Kids and Furniture Don't Mix

[OceanAnnie]

Kids are hard on furniture. Even with the best laid plans and rules there are: accidents, spills, and the ever popular horseplay. Argh. Some of our furniture will never be the same.

The most recent incident involved a tan micro-suede sofa set and a red marker. The kids did observe the "no markers" in the room rule. They brought the envelopes they colored with the red marker (colored on the windows) and placed the envelopes window side down on the sofa to write on those with pencil. The pencils were still against the rules (I guess they knew but forgot. ), but they didn't realize the envelope business. We had a discussion/reintroduction about the best place for those things. Moved on. Some of it was a gray area for them -- the traveling envelopes. Went over that too. They were amazed the marker came off of the envelope. Most of the marker stain did come off by dabbing the area with a paper towel with a little cold water on it. I'm going to work on it some more today.

Do you have any kids & furniture stories to share?

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

I'm pretty hard-core about markers and pens staying in the playroom. WE somehow got pen on the micro-suede sofa, but I got it out with hairspray!!!

 

[Christine]

Well, no funny stories to share but I bought expensive furniture for North Carolina when my kids were about, oh, 6 and 3. My son just got everything on it. Whatever. The furniture could only be cleaned using a chemical solvent and I, to this day, have never found ANYONE who would clean it. The drycleaners would take the cushion covers, of course, but no one would do the rest of the couch. So, it is now in the basement.

When I bought my sectional sofa, the one thing I told the salesman was that I HAD to have a fabric that could be cleaned up with water. I did find one (in a burgandy/red type color) and now I can just take the cushion covers off and throw them in the washing machine. The other parts of the couch that cannot be removed clean up just great with water and a rag.

Best thing I ever did.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I'm pretty hard-core about markers and pens staying in the playroom. WE somehow got pen on the micro-suede sofa, but I got it out with hairspray!!!

Hey, thanks! I'll try it. We have a hard core rule about it too. I think they got a little too relaxed with summer.

 

[java]

My youngest has ripped the one chair in the family room that I was thinking of keeping when we finally buy new furniture. But we too are having the pull between buying good stuff or just buying something durable. (really I am not sure that exists vs. 3 boys)
Problem I have is this is in the great room- open to the rest of the house- so it has to look at least decent.

Oh and how he ripped it= he was walking across the top of the chair

 

[Darcy03231]

When my kids were little we just bought second hand furniture. We'd pay $100 for couch, $25-$35 for a chair, etc. It wasn't that we couldn't afford new, I just refused to pay a lot for something I knew the kids would end up ruining. I finally got my first new living room furniture set last year. Kids are now 16, 18, 21 & 25. A year later it still looks new!

 

[All American]

Hands down, one of my favorite movie/book quotes of all times is from "Persuasion", and it goes:

Women without children are the very best preservers of furniture.

I chuckle every time I hear it, and as I look at my daughter who is feeling sick today, I have the couch and surrounding floor area covered in towels just in case.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Hands down, one of my favorite movie/book quotes of all times is from "Persuasion", and it goes:

Women without children are the very best preservers of furniture.

I chuckle every time I hear it, and as I look at my daughter who is feeling sick today, I have the couch and surrounding floor area covered in towels just in case.

Tell me about it! I had a beautiful spotless, off white sofa before I got married. "Had" is the operative word. Add handful of years with kids and it isn't spotless anymore! My parents cautioned me about getting that sofa. I couldn't see past my nose on that one. I thought, I just want to get what I want. I'm single! I'll be careful. Hahaha. Jokes on me! But I am happy. Sofa and all.

It's passable. I turn the cushions from time to time. I'd love to get it re-upholstered but it would be a small fortune. Even thought about doing it myself, for about 1/2 a second. I was thinking shabby chic, different fabrics and whatnot. But even then it's way too expensive, and I'm sure it would be destined for the dump if I went that route.

Hope your DD is feeling better!

 

[CanBeGrumpy]

A few sentences of my son's science fair project are etched into the dining room table--he forgot to put something under his paper (I guess he also forgot to work at his desk like he is supposed to!).

Also, kids aren't the only ones rough on furniture. Husbands can do their fair share of damage. My Dh spilled an entire bowl of cereal, milk and all, onto our couch. Luckily the couch was on its way out anyway, but what if it had been brand new? New rule--no liquids near the couch!!

I strongly believe I will never be able to purchase any really nice furniture (or carpet), because once my kids are done ruining it, it will be time for the grandkids to start all over again!!

