I know, I know. You’re googling and looking all over Pinterest because you want reviews on the White Ikea Ektorp couch and chair so you can prove to your doubting family that it will be fine to buy one. Then you can buy your gorgeous White Ikea Couch and live in farmhouse heaven until eternity, because the bloggers said they are great, right? Or was that just me?
Well, I’m here to tell you my honest thoughts on the gorgeous White Ikea Ektorp furniture and in short……… I say don’t do it.
I pride myself on being a frugal and educated buyer. So when I was obsessed with getting a white couch, because …hello farmhouse style, I really did my homework. I searched the interwebs high and low and read every blogger review and they were all in the same theme. They all went something like this
“I have six kids, twelve dogs, sixteen cats and a camel and even though I haven’t washed the cover in five years my white ikea couch is still sparkling white!”
Yes, I’m exaggerating (a little) but you get my point. I did my homework. I’m not new to using white decor. I love white linens and towels because they are bleach-able. After years of research I really believed in my soul that if I purchased the ikea ektorp couch and chair, bleach would solve any issue that came along. So I made the leap. They were really inexpensive, super easy to assemble and they are the perfect farmhouse furniture pieces. They looked fantastic in my one room makeover last year, you can see that here.
Believe me I’m not here to bash the IKEA Ektorp pieces. I love them for the value, they are very comparable to pottery barn furniture and structurally they are holding up super well. The back pillows haven’t smushed down even a little. And they are soooo pretty!
Before I delve into my review of the white ikea couch and chair, here are some things you should know about us.
-We are empty nesters. There are two adults and two small dogs in the house.
-We have three adult boys, we are used to cleaning up messes.
-We are pretty clean. We should be prime candidates for white furniture.
-We’ve had this furniture less than 18 months.
So why wouldn’t I recommend the White IKEA Ektorp set to you?
The Reasons Why Buying a White IKEA Couch and Chair Was a Huge Mistake
My husband is afraid to sit on them
Seriously. My husband won’t sit on them. He covers them in blankets so instead of looking beautiful, they look like this. 😢😢😢 this is not the pretty look I’m going for!
I’ve told him a million times I don’t care if he sits on them without blankets, but he doesn’t feel comfortable. If someone is coming over we have to collect all of the blankets to make the house look cute again.
The rest of my family won’t sit on them either
Everyone is afraid to sit on the furniture. At first my family wouldn’t even go in the family room during our holiday celebration. When I finally convinced them it was really ok, they still were very nervous. They think my family room is one of those untouchable sitting rooms from the 80’s and that’s not how I want my guests to feel.
Unlike your family your pets won’t be afraid to sit down at all!
They will sit, roll, wipe, drag and do whatever else dogs do all over your couches. They will find the spots the blankets don’t cover. If you’re one of those families that don’t allow your dogs on the furniture, you’re better off than we are. But my dogs sit everywhere because they are soooo cute. I couldn’t possibly make them get down.
White furniture shows stains just like you would expect
You instinctively know that white furniture is going to get filthy dirty…….listen to your instincts! This is after being washed in bleach
They are washable, but nobody wants to wash them THIS often
We have three grown kids, two dogs and we use our furniture. We have always had washable furniture and we wash it quite often. But I’m not interested in stripping my whole entire couch and chair constantly. Washing them, hanging them to dry and then putting them back on every week is just.not.happening. (Plus, Putting them on by yourself is like wrestling with an uncooperative toddler).
Even when you wash them with bleach all the stains don’t come out
We’ve only had them for around 18 months, and they have had blankets on them for most of the time. Yet, they are pretty stained. Here’s the picture evidence. These aren’t even spill stains they are just everyday stuff.
So now you know why I think buying white furniture was a huge mistake. But wait, there’s good news..
As I looked at the white ikea couch and chair, part of the appeal was the fact that I can buy a new couch cover for $200. So I was able to try out the white slip covers with minimal risk. It stinks to lose $200 but at least I don’t have to replace the whole couch. There are many colors to choose from and I’m leading towards a dark gray. As a blogger I might pull out the white covers for pictures sometimes, because they are still so pretty!
Even though these didn’t work out for us, I still love Ikea so much. This is a great set of furniture and the price is amazing. If you are going for the pottery barn look without the price, this furniture is a great choice. The white slipcovers just don’t work in my house. If you still really have to have them, I hope you have better luck than we did!
