Couch cover removed for cleaning TIGHT!

[HChrist]

I just joined this forum for this very reason. I have a couch that I want to clean. The cushions are slip covers so no problem with them. The couch itself is covered with a one piece cover. The cover is only stapled at the underside with about 5 million staples. I removed the "liner" or whatever it is called and exposed the staples for the cover. I then removed all the staples and somehow was able to remove the cover. Removing the cover was super difficult . It was very tight but I managed to stretch one corner over the back of one of the curved arms and it came right off. Now, after washing it, I cannot get it stretched back on. It is still damp from the washing .The material seems to be just plain cotton, not microfiber or suede etc.
Are there some tips from the pros I can employ?
Many thanks,
Howard in NC
BTW the cover was not put in the dryer and the only staples were in the bottom. Is this a common type of upholstery for a couch?

[MinUph]

No it is a slip cover. Seems you may have washed it in warm or hot water and it has possibly shrunk. Slipcover people generally will pre wash anything that is removable for washing. In your case seeing it was stapled on it was not the plan for the slipcover person to make it removable. I can't say I have ever run into this type of work before they are either removeable (not stapled) or upholstered (not one piece). Sorry no good news here.

[SteveA]

Maybe a service who cleans upholstery on site would have been the better choice after seeing all the staples.  Wish you had wrote in before doing the work -  Next time better news -
SA

[gene]

I tell all my customers to dry clean their slipcovers. It's more expensive unless the slipcover shrinks and you cannot get it back on. Then it's cheaper to have dry cleaned than to pay for a new slipcover.

It sounds like you may have a piece of furniture where they make the fabric cover all in one piece and then folks who know nothing about upholstery pull it down and staple around the bottom. If I am correct, then this cover was never meant to be taken off. It was meant to be a cheap way to cover a piece of furniture.

If this is that type of furniture, then there will not be a zipper in the back. Just in case, check to see if there is a zipper on one of the back edges going up the corner of the slipcover.

One idea is to put dry cleaning bags on the corners of the sofa and anywhere else you can, and see it this helps you to get the slipcover to slide back onto the sofa. Any super thin plastic like dry cleaning bags will work. I buy this type of plastic by the roll from an upholster supplier. You can leave the dry cleaning bags under the slipcover. You will never know it is there.

Cotton shrinks. It shrinks most on the first washing.

Again, from what you described it sounds like the sofa slipcover was not meant to ever be taken off at all.

And finally, if you cannot get the slipcover back on, then you cannot use it. Therefore, you can pull as hard as possible with the dry cleaner bags on the sofa, without worrying about tearing the slipcover. If it tears, you wouldn't have been able to use it anyway.

Best of luck.

gene