A couch is a big investment, and one we should all think about carefully in order to find a style that best suits our needs. Whether it's a sectional or something more formal, we often focus a lot on its look and feel, but perhaps not enough on its cushions. Bring home the wrong one, and you may end up dealing with one of the biggest annoyances out there: couch cushions that constantly slide off the seat.
The last thing you want to be doing while trying to relax at the end of the day is adjusting your couch cushions because they won't stop slipping and slouching. No matter how expensive the couch is, unfortunately, even the best sofas can fall victim to this issue.
Thankfully, there are ways to prevent it. We spoke to the experts to uncover the best tips for buying the right sofa that won't slide around, and how to keep couch cushions from sliding. Here's what they said.
1. Choose the Right Fabric
If the possibility of your couch cushions sliding off is something you really want to avoid, it's important to consider this before you invest in a sofa. The key is to look at the fabric. For example, you may love the look of a living room with leather sofas, but this might not be the best option if you want to avoid this problem.
"Imagine your cushions are wearing ice skates on a dance floor," says Ayten Nadeau, founder of i-TEN Designs. "Fabrics like velvet, leather, or satin are smooth and can let cushions slide around. Instead, go for fabrics with a bit of texture — think bouclé, wool, or sturdy cotton. These materials will give your cushions the grip they need to stay put."
Price: $446, Was: $499.99
This plump-looking sofa has high-density foam cushions that are less likely to slide around, and even less so considering its quality bouclé fabric upholstery.
Price: $699.99, Was: $2,999.99
At first glance this oversized sofa is just a stack of cushions, but the durable memory foam cushions have been embedded into the frame to prevent them from sliding.
Price: $1,024.19
Even better, pick a modular sofa like this boucle style that doesn't have separate cushions and you'll never have to worry about them sliding off.
2. Add Non-Slip Padding
Do you already have a couch you can't bear the thought of replacing (but still find your couch cushions constantly slipping off super annoying)? You can stop your cushions from sliding by investing in some non-slip padding to put underneath. It doesn't cost a lot (you can get a non-slip couch underlay pad for $12.99 from Amazon) and will quickly solve the problem.
Ben Soreff from H2H Organizing says "To prevent a couch cushion from slipping don't reinvent the wheel. Go with no-slip padding. You have a few choices in this department, you can get specifically made pads that stick on the cushion and couch or the DIY way by using a rubber rug pad that covers the whole cushion."
3. Switch Out Your Cushions
Instead of replacing your entire couch, you can also consider just switching out the cushions to a more structured design that will be less likely to slip around.
"If you’re dealing with existing cushions that just won’t cooperate, try choosing back cushions with a firmer structure," says Ayten. "Think of these like the bodyguards of your couch — strong and reliable, they’ll keep your seat cushions from slipping away."
This is also a great opportunity to create a bespoke couch design (if you have the budget). You don’t have to simply buy a couch and that’s that. Customise your cushions and upholstery fabric to suit your needs and personal style preferences. Companies like Bemz create custom slipcovers for a range of IKEA sofas, so you can easily switch out your fabric for something less slippy.
4. DIY Velcro Strips
Another quick way you can stop your couch cushions from sliding is to take more of a DIY approach. You can easily stick Velcro strips ($18.69 from Amazon) to the underside of your couch cushions and on the base of your sofa, which will make sure they don't budge.
It's important to note, though, that this is definitely more of a temporary fix than a permanent one. It must be installed correctly, says Ben, who adds: "Word of caution, the Velcro may destroy the cushions in the long run, so be vary wary of this."
Ayten agrees, adding "For a quick fix, Velcro strips can be your secret weapon. It's like adding a bit of magic to keep things in place."
So, how do you stop couch cushions from sliding?
There are lots of things you can do to help stop your couch cushions from constantly sliding off — from quick fixes to more permanent, costly solutions.
A DIYed Velcro strip or adding non-slip padding is easy to do, but if you really want to put a stop to this frustrating problem, the best fix is getting the right kind of couch fabric and shape in the first place (or customizing an existing one).
While they may be popular when it comes to current sofa trends, materials like leather and velvet are not ideal, so if this is a real annoyance of yours, opt instead for a couch that has been upholstered in a stiffer, more grippy fabrics like a bouclé sofa or one made from heavy cotton.
