I will grant you that keeping the plastic on a sofa indefinitely is, well, ridiculous, but when it comes to futon beds and futon frames, a futon cover is a welcome addition to the party.

Here are some reasons you want to consider adding a full futon cover over any futon mattresses in your home.

1. A Futon Slip Cover Protects Your Futon Mattress From Stains, Spills, and Other Accidents.

Did you just spill your dinner on your futon? Wait, why aren’t you eating at the dinner table? I regress…

Anyhow, no worries: that queen sized microsuede futon cover you just fit over your queen futon mattress sofa bed is now paying off. Instead of having to deal with “How the heck do I clean a freakin’ futon mattress?, you now need only to wash the futon cover (and go get a second helping of dinner – and this time, eat at the table!).

Seriously though, futon slip covers are going to protect your investment of buying a futon sofa bed in the first place. You can even buy futon covers that are designed to resist stains, such as a waterproof futon cover or vinyl futon cover. Just make sure you buy an easily washable futon cover and you’ll be set.

2. A Futon Cover Will Cover Up Existing Stains, Spills, and Other Accidents On the Actual Futon Mattress.

Futon mattresses get dirty. They seem to get dirtier than normal sofas or a normal bed. This is especially true for a black futon (and on that note, black futon covers have the same faults – they show dirt and cat hair and other icky things much easier than say, a light green futon cover or a nice blue futon cover.)

Since futon beds are a popular item amongst the youth, buying one used means.. you don’t want to know what’s actually on it. (Beer would be the least of our concerns.)

It’s much easier just to slap on a nice cotton futon cover or one of those fancy chenille futon covers and keep any spills and stains on the mattress itself out of sight and out of mind!

3. A Futon Cover Can Definitely Be Part of Your Homes Design and Decor Theme.

This is one of the coolest reasons to add a cover or slip to your futon: to make the futon add something to the overall design theme of your room or home.

For instance, say you’re a huge NC State football fan (for what reason, I do not know, but that’s for a different conversation). This means you like the color red. You want everything in your home to be red. But that stupid blue futon in the living room makes people think you like UNC instead! Show your true colors (pun intended) by buying a red futon cover!

Another example is something I saw at a beach house recently. You can imagine the theme going on here – shell decorations, sand art, beach photos on the walls, plants and greens around the house. And then I noticed that the two futon mattresses in the living room were decked out with the ever popular tropical futon cover theme.

These two examples are only the tip of the iceburg. You can pretty much get a futon cover that will add to the flair of your design goals, no matter if you’re going for a rustic futon cover to match the antique, country feel of your home, or a black futon cover to match the death metal posters in your dorm room.

4. A New Futon Cover Means You (Almost) Have a New Futon

Just because you bought a plain black futon doesn’t mean you have to always have a black futon! Applying a cover will basically give you a “new” piece of furniture without having to really buy a whole new futon. This is what puts the “cheap” in “cheap futon covers” since it’s far less expensive than buying a futon with a matching design.

Anytime you want a “new” futon, just change the cover. Simple as that!

Now I wish I had a 5th reason to buy a futon cover so I could title this article something like “5 Reasons To Use a Futon Cover”, because “4 Reasons To Use A Futon Cover” just doesn’t sound right. But let me turn the tables on you here – if you’ve read this far, you’ve probably thought this article was interesting (I hope), and I also hope it’s given you some realistic ideas on how and why to use a slipcover on your futon at home.

But what didn’t I cover?

I invite you to give me the 5th reason in the comments section below!