If you have kids, pets, or even a partner, you may want to invest in some plastic couch covers, or be prepared for the inevitable damage they’ll do to your furniture. According to the latest damage survey from Allstate Protection Plans, 174.8-million Americans have damaged a piece of furniture in the past and 61% of it happened in the first two years they owned it. And couches are often what gets ruined.
So who’s doing all the damage and what’s most likely to take the hit? The survey reveals:
- The most common furniture items Americans bought in the last year were area rugs (30%), sofas, couches and loveseats (23%), beds, bed frames and headboards (21%) and dressers and nightstands (20%).
- For 40% of Americans, couches, sofas and loveseats are the furniture that was most recently damaged or stained.
- Area rugs are next (12%), followed by recliners/chairs (8%) and beds/bed frames and headboards (7%).
- People spend an average of $299 to repair or replace their most damaged furniture.
- The top cause of damage is spills and stains, at 55%, followed by rips and tears (25%).
- Juice makes up 25% of the stains, people and pets account for 21%, coffee claims 20%, then sauces/condiments with 15% and red wine counts for just 12%.
- Surprisingly, pets and kids aren’t the biggest source of the damage, spouses are. Nearly half (45%) of adults blame their spouse, while 34% say their kids are responsible for it.
- Dogs (20%) are twice as likely as cats (11%) to cause damage.
- To deal with the damage, 43% try to DIY the repair, 38% just keep using the damaged furniture, 23% hide it or cover it up and 14% replace it.
- To protect furniture, 38% of Americans cover it with towels or sheets, 29% use slipcovers and plastic covers and 20% use treatments to prevent stains.
Source: USA Today
Scott's Thoughts:
- So, our husbands and wives are the reason we can’t have nice things?!
- I remember my oldest drawing on the back of a living room chair with a sharpie. She thought she was doing art!
- We should all do what our grandmothers did and cover our stuff with plastic.