At the risk of getting reamed for my taste, I SO like my sofa which I believe to be pleather. I got it second hand, so I'm not certain, but it dosen't seem to be leather, although we don't stick (vinyl you usually stick to right?). Anyway, I like the style w/ clean lines, plus all spills wipe off and I can easily disinfect the surface. I've come to think of even washable covers as a pain. It's so easy.

If you have an Ikea nearby this sofa might also be good for y'all. It's leather, but would have the same benefits of cleanability as my sofa, and it's affordable and comfortable. We probably would have gotten it if we hadn't found our great couch, which was less.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80119463

Leather (or pleather or vinyl) -- cleans up easier and better than fabric and wears well.

I know a lot of people love microfiber for its ability to clean up, but i am starting to hate mine! We bought a chocolate microfiber sofa, and at first I loved it- it cleaned up so nicely. Someone told me baby wipes work great for spot cleaning and they did, and the covers could be removed and washed and always came out looking new. Although after 2 years (with a 2 year old) the arms of the sofa look horrible! After being wiped up so many times (the sofa is in our great room where my toddler snacks etc) the arms just don't clean up like they used to, the piping is darker now and looks like the microfiber material has worn off. The rest of the sofa looks good, but the sofa arms aren't the same rich chocolate color anymore, the texture of the material has changed from being wiped up so many times, and now some of the stains aren't even coming out.

Because the room is casual, with another baby on the way and a toddler stains/accidents are inevitable I think we will be going with a leather or slipcovered sofa next time.

I would like to hear what you DON'T like about your slipcovered sofa, i was thinking that would be good choice since the whole thing can be washed? Maybe we will just resort to leather.

Last year when we moved with a 6 month old, we traded our upholstered sofa for a leather sofa from IKEA- it's the stockholm line and very nice looking (not particularly cheap but seems really good quality: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20103182

It somehow has a small footprint but is very deep and comfortable at the same time. We never thought we'd get a leather sofa, but we love it...it's very soft with a nice grain that seems it'll get better and better with age, and ours is softened up with a few throw pillows/blanket which is a good way to make it more "comfy" and less cold-seeming in winter. We've had many spills and it wipes clean and looks like new. We love that if someone spills at a playdate or something we can just say, oh, don't worry about it and mean it!

We actually own the ikea couch BlueLM linked to, and I am in love! We actually bought it last minute out of desparation when our microfiber couch would not fit throught the stairwell to get to our new apartment. It's so easy to clean (we have a dog that sheds like crazy and a two year old) and it still looks brand new. I never wanted a leather or pleather couch, but it's been so easy to take care of, i think we will be sticking with couches like this until the wee one is out of the house!

So interested in what people will comment because we are desperate for a new couch! We've had good luck with leather as well - just wipes clean although it's not my favorite. Our nearly dead current couch did work well for the last decade because we chose a brown (doesn't show stains so much) with a pattern (same color) that also hides.

Can I ask a follow-up questions to those recommending leather couches? How are they with scratchy cats? I would like to get a leather couch for all the reasons OP mentioned, but fear cat destruction....

I second the leather/pleather suggestion, but I'd also like to recommend patterned couches. I bought a couch with a khaki/faded red pattern from C & B in 2001, and it still looks like new--all sorts of spills (and a pink marker attack) have happened, but it cleans up and camouflages beautifully.

Erinpearce - I've had slipcovered furniture and I don't like it because my household has too many spills (and spit-ups, etc), and I get tired of removing the cover yet again to wash - and a sofa cover takes a whole load, plus you have to hang it to dry to make sure the stain dosen't set in the dryer. That's the worst part.

For your sofa I'd find a nice washable fabric w/ chocolate browns that coordinates w/ you decor and have arm covers made to hide the wear. Have throw-pillow covers made too and it'll look purposeful. Arm covers used to be normal anyway.

I think this is the same or almost the same sofa that I have, though my sofa's arms seem to be less curvy, and overall less shiny. It's very comfortable. I'm posting this just because so many people don't have an Ikea nearby. Big Lots - who knew?

http://www.biglots.com/Furniture/item.aspx?cid=14&scid=47&iid=2231

I agree with so many other comments, LEATHER is the way to go. It can be a bit cold in the winter, but a blanket on the couch is a lot easier to deal with than stained fabric. So easy to clean, and with kids, that is what you need. We have had a leather couch for the past 10 years and when it comes time to replace it, you can be sure we will get another leather one, even when our kids are grown.

One other thing, leathers can be scratched so make sure you get a soft leather, not the kind you would slide off of. Do a fingernail 'scratch' test at the store. Find one that won't scratch.

Quietdomino, you are right to fear cat destruction. Ours destroyed our previous low-end leather couch, and are making headway on our current high-end couch. You have to look closer to see the damage on the thicker, dyed-through leather, but it's there. They have also destroyed a microfiber daybed.

I think we need to form our next couches from concrete or river rock.

Get rid of the cat, and get a leather sofa. It is the only thing to have if you've got little ones. Our other microfiber sofa has held up pretty well, when we bought it we had the store scotch guard it, which came with a 7 year warranty. So that's nice to know they will replace it if they can't clean it. It's only three years old, and we've never had to call in for even a cleaning.

I have a newborn and a 5 year old, and I vote leather. Leather also makes cleaning up pet hair incredibly fast... because it does not stick into the couch fibers. Ikea has some great options that are less expensive.. which is great if you plan to get something nicer once the kids are bigger.

I really love it when posters say leather or die.

I don't enjoy sticking to leather when it's warm or hot, and for me and my family, microfiber works incredibly well. I have two sofas in microfiber; both are easy to clean. We get the occasional dark-colored drink spill, which wipes up fantastically.

