When I was single I had a white sofa and it stayed clean. With kids, I wouldn't do it.

We have a white slipcovered IKEA sofa (Karlanda?) and a 20 month old boy. I thought I would have no problem just laundering sections as needed, but... The covers are a pain to get off and on, and the covers for the frame can only be removed if the sofa is dismantled. So we have it draped in bedspreads. Ugly but true. Even uglier is the truth that 9 out of 10 spills are caused by yours truly. There's been way more red wine and black coffee to contend with than banana smears or blueberry spots. So maybe we just aren't cut out to be white sofa people anyway.
So I would say if you go through with it, check to see how easy it is to get those covers off and on.

I just bought the Kivik in light grey. They are easy enough to get on and off. But as I recall, the Kivik textiles are Dry Clean Only... There for, don't do it! The light grey is a great neutral, if that is an option for you. But look into the cleaning recommendations and see if they are ok with you. Hope this helps!

I have this couch, not in white but in the light gray (which is a very light color). I have a 3.5 year old boy and a lazy dog and we have not had a problem yet. This couch is so comfortable, we love it. The only thing with our cover is its a little itchy. We have had it for about 4 months now and seems to be breaking in / less itchy.

A white sofa, 2 kids and a dog.....a recipe for disaster, I predict tears.

I have bought slipcovered furniture in white and off-white from Ikea. Not what I expected. Like mudmaven, I have trouble pulling the cover off and putting them back on, and the spots never seem to come out - either the fabric married the spot (that would normally come out of other laundry), or the spot would come out but leaving a lighter white spot, or something like that. Get a leather or pleather sofa w/ kids, that's what we did and it's far easier, no regrets.

Two good friends of mine bought their white sofa from Macy's when they first got married 15 years ago. 3 kids and a cat later, sofa was still kept super clean (that came with tons and tons of rules). Then, a 30 yro dude spilled red wine on it.....

We have this sofa (in blue), and like mudmaven said, the covers are very hard to get off. The cushions would not be a problem, but the cover on the frame does require taking the whole sofa apart. But with white maybe you could take care of spots on the arms with bleach pen?

I wanted to get this sofa in white but we were mostly worried about our jeans turning it blue.

I've been looking at this sofa also, but never in white! I have two kids, a husband, a cat, and me....no way. I once had my daughter take her diaper off and wipe her hands on our current sofa...>.< Keep that sort of thing in mind when looking at washing instructions!

Off topic a bit, but does anyone know if the darker gray is available in the US? It looks like a nice neutral too.

I don't have furniture from Ikea, but I made white slipcovers for my couch. I have a lazy chihuahua and a baby on the way, and my husband and I are both kind of clumsy. I actually prefer white slipcovers, because I feel like they are the only kind of slipcover you can really get clean no matter what you get on it. You can even bleach out red wine... trust me. If they are dry clean only as nicoxletti I would avoid it, or if you can sew a straight line make your own slipcovers that you can wash. It's actually not that hard. I have some tutorials on my blog.

I find my white shag rug to be risky enough, no way I'm buying a white couch. Instead, I purchased the grey-brown Kivik and love it! As other commenters have said, it's incredibly comfortable, and this particular fabric, although a bit more expensive, appears to be much higher in quality than the solids. Stains come out relatively easily, too.

Too risky for sure! I'm a grown up and always find myself making messes in the least likely places. You'd think I'd learn that I shouldn't be drinking a glass of wine when I'm tired...but yes, I've now woken up with wine spilled all over me and the couch three times. No more wine after 8pm!

White Sofa, OR kids. Pick ONE.

white sofa does not work for me. It does not matter if I had kids or not. I like to be comfortable on my couch and I feel if the color is white I would be worrying about getting it dirty.

Don't do it. Our white slip-covered ottomans wound up being dyed apple green a few months back. Yep, I washed 'em when they were dirty... but they eventually looked dingy all the time and each had a stain or two that I couldn't remove.

Yeesh, falling asleep mid-wine? I don't have kids, AmyPureHome, but that sounds like a whole new level of TIRED.

