant additives, and the cover fabrics carry no flame-retardant finish.
- [What to measure for a custom daybed mattress cover](https://cushionguide.com/guides/daybed-mattress-cover-measurements/)
- [How to measure an IKEA Hemnes daybed: two stacked mattresses, one cover](https://cushionguide.com/guides/ikea-hemnes-daybed-cover-measuring/)

*Porch light's on — Rosa*

---

Written by Rosa Delgado (https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/) 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/untufted-removable-cover-cushion-pets-kids/