Making do Monday: Making my Sofa and Loveseat more Chic than Shabby!

"Making do" is not an exciting thing to talk about.  Whether you are a money saving mom, a do-it yourself dad or single lady living slim, it can be a frustrating place.  Just recently while reviewing our yearly home improvements, my "supposed needs" made it to the bottom of the list due to the stage my kiddos are in, being BIG CUTE MESSES.  (Just a note: I am a housewife and mother with a limited budget.)  I know you may be able to relate: whether it is the terribly stained carpet in your house, furniture that look more shabby than chic, bed spread that has seen its last day or the less than fabulous backyard, you have to say no to them when your TRUE needs scream louder, like being debt free or saving for an emergency fund. 


One of my sweet friends from college just posted a problem that I have, on facebook which inspired me to start this segment: Making do Mondays!  Here is her facebook status:


"Kristi will never own another piece of furniture made of microfiber. easy to keep clean my rear end....My poor couch always looks worse after I try to clean it than it did with all the random stains from kids/pets/life, etc..."


My sentiments exactly! My husband and I bought this hip, modern sofa and loveseat  set from Rooms to Go 5 years ago.  In my opinion, they have got to go!  With two kids and a dog, they look terrible. Yes, the furniture company did add scotch guard it. I have tried cleaning the blasted sofas with the fabric cleaner it came with . Every time, I clean the sofa with the cleaner they look WORSE with water marks all over my sofa and loveseat as well as the many scratches on the wood (not to mention the permanent marker stain from my budding young artist).  


So now I am going to do some experimenting with advice on how to clean these sofas from different sources as well as do a little touch up work on the wood.  Yes, I am going to make do. We will see if this works. 


Here are the different methods I will try to clean it up:

1. Baby Wipes- furniture stores advice 
2. Alcohol and amonia from www.cleanyourmicrofiber.com
3. Any suggestions?? Please leave them in the comment box! 

Yes, I know we face these "messes"in our life and I hope to inspire you to take action about those areas that really bug you without "breaking the bank".  I will write a follow up by Monday to let you know my progress on my little "science experiment". 


FYI, if all else fails, my plan is to save for slipcovered sofas little by little with a sinking fund. A sinking fund is where you save for a large, infrequent expense by saving a certain percentage a month.  I am going to start saving now because I know this will be a TRUE need in the future!  If you would like to help me save for my sofa, just sign up for Shop at Home and Ebates which is a FREE rebate program for online shopping.  You will receive $5 cash back each just for signing up for each of the FREE  programs, and I will get a $5 referral fee for everyone who signs up.  To learn more, go here! 

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Making do Monday: Making my Sofa and Loveseat more Chic than Shabby!