This lines of this couch would look fantastic with tufted cushions. Perhaps get the entire couch reupholstered in *gasp* a white vinyl-type fabric (might not be the sexiest fabric, but it certainly is practical and durable) and have the reupholstered seat and back cushions tufted.

I'm looking at the same sofa, and thought I'd dye it the darker gray, since I really don't want gray-brown. But I guess that won't work if it's dryclean only. :-S

There's a book, "Animal House Style," in which the author posits that white slipcovers are the best plan, gets two sets and cleans one while the other is on the furniture. Sounds good in theory, but when I had the Klippen, I too found getting them on and off by myself onerous. Gave up on that theory. But I may go with the lighter gray cover.

Btw, she also posits that ultrasuedes/ microfibers are the best material in a house with pets. Seems they resist the hair, resist odor, wipe clean (generally) with baby wipes, and a lot of cats don't find them pleasant to scratch. Now, if I could just convince IKEA to have microfiber in the colors *I* want!

I would say no to the white. I have an Ektorp loveseat and chair covered in white and it gets dirty from adults, much less the 3-year-old and pets. Washing doesn't always get everything out and eventually it will look dingy. We also have the Kivik sofa downstairs, covered in the red cotton since it was the only cover in stock at our store. I love the sofa itself and hope to upgrade to one of the textured covers soon.

I have had two Ektorp love seats for about 7 years now and they still look great. I have between 2 to 3 labrador retrievers living here, currently a chocolate and yellow. They are not allowed ON the furniture (news to the chocolate) but do rub alongside so there is definitely discolouration from that and most commonly, the blue dye from jeans rubbing off on the seat cushions. I have had slipcovers in a variety of Ikea fabrics and yes, some are very difficult to reposition after laundering. I've often thought I'd like to see a commercial where the Ikea crew tries it themselves. However, I do have good luck with the white cotton covers, because I've learned to wash them with Borax washing soda OR Oxyclean powder along with regular detergent. I spot treat any stains first and never use bleach. I only dry the large sofa covers very briefly and put them back on the sofas while they are still quite damp. I then leave them overnight to air dry. The four cushion covers can be dried in the dryer until only just damp and similarly allowed to air dry. This isn't all that hard to do and the love seats look great and have worn very well. I've even spilled red wine on the side of one. So don't be disheartened, but don't over dry the covers. That's the key. No need to dry clean either so spare yourself that chemical exposure.

I'm a fan of sleek and minimal decor including the better IKEA designs. This design is just plain awful......in the store it looks like it was assembled out of styrofoam blocks with ill-fitting slipcovers that were filthy dirty. Bad design, although in a different color it might work, provided the covers aren't saggy.

@jrt I have the Ektorp sofa and chair and I have a messy 4yr old and a messy dude!! and they are holding up great...I do have about 3 different slipcovers though...mostly for decorating reasons..lol..

I have white slipcovered Ikea furniture and 4 kids ages 6-18. It's worked out for us. Some tips:

*Not all Ikea slipcovers are washable. check the particular color/fabric you want.

*Blekinge white is the classic white cotton twill. I wash mine (Tullsta armchairs) with detergent and OxiClean and they come out bright white. I use a little stain remover too.

*However I much prefer my Klippan covers in Genarp white. It's a poly/cotton blend, very tight weave that feels and looks like cotton (with a little sheen) but stains just don't absorb into the fabric due to the polyester. Mine still look terrific after 9 months. Same washing procedure.

I think OxiClean is magic. Regular chlorine bleach doesn't work for me.

I do have to wash them at least once a month, more often if people are coming over or I want them to be perfect. It's a pain to wash them but they look so good afterwards, and you know you're sitting on *clean.*

The Tullsta covers are easy to get on/off, but the Klippans are harder. Very tight. The Kivik doesn't look too tight to me.

Wine colored leather. The only way.

If the slipcovers are difficult to get off and on, you may have some good luck with bleach pens and diluted Oxyclean powder. I have Ikea Tullsta armchairs with white slipcovers that, after laundering, are not only difficult to put on but also require about an hour's worth of ironing. Ugh. I tend to get most of my stains (or grunge) out with the Oxyclean and without having to remove the covers at all. I wash them every 3 months or so and they look fantastic afterwards.

How much is a replacement slipcover? Set that money aside and try the white if you still want too. What is the worst that will happen?

I say go for it. I'm looking at the same sofa, and I have 2 small kids, 3 BLACK cats and 2 Labradors. My solution and plan is to have two slipcovers--- so when one gets messed up, I can toss it in the wash/take to the cleaners, and put the backup cover on. I don't think I'd try a white sofa... ;) You only live once, and the Kivik isn't a HUGE financial investment. Go for it! ;)

oh, also forgot to add- I have a Little Green Steam machine, and it works WONDERS on any carpets, upholstry, etc that we have.

I'm pretty darn neat and when I was single I owned a white sofa from ikea...

worst.. idea... ever...

Go gray or go home...

I have the grey brown Kivik and we love it. BUT we learned the hard way that the cover is dry-clean only. I would definitely not get the white one if I were you. They are cozy and cute though but super annoying that they aren't machine washable.

Go for it!!! We've had a white Karlstad sectional for 2 years. Taking the slipcovers on and off is no big deal. You just unzip them and pop them in the washer. I agree with the reviewer who said that white is the only color you can truly keep clean because you can bleach it. For the past 2 years my sofa has survived messy visits from nieces and nephews and doggies too. They've dropped grape juice, strawberries, chocolate, dirt and every other messy substance you can imagine on the cushions. When one gets dirty I just flip it over. When both sides are dirty I wash the cover.
You could always start with white and if it doesn't work switch to another cover.

I have a chair slipcovered in white twill. The cover can be taken off with little trouble and washed/bleached in one load. I probably wash it once a month. It has survived lots of traffic as the fav chair in the house for both people and pets. Just have to remember not to sit on it with new jeans. After 2 years it looks brand new. I had a colored slip cover on it before which never looked as nice since it didn't wash as well and showed lots of fading. So, if you get a slip cover -- go for a washable white.

Go for it! I have a white Ikea slipcovered couch. 3 kids and 5 years later, people are always asking me "how do you have a white couch with kids?!" it's because I can actually clean the covers with oxygen bleach. My daughter even decided to express her artistic abilities in highlighter on it once, and you would never know. A Bleach pen saved the day! I don't think you could say the same with regular couch! Yes, it can be a bit of a pain to take the covers off and on, but you'll get the hang of it.

I have the Ektrop sofa. I have covers in white and red. The white is my favorite. It has cleaned up well (I have four young kids and a cat) but it has also shrunk. It is super hard to get on and off now. The red one has been washed even more times and has not shrunk even the tinest bit.

I have the Karlstadt sofa along with three slipcovers, two white and one natural linen. We almost always have one of the two white ones on as they are machine washable. I strongly agree with the sentiment that white, washable slipcovered furniture is absolutely the way to go as far as upholstery. We had a dark neutral cotton twill upholstered sofa prior to the Karlstadt and after five years the fabric looked so awful the whole couch had to go. With Ikea sofas, you can essentially reupholster your sofa for as little as $50.00. How can you go wrong? Yes, changing an Ikea slipcover does take around an hour and some ironing/steaming is required, but I've found it's only necessary to launder them every four or five months (as long as no major mishaps occur) to keep it looking nice and clean. Because the white slipcovered Karlstadt worked out so well, we bought the Kivik with white slipcover for our basement and love it too. So do it!
PS We don't have kids, but do have a cat and a dog and when we do have children, I honestly can't imagine going any other way than white slipcovered Ikea!

The white Kivik slipcover IS machine washable (the other fabrics aren't, but the white is). It's also super cheap, I believe under $100. Buy an extra slipcover or two and store them away, and swap them out in a few years if the original starts to get grungy... we have this exact sofa, and that's what we'll do. We bought the white especially because of the washability -- most other sofas have to be spot-cleaned, whereas the white can be machine washed and bleached if needed. We love it!

I would ONLY get white slipcovered couch again (we have two toddlers) -- whatever happens I can bleach it out.

I have two little kids ánd a white Kivik chaise longue; we LOVE it. I found the chaise in the as-is section, covered in kiddie footprints. I soaked the covers in OxiAction and washed them. They came out looking as new - perfectly white!!

