# 5 things you shouldn't buy at Ikea **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 16, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067 "2011-05-16T04:26:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/41 "2011-05-16T22:18:56Z")
I bought solid wood bookshelves ten years ago that still hold up very well after moving. Bought some more a few months ago. Also, a solid wood desk and a metal bed + mattress that are both older than that and are still holding up fine. The particle board stuff is easier to break but it’s also a lot cheaper generally, so you do sort of get what you pay for there. Wouldn’t buy a particle board book shelve anyway - I’ve got too many books. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/42 "2011-05-16T23:52:27Z")
I got my sheets at Ikea at least seven years ago and I love them. They are substantial and soft. I don’t have an Ikea anywhere near here and they don’t sell sheets online and that makes me sad because I’d love to buy some more. I am in an Ikea-less desert. The cheap cheap mattress I got, well, that didn’t work out well at all. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/43 "2011-05-17T00:26:39Z")
> [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](#): > > Do not buy any fabric materials that need washing, from Ikea. > Needs washing: sheets, aprons, placemats, napkins, throw rugs. > Doesn’t need washing (generally): decorative doilies, roller blind type things, decorative wall hangings. > > In short, and fabric item from Ikea that goes through a washing machine will come out of said washing machine looking really, really bad. I also disagree – I have 4 TOFTBO bath rugs, and they come out of the washer / dryer looking better than they did when I bought them. $10 for a 2’ x 3’ rug is an excellent deal, moreso if you can put them through the laundry. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/44 "2011-05-17T00:56:24Z")
It seems that in the past twenty years or so, I have lived close enough to an Ikea store to shop there regularly. Lots of shelving that’s held up - the really cheap basic wooden stuff, as well as a few Billy bookshelves. The dresser I bought didn’t hold up, but was still functional when I trashed it - which was what I expected. I bought a cheap dresser because I needed one, but I didn’t want to keep it forever. My Ikea mattress has held up well, also the one I bought in from the As is section, which rarely gets used, but when I have a guest, makes the futon couch bearable to sleep on. Duvet covers have held up well, though one suffered from my dog’s sudden desire to shred things. I patched it and it still works. As do the duvets I bought over the years. Are they the very best quality? Not the ones I bought, but I sure have got my money’s worth out of them and I don’t worry about ruining them by using them. The feather duvets have taken a wash and dry at the local laundromat. Would have cost me as much as I paid for them to have them professionally cleaned, so it was worth the risk to launder them. They came out just fine. Ikea is great. Some of it is cheap… but sometimes I just want something that will serve it’s purpose for as long as it lasts at a good price. Not everything I own needs to be heirloom quality. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/45 "2011-05-17T03:44:55Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Dude. That’s a buttload of espresso. And I thought I was hardcore because I can drink 4 ounces at a time. You Washington guys can really put it away. Of course, I’m originally from L.A. 😉 On the rare occasion I go to Starbucks, I like to get a 10-shot espresso. I can drink two of my ‘espresso cups’ full of joe in succession with no problem. If I do three, my head starts to itch. > [@Mangetout](#): > > Yeah, how much coffee (in the form of beans/grounds) does it take to make 16 ounces of espresso? To be accurate, it’s not really espresso. I used to use a Braun espresso/cappuccino machine, but now I just use my large moka pot. It’s close enough. I’m guessing the basket holds… 1/3 cup of grounds? I’ll try to remember to measure next time. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/46 "2011-05-17T05:06:46Z")
While I enjoy walking through the store for ideas I take the time to examine their merchandise and I’m NOT impressed with the cheap stuff. It’s crap that won’t hold up 2 days after it’s in use. I’m talking about their lamps and other “kicky” furnishing items. C’mon people, if you grab it and shake it and it wobbles all over it isn’t going to become more stable by sheer force of will. I find some of their metal kitchen shelves and storage items useful because nobody else sells it but I’m not buying ANY furniture there. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/47 "2011-05-17T06:24:24Z")
Dunno if it fits into any of the “don’t buy at IKEA!” products that I own (things with complicated assembly instructions…wtf?) That said, I have three IKEA products that have served me admirably for nearly seven years now. 1. A computer desk I have beaten the hell of out this thing. Multiple spills, moves, bangs, bumps. When I do take 30 minutes to dust and polish this thing, it still looks quite nice. Polish can’t take out the many dings I’ve put in it, but that’s not the desk’s fault. 2. TV stand Made an admirable transition from my 2001 monolith looking black CRT to my 2010 LCD flat panel. 3. Nightstand Again, I beat the hell out of this thing. Lots of spills, since I almost always keep a glass of water on it, and am usually uncoordinated when waking up 😃 Still looks fairly decent, seven years in. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/48 "2011-05-17T06:40:02Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Definitely do not buy the [Dindasur](http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6500868/sci-fi-ikea-manuals), second one down. +1 to this! I bought one out of the Scratch and Dent because all that was missing was the two dowels and the Ikea tool, and all my Dindasurs ended up being frogs! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/49 "2011-05-17T07:35:12Z")
