The 2-Minute Fix That Saved My Worn Out Sofa (and Living Room)

We bought our giant living room sectional about seven years ago, and it’s truly been good to us. It’s massive, for starters — my husband and I can both stretch out on it with ample space to spare, and it also accommodates lots of people when we’re hosting. Plus, it’s super comfortable. 

There’s a big problem, though: The sectional’s woven fabric was not made with cats in mind, and we have little felines who love to lounge with us and who sometimes get the zoomies, which involves racing across the couch’s surface and lots of claw marks. Over the years, the pulled fibers have increasingly become an eyesore, so we were faced with two choices: Swap in a new piece, when this one was otherwise fine — or try new cushion covers. 

After months of going back and forth, I finally decided I didn’t want to part with my beloved sofa unless absolutely necessary, and so I ordered new covers to try out first. I bought these velvet stretch couch covers on Amazon, and I measured each cushion carefully to ensure I got the right size for both the seat and back cushions. 

While the colors didn’t end up matching our original sofa exactly, and the fabric is slightly different, to me, it’s still a huge improvement over loose threads! I cannot believe the difference the simple swap made. Everything just looks way more tidy and sleek, and I don’t have to stress about the cats hanging out on the couch anymore. And best of all, if something spills or they’re starting to look or feel a little dingy, I can just pop them in the wash for a refresh and they’re good as new. 

Now I feel way less self-conscious about the poor state of the fabric on our couch, and I love that for around $200 I was able to extend the life of this otherwise great piece of furniture. Next, I plan to do the same for the cushions on a white loveseat I’ve been covering with a blanket forever!