I had a white slipcovered futon. In that situation, it was relatively easy to get the cover on and off. It was natural cotton and laundered well. However, it only took about a week or so before it needed to be laundered again (if you like a pristine white, which I do). And this is two adults with a dog who is not allowed on the couch. We later got a light olive green leather couch and I have to say it is fantastic. I occasionally wipe it down with a barely damp sponge. It never gets dingy and doesn't pick up hair. I would recommend leather, but probably a dark leather with a child. (A pen mark might be pretty hard to get out). Either that or slip covers in a dark fabric.

We own a white slip-covered IKEA sofa and although we do not have children, we have two big dogs. We actually chose the couch so we could not only remove the covers and wash them, but because we could bleach them as well. We love our couch and have bleached the slipcovers nearly 6 times now with no issues. Plus, replacing the slipcover every few yearsif necessary is also more affordable than reupholstering or replacing a ruined pricier couch.

We have the HOVÅS in white, and a cat. The cat, fortunately, does not shed much, but he does enjoy using the corners as a scratching post, and it has taken a great deal of self control to not strangle him.

That said, we spill things on it occasionally, and laundering the slip-covers is not very effective. They are off-white, so bleach is not an option.

Even with a little bit of visible wear and tear, it still looks very good, in my opinion. Throw some red pillows and a blanket over the arm, as we did, and it really pops!

Don't waste your money on an IKEA sofa. Their couches are some of the biggest rip-offs in the store. Sure, they are inexpensive, but they look cheap, don't last long, and are horribly uncomfortable. You can get a much nicer (looking and feeling) couch from Macy's in a similar price range. We got a great one for $800 plus free delivery.

This sofa actually has a 10 year warranty. I purchased the loveseat plus chaise with the tanas black cover (black corduroy) a few days ago. It would be a pain to remove all of the covers to wash as you do have to disassemble the sofa in order to get all of them off, but if you settle on a color other than white, then it probably won't be very often that you would have to do that.
It is super comfy though and a great deal all around.

@ariellie I somewhat disagree. I bought a Karlstad loveseat from the as-is section at 50% off about a year ago and I'm crazy about it. Granted I'd prefer it if the back were higher, so I keep pillows along the top so my head has somewhere to go (and I'm only 5' tall!). :) But still, I think it's crazy comfortable and I seem to move about once a year, so because Karlstad comes apart (quite easily) it's great for that. If you have more money to spare (and less moving around to do) I wouldn't get IKEA, but for the money, it's pretty sweet, IMO :)

As far as a white couch is concerned, my Karlstad has the white slipcover on it, which I bought for three reasons: 1.) white was the cheapest slipcover LOL ($30 for the white one vs. about $200 for anything with color in it? no brainer lol), 2.) white does look damn good when it's clean, and 3.) the white Karlstad cover is 100% cotton, meaning I could easily buy a few bottles of Rit dye and make it any color I want. So what I'd do is see what material the Kivik covers are made out of, and if you can possibly dye them, get the white cover, try it out, and if it drives you nuts, all you need is some dye, a washing machine, and some salt I believe :)

My white slipcovered Ektorp was a breeze to keep clean. I have the world's filthiest cat. I had to wash the slipcover once a month, but it always came out crisp and bright.

My experience with Ikea slipcovers are: they are a pain to remove and launder, and with this particular sofa, it's not very comfortable for long stretches of lounging.

I considered this sofa, but for some reason I just don't trust Ikea sofas. I went with the Luxe slipcovered sofa from World Market in ivory, it is super comfortable and the slipcovers can be easily removed. Also great price, $430 out the door. I did have to put it together, but I did it myself in about 30 minutes

Hi Allison,

Lisa from Bemz here! Bemz is launching slipcovers for the Kivik series this week. All our slipcovers are machine washable and easy to take off and put on, so a white cover is not a problem! Visit us at www.bemz.com and remember to order swatches to see and feel our fabrics in person!
Any questions - send them to customerservice@bemz.com, they are always happy to help!
Cheers,
lisa@bemz