Ikea Ektorp Sectional – 1 Year Review & Cleaning Tips

Hey everyone! Happy you stopped by today because I’m giving you the lowdown on the Ikea Ektorp sectional after living with it for a year {and 3 months}.

If you read my post on how my other Ikea pieces have held up over the years, you’ll remember me saying that I would be doing this post separately. That’s because I get asked about my Ikea Ektorp sectional quite a bit! Especially on Instagram, where I’ve shared plenty of photos of my living room.

The two most frequently asked questions I get are, I’m I happy with purchasing the Ektorp sectional and how do I keep the white slipcover clean? So let’s talk about it!

We purchased our Ikea Ektorp sectional in early March 2015 in the midst of moving from New Jersey to Tennessee. It wasn’t until a month later we actually got to use it. I was like a kid on Christmas morning when we finally moved in and was able to unbox our new Ikea Ektorp sectional!

It definitely doesn’t look that impressive naked, although the kids seem to be OK with it that way.

Hubby and I put it together fairly quickly with no issues, and I loved the look of it in our new space right away!

I started out with the Nordvalla gray slipcover…

But, have also used the Tygelsjo beige slipcover {discontinued}.

holiday home tour

And my favorite the Blekinge white slipcover {sadly also discontinued}. It’s a really a bright white, and hubby thought I was nuts when I told him I wanted to get it. However, when you can just take off the cover and wash it, having white with kids is really not that big a deal to me. Plus, I’m willing to put in a little extra energy into keeping it clean since I love the look of the bright white cover so much.

*Tip: Lint Rollers are a must if you have the white slipcover! Using a lint roller a few times a week really helps keep the slipcover looking fresh in between washings. 

Although I loved the way the Ektorp sectional looked when we first put it together. I was still a little worried about how well it would hold up given the price point. Plus, I knew it would arguably be the most used piece of furniture in our home.

It has been a little over a year that our family has been using the Ikea Ektorp sectional day in and day out, and here’s my honest opinion on it.

I love this sectional, and I would buy it again in a heartbeat!

What I love about the Ikea Ektorp sectional: 

~The price point! I firmly believe that it’s one of the best furniture bargains out there for the quality!

~Removable slipcover.  Having the ability to remove the cover and wash it is great, especially when you have kids and pets {and mom and dads who drink coffee and eat dessert on the sofa}! Even if you don’t have kids or pets, being able to basically “wash” your sofa whenever the spirit moves you is still pretty awesome. The slipcovers are a durable cotton twill like fabric, and they wash well.

~It’s comfy and durable. Even after a year of heavy use {including kids climbing and jumping all over it}, the cushions are still firm and not saggy at all. We all have our favorite spot on the sectional, so I do try to rotate the cushions so they wear evenly.

~I can change up the whole look in my living room by simply purchasing a new slipcover {as you can see from the pictures I love to change things up}.

~The classic and casual slipcovered look minus the huge price tag that often comes along with it.

home tour

The only downside that I can speak to is the maintenance that comes along with the white slipcover. The white shows EVERYTHING! Not that it’s terribly difficult to wash, but if washing the covers fairly frequently, and the other general maintenance that comes along with having a white sofa is not something you want to deal with, then you should consider getting another color. 

How I wash and dry the white Ektorp slipcover: 

When I wash my white slipcover, which honestly isn’t that often, once a month {if that}. I use the same method I’ve been using for years when washing my other white slipcovered pieces from Ikea.

I use whatever detergent I have on hand, bleach, and Oxiclean. I wash them in warm water/cold rinse on a normal cycle. I wash the Ektorp covers in 3 loads { back cushion covers, seat cushion covers, and the base cover}.

I dry each load separately on medium heat for about 20 minutes or so, putting the covers back on slightly damp {I aim for somewhere around 60-70% dry}. Doing this helps make it easier to get them back on since it has more give, and helps reduce wrinkles. You can always use a steamer if the wrinkled look is not for you. Just between me and you though, I mostly let the wrinkles work themselves out unless I’m taking pictures for the blog {dont judge me}.

I’ve been asked what do I do when it’s drying since we can’t sit on it. Well, what I often did was wash them right after I dropped the kids off at school. I would turn on the ceiling fan and the covers would be dry by the time they got home. Now that the kids are on summer break, my plan is to wash it in the evenings and let it dry overnight.

Also, I wash my beige cover the same way minus the bleach. I’ve yet to wash my gray cover, but when I do, I will use these same methods as well.

When it’s all said and done I have no regrets buying this sectional. It has worked wonderfully for our family. I’m actually hoping that sometime in the near future we can get the Ektorp sofa for our loft playroom.

This is not a sponsored post. I’ve just gotten a lot of questions over the last year regarding the Ektorp sectional, and I wanted to share my experience with it. Hopefully, this post will help you make an informed decision if you’re thinking about purchasing it. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments or email me.

Does anyone else have the Ektorp sectional or sofa? What are your thoughts on it?

Thank you for visiting! See you next time!

Linking Up With:  Dishing It & Digging It Link Party #100