Not all microfiber is equal. Obviously if you get a low-quality one, it's going to wear in a short time.

The trick to messes is not to use the sofa for snacking and drinking. Seriously.

Leather has to be easiest, but I hate sitting on it or looking at it so we don't have one.

We have the Ikea Ektorp with the white slipcover. In the full sun, it's like this glowing white squashy spot that I'm super content with. We bleach and wash it frequently, it's not a hassle compared to cleaning, say, a carseat...

Wish we had a Bemz cover, though. The zippers on the Ikea slipcovers always break.

Haha. . . did anyone else get the same advertisement on this page?

I have no idea what the quality is like, but it looks like they are a pretty nice option for inexpensive sofas with washable covers --
http://www.homereserve.com/shop.cfm

My biggest anti-recommendation for furniture is that if you're going to go with a pattern, pick a fabric that isn't textured. We had a flowered chair and it looks horrible after just three years. My dog has scratched so many of the threads loose and then just normal wear and tear rips out threads (like pants with buttons on the back pockets) so I have to repeatedly shave the chair to get rid of loose threads. I hate it. Never again. I think next time I'll go with a smooth fake suedey feeling microfiber.

julia- thank you so much for giving a review of the leather stockholm sofa! i was actually going to ask if anyone had experience with it after posting about how i hate microfiber. i sit and admire it everytime we go to ikea and its so comfy and looks great in the store- great to hear it's holding up well in "real life" too!

Hi all,
I work for Crypton Fabrics, and Crypton is definitely a great option to consider for families, because it’s stain- and bacteria-resistant, and it's simple to clean too. You can check out this article from the LA Times blog to learn more, or feel free to visit our website at http://www.cryptonfurniture.com/furniture-type.aspx?pg=ftype.

Good luck!
Anna

Hmm.. that last link didn't go through. Here it is:

http://www.cryptonfurniture.com/furniture-type.aspx?pg=ftype

I just saw this post on a blog. Sounds like a popular question! With our kids, I think I'll just wrap everything in saran wrap.

http://uncleowly.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/the-white-sofa-dilemma/

We have a milk chocolate brown microfiber sofa from Ashley and two kids (nine and three months), plus one messy adult (me), and a dog on the way. The nine-year-old isn't allowed anything other than water on the sofa and we got a stainguard and a stain (and puncture) replacement option through Nebraska Furniture Mart. My issue is that, after just five months, the fabric is...nubby. Like it picks off lint and other such from our clothes. And we live in a very cold winter climate (Kansas), so there are many shocks going around.

A WONDERFUL stain resistant & fade resistant fabric is Sunbrella! If you can get your hands on the fabric it can be sent to any furniture retailer that offers COM or re-upholster your existing furniture. You can clean the fabric with bleach & it will not effect the color/design. It's most commonly used for outdoor but now people are catching on to it's great properties for indoor use (i.e. dining room chairs, sofas, etc.) The perfect solution to kids, dogs, spills. I can't say enough about the luxurious hand & the great designs offered by Jobbers & Retailers.

Hope this helps!

bundle design co.
www.bundledesignco.blogspot.com

I vote for leather too... until your 2yo tries to stick stickers to it. :) We have a leather couch and a microfiber chair and a half in the family room and it all takes a beating bw the kids and the dog, but they clean up nicely. In the kids rooms, both of our gliders are microfiber, and I've never had a problem cleaning up bodily fluids on either. Nature's Miracle works wonders.

We have a creamy linen looking couch (sure it is a poly blend) and I just use fullers pre-laundry spray with a wet cloth for almost everything and we have a carpet cleaner with a brush for big problems. I clean it about twice a year with the carpet cleaner and then after I spray it with scotch-guard. Seriously we bought the sofa because it fit our decor, was super well made, and the fabric even though light colored was easy to clean - no regrets - still loving it after 4 years.

I think my biggest recommendation would be to give the kids their own chair that they can have a snack in. We have a pbk anywhere chair and a little rocker in the living room.

We have two toddlers, and I just don't think leather would work for us. What has worked very very well are the hand-me-down couches we got from my parents. They are a paisley-ish pattern with browns, reds, and golds. They have held up amazingly. We have spilled whole cups of coffee, and you never see it because it blends right in with the pattern.

Well i would love to have something more chic, it seems crazy to spend money on something we will spill, stomp, and drool on.

Someday!

ANNA!

My husband and I had a GORGEOUS modernist sofa from Highbrow Furniture that we purchased for about $5,000. It was originally covered in some sort of tweed and it lasted maybe 4 months before the cats ripped it to shreds and someone spilled something on it. The couch had amazing lines and we could not see parting with it so we had it reupholstered in Crypton, a velvety-looking pale grey, for the price of about $1500, some cushions were restuffed as well.

We had it done about 5 years ago. Since then I have had kids puke on it numerous times, red wine spilled on it, coffee, markers drawn on it (red, mind you), food, well, you can imagine with 4 kids.

EVERYTHING has come off of it usually using a baby wipe or slightly damp cloth.

I remove my covers and toss them in the wash maybe once a year and my sofa looks brand new.

I LOVE Crypton sooooo much. For a family with kids getting our sofa done in it was the best purchase ever. I plan on redoing it again this year just so we can have a new colour. I can't say enough how much I love this material. It is a marvel, really. I will never own another big piece of furniture that is NOT done in Crypton, it makes my life so much easier because I never worry about what happens to the couch, I know I can always make it look new.

revawter- I was just wondering how long it took to get in your Crypton couch. I'm really interested in it, but according to the website it would take 12 weeks to get in... and I don't think I'm willing to wait that long without a couch! Thanks