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The Cutting Table · a common question

Can I wash the whole cushion, or only the cover?

Also asked as:Is there a separate fiber liner?Can I still wash the covers?

An old question with a short answer. The cover goes in the machine; the filling stays home and gets a damp cloth.

Answered by

The Elder of High Point · · Updated

The quick answer

Wash the cushion cover, not the whole cushion: fillings sit in their own inner liner, so the outer cover unzips and machine washes at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle any time, while the insert is spot-cleaned by hand with a damp cloth. Silicone-fiber floor cushions can be washed whole if you truly must, but hand spot-cleaning is still the recommendation.

Multicolour hexagon print seat cushion with orange piping and a single long rust back pillow on an acacia bench on a deckSave
A cheerful hexagon weave in orange, teal, yellow and navy on the seat, with one long rust pillow across the slatted back of a deck bench.

Get a quote for a bench seat and back cushion

Key facts

  • Backrest fillings come in their own inner liner, separate from the outer cover.
  • Foam inserts have inner protective covers.
  • Outer covers unzip from the underside and can be washed any time.
  • Covers machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle; air dry them.
  • The cushion itself is spot-cleaned by hand with a damp cloth.
  • Silicone-fiber-filled floor cushions can be washed whole if really needed.
  • Button-tufted cushion covers don't come off.
  • Standard seat foam inserts are 32-density foam, about 2.0 lb/ft³, wrapped in polyester fiber wadding.
  • A newly unpacked cushion recovers within about 24-72 hours, and packing creases on covers usually fade within 1-2 weeks, so wash only if it's truly dirty.

Have it made

Have Harlan’s workshop cut this for you

Old upholsterers will tell you the real cutting happens in the conversation, long before the shears come out. Tell the workshop what you sit on, and they will talk it through with you. — Harlan

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
Foam inserts have inner protective covers.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Three layers, and only one meets the washer

Here is how a cushion is put together, my friend, and why only one part of it needs the machine. The filling never touches the outer cloth. Backrest fillings come in their own inner liner, and foam inserts wear an inner protective cover of their own. The outer cover is the only layer that meets coffee, sunscreen and dogs.

So the outer cover unzips from the underside and comes off whole. Wash it at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and let it air dry. A seam is a promise, and the zipper is the part of that promise that lets you start over.

The filling stays home. Wipe it with a damp cloth if it needs anything at all. Silicone-fiber floor cushions can be washed whole if you truly must, but the damp cloth is still the better friend. The cover washing Pattern has the full routine, the tufted cushion care Pattern covers buttoned ones, and the backrest cushion Atlas covers the shapes.

What gets washed, and how

PartHow to clean it
Zippered outer coverUnzip, machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on gentle, air dry
Backrest filling in its inner linerStays out of the wash; spot-clean by hand
Foam insert in its protective coverSpot-clean with a damp cloth
Silicone-fiber floor cushionSpot-clean; can be washed whole if really needed
Button-tufted cushionCover doesn't come off; damp cloth with a little mild soap
Non-slip bottom piecesRemove before washing; never in the dryer

Washing a cover the workshop way

  1. Unzip from the underside

    Slide the insert out in its own liner and set it aside.

  2. Take off the non-slip pieces

    Washed or dried, they are the usual reason a cover won't zip shut afterward.

  3. Wash cool and gentle

    86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, for every fabric, velvet and linen included.

  4. Air dry

    If a dryer can't be avoided, use the low setting, never high heat.

  5. Refill when dry

    Slip the insert back in its liner and close the zipper.

A real project

New filling for covers the buyer already owned

A buyer wrote to the workshop who already had backrest covers and wanted new filling for them. The worry was plain: would the filling be stuffed loose into the cover, and put an end to washing it? It wasn't. The filling arrived in its own inner cover and slipped into the outer cover the buyer already owned. That outer cover still comes off and goes in the wash whenever it needs to. What are you cleaning up after, coffee or a muddy paw?

Wash the cushion cover, not the whole cushion: the filling sits in its own inner liner, and the cover unzips and washes at 86°F (30°C).

Harlan
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Is the backrest filling stuffed straight into the cover, or does it have its own liner?

    The workshop's answer

    It comes in its own inner cover. Slip the filled insert into the outer cover you already have, and you can take that outer cover off and wash it whenever you like.

  2. A common question

    Can I wash a whole floor cushion by hand?

    The workshop's answer

    Spot-clean it by hand with a damp cloth. The filling is silicone fiber, so the cushion can be washed whole if you really want to.

  3. A common question

    Do the covers come off, and can they go in the washing machine?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Every cover unzips from the underside and comes off completely, and all fabrics, velvet and linen included, machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle. Air dry them. Button-tufted cushions are the exception: their covers don't come off.

  4. A common question

    My covers won't zip shut after washing. Did they shrink?

    The workshop's answer

    Covers don't shrink at 86°F (30°C) on gentle. Trouble zipping, or a tear, usually means the non-slip bottom pieces were washed or dried. Take them off first; in past cases the workshop replaced damaged pieces after seeing photos, so send yours and get its answer in writing.

Questions buyers ask next

How do I clean a tufted cushion?

Button-tufted covers don't come off, so spot-clean the surface with a damp cloth and a little mild soap and water. If you want a machine-washable cover, choose the untufted zippered version instead.

Can cushion covers go in the dryer?

Air drying is best. If you must use a dryer for the fabric covers, pick the low setting and never high heat. Non-slip bottom pieces and rubber-backed covers never go in the dryer.

Is a foam insert washable?

Wash its outer cover, not the foam. Foam inserts come in inner protective covers, and the workshop's advice for the cushion itself is hand spot-cleaning with a damp cloth.