what fabric should I consider with children in the house? Are there any questions I need to ask before buying the sofa?
You should consider being able to wash it easily a major plus. If you can take the cushion covers off to wash them, it's also a plus. Make certain that there is a stain resistant protection on the sofa if you buy material.... Scotchguard is great.... and you can do it yourself if the store doesn't offer it free of charge. You can buy the product at any good home hardware store. Have you thought about leather? Easy to clean, care for and very child resistant...... If not for you, buy a sofa that has printed material that stains and such won't show.... stains will show big time on a solid color material. Also make certain that the springs and base of the sofa are solid if your kids have a tendancy to jump all over it......... Of course, you can do what I did when raising my kids.... don't allow them to eat, drink or use markers, pens, etc in the living room on the sofa.... My sofa is beige and still doesn't have a stain on it and I've had it for 9 years....
Whatever you do, DO NOT GET MICROFIBER!!! It is also called Microsuede. The saleman or woman might try to lie and tell you that it is very cleanable and further advise you to get it stain-proofed for added protection. I did that and I have five kids. My sofa set is only a year or so old and it watermarked whenever something got on it and I tried to clean it or if something spilled on it. You can't get the stains out and there's no way to steam clean it at all so once food or drinks get on it, it's done...
my cousin was also sucked into the microfiber lie....dont do it...personally i went with a slipcover sofa set from ikea [i'm sure other places have similar products] i chose a dark fabric that wont show messes as much as something lighter. that way as soon as something is spilled i can remove the cover, toss it into the washer and ta-da! another plus is that if you decide to change your decor, just buy a different cover! easy-peesy
i would get corduroy. I live in a family with 4 kids. And i love it.....and when you spill something on it as long as it dries it does not leave a spot. (We have a brown cordury sofa)
I like my leather furniture. Everyone told me not to get it, but with leather recliner, my two year old got ahold of it with an ink pen and just a little bit of alcohol and some leather conditioner it was gone! After four years of the furniture I still love it and it still looks like new! I don't allow the kids to have their shoes all over the furniture, and not alot of toys are allowed in the living room anyway. If taken care of I prefer the leather because of the durability.