 

[AristocatFan]

Oh how I feel everyone's pain! The kids weren't that bad when they were little but it seems the older they've gotten the worse they've become. Oldest DS is a big boy(tall) and seems to have no control on how he sits down. He can't nicely sit, it has to be a flop down with an immediate throw of a leg over the arm of the recliner. He has busted two recliners because of this and, of course, cannot see that he did it. I keep telling him he owes me a recliner when he's grown and self-supporting!

The day my tan micro-suede couches arrived, younger DS dumped a plate of spaghetti on the couch! Seemed to have forgotten the rule about not eating in the family room. Luckily, my trusty Windex got it all out. Love that stuff!

There's been many others. Our most recent; DD sits on the tan micro-suede loveseat and takes the cap off of a black Sharpie marker. (she forget the marker rules) The inside cap was full of water so black ink spewed big spots on the loveseat. Tracing back to why the marker would have water in it....DS(15) had left it in his pants pocket, it had gotten washed and I was thankful it hadn't come apart in the wash and put it back in the pencil cup. So, we traced that back to being DS's fault! I'm going to try the hairspray tip.

My other couches are leather. Love it! Easy maintenance!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Oh how I feel everyone's pain! The kids weren't that bad when they were little but it seems the older they've gotten the worse they've become. Oldest DS is a big boy(tall) and seems to have no control on how he sits down. He can't nicely sit, it has to be a flop down with an immediate throw of a leg over the arm of the recliner. He has busted two recliners because of this and, of course, cannot see that he did it. I keep telling him he owes me a recliner when he's grown and self-supporting!

The day my tan micro-suede couches arrived, younger DS dumped a plate of spaghetti on the couch! Seemed to have forgotten the rule about not eating in the family room. Luckily, my trusty Windex got it all out. Love that stuff!

There's been many others. Our most recent; DD sits on the tan micro-suede loveseat and takes the cap off of a black Sharpie marker. (she forget the marker rules) The inside cap was full of water so black ink spewed big spots on the loveseat. Tracing back to why the marker would have water in it....DS(15) had left it in his pants pocket, it had gotten washed and I was thankful it hadn't come apart in the wash and put it back in the pencil cup. So, we traced that back to being DS's fault! I'm going to try the hairspray tip.

My other couches are leather. Love it! Easy maintenance!

That's a good one!

I told mine that furniture is handed down from parents to grown children when they move out. After a slew of mishaps, I told them I was going to remember what has happened to the furniture and who was responsible. The person that damages the furniture will be the one to receive it. I got the deer caught in headlights look. My son got creative and said he would just buy his own furniture. That's when I told him even with a job, it's hard to come up with enough money for a place to stay and furniture. He got upset over that news.

I did tell him we would probably have different furniture by the time he is ready to move. But reminded the children they need to start thinking about the furniture as though it is "theirs". I think that message hit home after awhile. Don't think it will last though. Hoping.

 

[MM27]

I'm guilty of single handedly destroying a piece of furniture. I decided to do my nails in the living room one time and spilled nailpolish remover all over a wood coffee table. What a mess.

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[bellebuzzntink]

Furniture stories:

DS8, when he was about 3, took tinker toy sticks and started drumming on his big sister's new white wood bed - lots and lots of little indentations on the foot of it now.

DD11 when she was about the same age, got a sticker book from her grandmother, and proceeded to decorate the wooden coffee table with them while I was out of the room.

DS, again, when he was old enough to know better, got mad about something, and took it out on one of our sofas......with scissors......I now have a dozen small cuts all over a solid color sofa. Then DD5 proceeded to color on it with markers. Fortunately this sofa is in the game room, and it's really theirs to lounge on, but I didn't think putting it in there would mean they would destroy it.

I've just given up. I'd like to have a house that is pretty and nicely decorated, but I guess it's just not in the cards right now.

 

[ChristmasElf]

When we went to North Carolina and bought new furniture, I told the kids they couldn't even sit on it for 2 years.
Little did I realize that my 9 yr old at the time would seriously take that to heart.
2 years later I walk into the family room and there he is sitting on the couch with his hands behind his head "relaxing"
I asked him what he was doing. His reply? Well, you said 2 years. Today has been 2 years. I'm sitting on the couch today.

I had to give him credit though. He did wait 2 years!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

When I was growing up we had sheets/blankets on all furniture. I thought everyone had this until I visited other people's houses When my brother and I were older teenagers they finally took the sheets/blankets off and we had brand spanking new 20 year old furniture