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Love the update Heather! Pets and little kids seem the real problem with white furniture. I know I could never have one.
I’ve had the same problem with my hubby and refusing to use something. It’s the bathtub rugs! He won’t step on them when he gets out of the shower. It doesn’t matter if they are a towel type or something with a rubber backing. He always lays down his shirt after he takes it off and places it on top of the rug to step on going in & out of the shower. For almost 40 years I’ve told him that’s why the rug is folded nicely on the tub so you can lay it down and step on it. Rugs are to step on not t shirts. He believes $5 -10 rug that I regularly wash needs extra protection from a few drops of water. It drives me crazy! 😫 If this comment is to much info on my hubby’s bathing habits I’m sorry.😉 I just find it funny the things men think of no matter what we tell them.
I love the look of your slipcovers. Sorry they are not working out for your family.
I used towels on my couch and chairs because I had two black cats that loved to lay on the top of the cushions. Yep, been there, done that. It does look marvelous
Thanks for keeping it real. I don’t feel like you are bashing IKEA at all. Just being honest… and love that you feel they have held up structurally… that’s actually ‘key’ in purchasing furniture! Here from Waste Not Wednesday!
Thank you so much for sharing your honest opinion it means a lot. Thanks for sharing on To Grandma’s House We Go!
Our habitat couch has a white background so is always getting food stains or writing on it when am writing on the couch. Not meaning to but it sure happens. We eat in living room since there is no dining area in our single wide mfg.home. Total bummer. We sold our dining set shortly after moving in here. Much has been spilled on the furniture and rugs. Trying to put a slipcover on this couch drove me crazy so got rid of slip cover. Have other things I put on couch to protect it,like tablecloths. With myself and our very hairy black dog a white couch would be a disaster. Luckily hubs chair is gray bonded leather,nice study chair. His chair cost more than my Habitat couch. Have had couch for about 4 yrs..now and it’s held up great. was $125.00 BUT I HAD A 25%OFF COUPON.
It’s a sleeper couch and weighs a ton, can’t move it in living room on carpet. Would put casters on legs if I could.
I like to rearrange living room..
If I could afford it would buy a new Ektorp IKEA sofa. Not a white one, a gray one, light gray painted on walls about 4 yrs. ago. Your white couch and chair look really nice in your living room. Cute dog too.
Hope you get to enjoy your white couch and chair. Happy weekend
Oh thats too bad. We bought our white Ektorp set, along with an Ektorp ottoman, with hubby’s discount bc he works part-time at IKEA. That was in February I think. I can spot clean it alot and blue Dawn works well. The slipcovers can be machine dried. You dont need to hang them to dry. Take them out and put them on while still slightly damp. We dont let our doggo on the furniture but he is allowed on the bed. If you like the sofas and theyre comfy, pop slipcovers on them. I almost went with the lafollette (?) beige when we bought ours.
I love the white furniture and whished it had worked out for you. It’s just stunning. But yes, a lot of work. (sitsgirls)
I applaud you for speaking your truth! I do not know why everyone is believing all the hype about white couches! I learned that lesson 30 years ago when I bought my first ever piece of furniture and it was a white sectional. Needless to say we died it dark blue 4 months later. Even sitting on it in clean clothes the darn thing got dark grey spots where we sat.
I’m a huge fan of dark grey, it’s stylish and definitely hides stains. I have had the same grey one now for 2 years and it’s doing so much better then any other color I’ve bought.
I too have white IKEA chairs in my master bedroom and they are so pretty but we do keep lightweight blankets on them because we use the sitting area of our bedroom to read or watch tv or to work on computer. When I make my bed each day, I pull the blankets off and put them away. Yes, it is a couple extra steps but it is the same as removing and adding throw pillows on the bed. The key is to have storage areas to rely on. Having said that, I knew I could replace the white covers for another color and that is what saved my sanity. I have a different color to fall back on should I tire of the white. I have had mine for a little over a year and have not had to wash them yet. 😉
We are empty nesters and have one very small dog who does not get on the furniture, mostly because he can’t jump that high. haha. My husband is only home every other week so maybe that has something to do with them staying white. 🙂
I do wonder how people with active families and pets cope with the white sofas, chairs and stool cushions. Maybe they use those clorox pens etc.