Long, longtime lurker and sometime poster here.  We love our futon couch.
We spent extra money many years ago and got a really nice Craftsman-looking
frame, the best, thickest mattress at the time (there are better ones now
that even have springs!), and a really good thick cover with a texture that
hides snags.  Spent extra money, too, on a very nice mattress pad - cotton
and extra thick with the quilting wrapping over the mattress sides.  Really
saves the mattress from spills.  Over the years the mattress has squished
down as futon mattresses are wont to do (especially when your husband is
6'4" and over 200lbs.) so I bought a feather mattress (you know, the ones
for on top of the bed) and placed it on top of the futon mattress under the
pad.  Feels fabulous and at $80 was much cheaper than a new futon mattress.
We just refluff it periodically - it folds up just great with the futon.
We like the big poofy look, and the futon fits right in with our eclectic
furnishings.  And it's an extra place to sleep.
 
Not only has the futon been safer for our ferrets over the years, but it's
also been much easier to clean than a regular couch.  Between us and
ferrets and cats, and now a child it has suffered a lot of abuse.  I love
being able to throw the cover in the washer over and over.
 
Compared to a regular couch the futon is shorter which can bother people
with long legs. The back also leans back a bit, but I use pillows and am
not bothered by it. I'll never go back after watching how quickly a
couch deteriorated in our household.
 
Shelly
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[Posted in FML issue 3537]