Regarding knives, outside of an actual chef I dont know anyone who needs a “set” of knives. what I do hear all the time is the standard, you need a good chefs knife (around 10-12" and with a gentile curve) and a serrated bread knife. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/50 "2011-05-17T08:49:41Z")
My favorite knife is a simple chef’s knife I got at IKEA for $4. I figured if I got a year’s worth of use out of it, that’d be worth $4. Instead, I’m more than two years in, it holds its edge, it takes sharpening nicely and it seems like it’ll last a while longer. It has a rubberized handle, and a nicely balanced weight, and works quite nicely. And again, $4. Well worth the risk. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/51 "2011-05-17T09:14:04Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > My favorite knife is a simple chef’s knife I got at IKEA for $4. > > I figured if I got a year’s worth of use out of it, that’d be worth $4. Instead, I’m more than two years in, it holds its edge, it takes sharpening nicely and it seems like it’ll last a while longer. It has a rubberized handle, and a nicely balanced weight, and works quite nicely. > > And again, $4. Well worth the risk. I’ve had the same experience with my Ikea chef’s knife. ---
**Author:** ![Amara\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7993a0/32.png) [@Amara\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amara_1)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/52 "2011-05-17T16:51:43Z")
Any good dressers at Ikea? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/53 "2011-05-17T17:30:33Z")
Anybody ever buy their ceiling-mounted curtain hardware? It looks like exactly what I have in mind for my bedroom, but I’m worried it’s too lightweight. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/54 "2011-07-13T18:39:48Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > (disclaimer: I do have an engineering degree and am good at spatial reasoning 😛 ). I’m a lawyer with a political science degree, and I’m crap at spatial reasoning. I _still_ don’t have any trouble assembling Ikea furniture. Not much, anyway - assembling my Manstad chaise/sofabad thingie was tricky, but that’s just because the thing is _big_, and I was still able to do it by myself. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/55 "2011-07-13T19:14:49Z")
Damndamn. I love my [Hendriksdal dining table chairs](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09861434), with the Kungvik faux suede covers. The covers needed replacement after four years (cat damage, an admirable score) and I tried to buy the covers new. No dice, Ikea discontinued them. So I tried to buy them second hand, as many people buy something, don’t use it, don’t return it either, and sell it on the Internet later. I thought I had struck gold when I found two new covers on E-bay. I bought them, they arrived today, I put them on my chairs and…They are inches too big. It turns out the standard chair size in the US is slightly bigger. The covers look like the skin on one of those Chinese dogs. I put the cat-clawed old covers back and now I don’t know what to do with the new covers. :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(☹ ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/56 "2011-07-13T19:19:44Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > I don’t know what to do with the new covers. Wash them in hot water? ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/57 "2011-07-13T19:20:31Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Wash them in hot water? No, they need to shrink at least 15 %. I guess I’ll put them back on the US e-bay. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/58 "2011-07-13T19:43:26Z")
What am I missing? Why can’t you trim the fabric? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/59 "2011-07-13T19:55:47Z")
To respond to the oldish part of the thread, my daughter bought all her linen at Ikea when she went to college, and never had a problem. When our eldest was born we bought a changing table there, that consisted of drawers, a support, and a top part. We dumped the support and top, but we’re still using the drawers 30 years later. I have tons of cheap Ikea bookcases, at least 15 years old. The only one with a problem was one I stepped on. I like putting stuff together - I do 3D jigsaws for fun - but Ikea directions are some of the best and simplest I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067/60 "2011-07-13T21:01:55Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > What am I missing? Why can’t you trim the fabric? Concur. Even if you don’t have the skills and/or tools to do it yourself, you can get some safety pins, pin the locations where they need to be taken in and take them to a dry cleaners with an alterations department and have them taken in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-things-you-shouldnt-buy-at-ikea/582067.md?page=4)