I thought I’d share our experience with the Ektorp sofa after a full year of high use in a vacation rental!
Our Story:
It was going to cost A LOT to buy a sectional for our rental and there wasn’t any money left for such an expensive investment so I started looking into Ikea options.
If you’ve read my review of the ÄPPLARÖ furniture you already know the Mr. is not a fan of Ikea.
I read all the blog post reviews I could find about the Ektorp sectional and it seemed like the perfect fit.
Stylish and Comofortable?-Check
Functional and Durable?-Check
Easy to Clean?- Check
Budget Friendly?- Double Check!
To my huge surprise, the Mr. didn’t put up a fight when I brought it up!
I can only hope his distaste is wearing down after the outdoor furniture and our coffee cart!
A quick Craigslist search revealed the Ektorp 4 seat sectional less than 20 minutes away for $300…such a steal!
Things only got better after we arrived…
After years of slowly curating their interior, his wife decided she didn’t like it anymore and they were going to start over. Sounds a lot like me haha
The Ektorp sofa had been the last item they’d purchased…living in lawn chairs until then!
Being less than a year old it was in perfect condition, plus they threw in an extra slipcover, how amazing is that?!
We went over budget in almost every part of the remodel so this turn of luck came at just the right time.
The husband didn’t seem too excited about the lawn chairs coming back, but I had to fight the urge to happy dance in their living room!
The New IKEA Slip Cover Versions:
It soon became obvious how much of a blessing the extra slipcover was.
Ikea no longer makes the 100% Cotton ‘Blekinge White‘ Ektorp slipcovers which is a huge disappointment…
Our current slipcovers are bull denim, which is my favorite slipcover fabric!
It’s thick, durable, becomes softer the more it’s used, 100% cotton, and most importantly…it’s bleachable!
The new material varies by color but it’s either 100% polyester or a cotton-poly blend.
Boo!
We need a new cover soon and I’m thinking that the Lofallet Beige which is a 55/45 blend of cotton-polyester is our best choice.
I don’t know if buying the new Ektorp ‘Vittaryd White‘ is a good idea…
It’s made of a 65/35 polyester-cotton blend, is double the original versions price, and is an off-white vs the previous bright white color.
I’ve read reviews that the new poly blend starts piling after short use….
If you’ve purchased a new Ektorp slipcover recently please share your opinion with me!
How does it hold up?
Do stains wash out of it without bleaching?
My Thoughts on the Ektorp Sofa After 1 Year…
I have been pleasantly surprised at how well its been holding up to the abuse, frequent washings, and bleach!
There are a lot of blogs about how to keep this white with kids & pets.. which are SUPER helpful!
But since stains would have days to set in before I’d have access to it, using white slipcovers was a gamble…but it was one I was willing to take.
The summer was fully booked with families of all types. Most had young children and stayed for 7-10 days which meant a lot of use and activities with time for stains to set in.
There is a pool and spa outside the sunroom doors so there are often wet bathing suits, towels, dirty hands and feet resting on the sofa.
By the end of the summer, both Ektorp covers had been through the wash/dryer MANY times.
I bleached them when they looked dull or stains won’t come out using my normal spot treatment & OxiClean.
There hasn’t been any fraying, stubborn stains, or wear to the piping so far but this is the area that has become hardest to get clean..I would describe it as dingy.
With only a few hours to prepare between guests, there is no way we could manage without having both slipcovers.
Replacing cushion covers as needed and take my time treating and washing the stains is amazing! We usually replace everything once a month….
The most common areas that need to be treated are the armrests and the front edge of the cushions (around the piping).
A few minor spots have remained despite my ninja stain skills, that’s just the nature of the game.
If you’d like to see how I keep them white and remove set-in stains I’ll post my pre-wash mix below.
Stubborn stains fade to faint shadows after a good bleaching.
TIP For deep or hard to remove stains (marker, blood, wine, etc): Treat it with a mixture of Blue Dawn Dish soap (*Make sure its the blue kind), baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide before washing. Mix all three in a small bowl and scrub it into the stain, let it sit for an hour, and wash in OxiClean & Tide (or some other type of enzyme cleaner)!
Thank you for the post. Did you decide on the lofallet beige or the white slipcover? I will be purchasing two couches this week form Ikea and am torn between the light beige or white slipcovers.
I’ve been looking into some other options like those from Bemz & Comfort Works since I’d really like 100% cotton the super durable fabric options with stain guard built in are really appealing. The pricing is more expensive than the IKEA covers but everyone I’ve talked to who’s purchased one said they are amazing quality and hold up great to frequent washing & bleaching..so you could always buy the sofa without cover & purchase a more durable option from one of those companies or save up to buy the replacement when it becomes necessary. Be sure to share your experience with us though as I’m always curious how the changes have affected those who are just buying the sofa’s!! P.S…we still LOVE our sectional and it’s held up extremely well despite the abuse!