How the heck do you have a white couch with a dog?! Why you shouldn’t be afraid of white, and my laundry hacks with natural cleaners

A very frequent comment I get about our house is…but how do you keep everything white?!

Oh and the famous comment…”just wait until you have kids!”…but guess what? We have a large dog who gets muddy on the daily and it doesn’t phase me a bit.

Even when people ask me for advice on what color couches or linens to get, they say “just nothing too light that will show dirt.” But my response is…don’t you want it to show dirt? Don’t you want to visually see it so you know when it’s time to clean it, instead of just assuming it’s “pretty clean” until you decide to clean it?

I think we’ve all been afraid of white because we think that once it’s stained, it’s done for. But that just isn’t true!

It actually helps to have white linens for a few reasons…

1) It’s easier to clean and more economical.

For one: you can bleach it…you can’t bleach colors! You also don’t have to worry about fading colors, and since you’re cleaning it more often the pieces stay in better condition for longer, so your investment can stretch that much further.

2) You can actually see the dirt on white!

Just because you have a grey couch or towels and can’t see the dirt, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. With white, it keeps me accountable for the dirt and germs on our sheets, towels and couch. When it starts looking dirty…laundry it is! And that’s my timeline for washing.

So here it is…this is how I maintain white linens in our home (and yes, with a dog that gets dirty on the daily!)

1) Removable and washable cushions.

We have the Feather Luxe modular sectional from DownEast, and all the cushion covers are removable and washable. The fabric was also pre-treated so any liquids just slide right off it…it’s crazy! If you go into the store, ask them to demo it for you. I’ve spilled red wine on our couch and only a fraction of it actually absorbed. The rest I cleaned up perfectly with Folex.

I wash the cushion covers about once a quarter.

I also love removable cushions because if I ever do want to reupholster in the future, I don’t need to buy an entirely new couch. I get asked a lot if it’s stayed fluffy and yes it has! It’s a down feather couch, so if it ever loses too many feathers I can always stuff it some more. We don’t lose many feathers though, just a few here and there.

2) Annual (or semi-annual) professional cleaning

I do this every six months. Yes, it’s a little pricey but to me it’s 10000% worth it. I use Coconut Cleaning which is local to Arizona, and they use a heavy duty professional water steamer with their cleaning formula to work magic. For real, check out my before and after pics in last year’s Spring Cleaning post.

We don’t have a carpet or upholstery cleaner and I would definitely use one, but Coconut Cleaning just does such a good job!

3) Spot treating

Literally for anything, I use Folex. Wine stains, puppy puke…it is a miracle! Make sure to wipe it off after five minutes or else it may totally bleach what you sprayed it on depending on the material. I also use Resolve Pet from time to time with darker materials and I love it too.

For in the laundry, I use The Laundress stain remover.

4) In the washing machine

I don’t like chemicals so I just can’t use OxiClean or anything like that which I know has been known to work well, however I maintain my whites with these:

• Baking powder: I add a 1/2 cup to the inside of the load, directly on top. I get the huge economy bag from Costco and put it in these glass jars.

• A splash of white vinegar in the detergent compartment of the washing machine

• Chlorine-free bleach: Chlorine free is VERY important for linen-type fabrics, because chlorine really breaks down the fibers in linen. I use Seventh Generation bleach.

• Fabric Softener: most with chemicals will add a thick coating to make it seem like the linens are fluffier, but the chemicals actually break down your fabrics and make them more stiff. Ever since researching ingredients, I’ve been using this Vaska lavender scented one and I have been loving it, plus it’s clean! I’ve heard Seventh Generation is good too. I also use the Think Dirty app to research ingredients in my detergents, household cleaners, and beauty products.

• Mrs. Meyers Scent Booster Salts: I use an unscented detergent, Seventh Generation, so I like to add these salts for a little something. And they are clean and chemical free!

• Instead of laundry sheets, I use wool dryer balls for a few reasons. For one, they are a natural, chemical-free way to reduce static electricity and add a nice smell. Two, you can control the smell of it by adding one drop of essential oils to each of them and I use two balls per dryer load. All of our laundry is lavender scented, so I use the Young Living Lavender Essential oil. And three, they help dry the load faster by adding more space between the clothes for air to get through!

These are the wool dryer balls I use – each is good for about a year – and it comes with a cute wool case.

Another tip:

Check the stains before drying, and use a medium temperature on the dryer. The really hot cycles will burn off some of the fluffy stuff on your towels. The hot temperatures also embed any stains deep into the fabric. So if it’s still a little stained, spot treat and wash it again before drying.

Here are the bath Sheets we have. They’re huge and super luxurious feeling!

I have also been loving this retractable clothesline! It takes up so much less space than a drying rack and it prevents clothes from being hung up ALL over the hose. I posted it on stories and a few people laughed at me because I guess these are pretty standard in hotels, but I guess I just haven’t noticed them!

Everything from this post is linked right here: