How To Wash The Nugget Couch So It Looks Like New

If your kids have The Nugget couch, then chances are high that they’re climbing all over it as often as possible. While it’s nice that your kids love to play with it so much, their dirty hands and feet can do a number on the fabric, so it’s helpful to know how to wash The Nugget couch to keep it clean and looking its best. And as it turns out, the process is actually pretty easy. The hardest part is probably keeping your kids away from their favorite modular toy/furniture.

What Is The Nugget Couch?

The Nugget couch is a piece of furniture consisting of one large “soft cushion” (which is actually two pieces of foam in a slipcover), one large “sturdy base” (again, two pieces of foam in a slipcover), and two triangular pillows (also pieces of foam in slipcovers). The couch was originally created with the idea that the target customer would be college students, but once the original designers realized how much young kids loved it, they took their product in a whole new direction to turn it into a kid-friendly piece of furniture that offers open-ended play. Basically, it’s the equivalent of couch cushions that kids can stack, climb on, use to build forts, and pretty much whatever else they can dream up.

Since early 2020, The Nugget couch has become an incredibly sought-after piece of furniture, to the point where the company couldn’t keep up with demand. Still, even if it means being put on a months-long waitlist, families continue to invest in the couch. And, to be clear, invest is the right word here, because these couches cost over $200, and that's why it’s important to know how to wash The Nugget couch, if for no other reason than to protect your investment.

How To Wash The Nugget Couch

When The Nugget was turned into a kids’ product, the company was careful to make sure that the couch was, in fact, kid-friendly. Each of the couch’s six foam pieces is protected by a zippered microsuede cover. This design is great because it makes cleaning the couch very simple.

According to The Nugget’s FAQ page, with the exception of the Elmo Special Edition embroidered pillows, Nugget covers can be cleaned in the washing machine (yup, seriously). They recommend washing the cover by itself, with cold water, using a clear detergent. To preserve the color and prevent shrinking, it’s best to let the cover hang dry. If the cover doesn’t need a full wash, it can be spot cleaned using a damp cloth or a carpet/upholstery cleaner.

As for the foam, it needs to be spot cleaned using a wet rag and an upholstery cleaner. Unfortunately, this isn’t a super quick process because you’ll need to make sure the foam is completely dry before you put it back into the cover (you can speed up the drying by putting the foam in front of a fan or open window). Since the foam isn’t as easy to clean as the cover, if you have some pretty messy kids then it may be worth it to purchase a waterproof protective liner set to keep it safe from spills and, well, everything else kids manage to spill on the furniture.

Is There A Replacement Cover For The Nugget?

The great thing about The Nugget is that it’s designed to withstand all kinds of play, but it’s still not entirely indestructible. If over time your cover becomes so dirty and worn down that no amount of spot or machine washing will get it clean, you don’t have to buy a whole new couch, you can just get a replacement cover. They’re available in a variety of colors and they’re made from the same fabric as the cover that comes with The Nugget, so they clean up just as easily. Not to mention, the replacement covers make it very easy to quickly switch up your kids’ play space decor.

So, there you have it. Knowing how to wash The Nugget couch is as easy as knowing how to work your own washing machine. But, maybe don’t let the kids in on that secret (otherwise, who knows what they’ll spill all over it).