Remember Plastic Sofa Covers ?

[verizonbear]

I am considering adopting a Mastiff , they drool alot so I was looking for some old school plastic furniture covers ( Remember Rhoda's Mom lol) I was actually able to find some on line

http://www.nationwideplastic.com/plastic.html

 

[washernoob]

Interesting!

Didn't know they actually made them still.

Just don't wear vinyl pants with company around.

 

[whirlcool]

I remember a few aunts of mine had those. The covers would hiss when you sat down on the sofa or chairs (air exhausting out the vent holes).

And in the summer, you would stick to them. And in the winter you'd get shocked every time you touched them.

Fortunately, we never had them in our home.

Are you well versed in the Mastiff breed? They are not the best dogs for first time dog owners. And drool they do! Owners usually put drool bibs on them when leaving the house. And they definitely need exercise when growing up!

 

[verizonbear]

Mastiffs

I have been around them and my son has one, huge dogs, drool , however they are the most loving and loyal breed out there. Historically they guarded castles, they are good watch dogs but are non vicious will only attack if their master is being threatened . The vet bills run high and they leave cow pattie sized gifts in the yard. I like larger breeds, not into ankle biters

 

[rapunzel]

Same here

One of my aunts in Indianapolis had all of her sofas, armchairs and even the cloth seats of her dining room chairs covered in plastic. She also did the same to the cloth seats in her Chevy. I always thought that she was a little odd for doing this. Now I know it's called OAR.

 

[whirlcool]

Recently at the dog park a guy with an adult Mastif was sitting on a bench and a Cocker Spaniel ran up to the owner. In a flash that Mastiff attacked that Cocker.
While the Cocker survived the incident, he did end up with a bunch of stitches.
So I imagine that the Mastiff thought the Cocker was a threat to the owner...

A family down the block owns a Mastiff. He's so well trained they let their 9 year old son walk him around the subdivision all by himself. And the dog just walks calmly next to him. My only concern is that if that dog saw something like a cat or squirrel would that kid be able to stop him? The dog must weigh 250 lbs or so.

But it's a very friendly dog. I've stopped and talked to the owners a few times while they have been walking him and I must admit he is a very calm dog. He doesn't seem to be given to spontaneous excitement like my labs are.

They had a drool bib on him too.

 

[Ultramatic]

Grew up with the stuff...

<span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone in my family, and I mean EVERYONE had their living room furniture covered with them. Then were all custom made with brass vent grills on the cushions. Of course, when it was time to replace the furniture, the fabric was immaculate. I still have an aunt and uncle who still cover their living room set with plastic.</span> 

 

[whirlcool]

I also remember a cousin of mine had these in his car too! It was a 58 Mercury. They were very hard and crackly in the winter and very hot and sticky in the summer!

 

[petek]

We never had the furniture plasticized but our family cars back in the 60's certainly were. Dad ordered them from a company called Sovereign something or other, had all these bumpy little bubbles in it sort of like bubble wrap come to think of it. It was awful but then he didn't want our dog wrecking the interior. I've got fabric seats in my cars and the dogs have never wrecked the fabric,, gets dirty but still.

There are a few Mastiffs that come up to our dog park and a similar Cane Corso. All of them are like big babies but that drool...it's awful. I couldn't handle it.

 

[whirlcool]

The plastic covers for car seats were originally clear flat fitted plastic. Around the mid 60's they came out with those ones that had the bumps on them. Kind of like a snowflake design. Those were much better than the originals.

When I got my 67 Chevy the dealer offered those as an dealer installed option.
In my X5 I opted for fabric seats. I thought our dogs would tear up the leather. I have been pleasantly surprised at how durable they have been. 7 years and not one rip or tear anywhere.

Newfoundlands drool just as bad if not more. We have one that comes into our vet clinic. There is always a puddle of drool on the floor where he has been sitting in the waiting room!

If you think a big dog like that drools a lot, wait until they shake their heads!
It goes flying everywhere! Walls, ceilings, television screens, nothing can escape it. We know some people who have a pair of basset hounds and they drool a lot too!

Did you know that dog drooling could also be a sign of anxiety in dogs too?

 

[alr2903]

LOL, Whirlcool,  the folks had a 63 Belair with those snowflake type seat covers.  At 4 years of age you quickly learned to sit your butt on the edge when wearing shorts and slide back a little at time, in hot weather.  The seats would temporarily brand" you with their design when hot.  You scooched back a little at time, no seat belts in 1963.  alr

 

[whirlcool]

What year was it when they first started installing seat belts in cars? It seems like it would have been front seat only around 64' or 65'. I think from 62' on they were available as an extra cost option.
Our 64' Ford Galaxie 500 convertible had them, front seats only.

 

[ptcruiser51]

@whirlcool

With tongue firmly in cheek, I can only summon-up Chuck Berry's 1964 hit on Chess Records, "No Particular Place To Go". The lyrics include, "Can you imagine the way I felt, I couldn't unfasten her safety belt! Drivin' along in my calaboose, still couldn't get her belt to loose..."

My OM bought a new '64 Pontiac Catalina and took delivery on 11/22/63 (remember that date?). It didn't have seatbelts. My sister's 1965 Chevrolet Impala (she still has it) does not have them. My OM's '66 Chrysler Newport had them as factory equipment. I bought a '64 Chevrolet BelAir used and had seatbelts put in.

I don't remember anyone actually USING seatbelts (honest) until around 1968 or so. They were always tangled-up on or under your seats. I used them, though.

 

[whirlcool]

You are probably right. In 66' there were several new auto safety standards applied to the industry. It was also the first year that GM started putting the GM "Mark of Excellence" on their inside door panels and on the seat belt buttons.

Back to the original subject of this thread..... (I tend to go off track, don't I, but some subjects just remind me of other related subjects).

I sent to link to my elderly aunt and she was able to tell me who had plastic covers on their furniture and in their cars. "Your Aunt Beryl had them on both her lounge set as well as in the car, she was such a neatnik, your cousin John had them in the car..... and so on. And in a house that was not air conditioned they were miserable to sit on in the summertime. I didn't have them, nor did I want them."

 

[petek]

I remember we had them in our 65 Ford, front and back, non retractable. I don't know if they were optional or not. Was it 67 that side marker lights were required and 68 that front seat headrests were.

 

[whirlcool]

Side marker lights came on US cars in 1968. Some companies did a better job of combining them with the styling of the car. Some looked like they belonged there and others looked like they were just tacked on the car.
Headrests came in 1969 with the addition of the shoulder belt laws. GM and Ford had those separate seat belts and shoulder belts. You put the seat belt on first then clipped the shoulder belt into the seatbelt buckle. Most of the time you saw the shoulder belts stowed up in the roof of the car over the front doors.
Most european cars of the era had one piece seat/shoulder belts.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

"And those who think "funky" means plastic cover

There was at least one family I know of that had plastic covers on their living room furniture (& they had a dog, but it died) but we STILL had to "take our shoes off before we could put our feet on the couch!!!!"...

Then there was a family--many families, really--who had dogs (plural, mind you!) but I believe they replaced their furniture when it started looking shabby, when they finally had the money too...

(By then, plastic covers must'a been "Out"...!!!!)

-- Dave

 

[norgeway]

Plastic Covers..

In the winter they will shock hell out of you, especially if you have on a wool sweater!!

 

[alr2903]

I know for a fact that Dad's 67 Chevy truck came with seatbelts, they must of been required as it was a very basic work truck. alr

 

[laundromat]

"Get off that furniture! What are you trying to do? Ruin it?" That was the beginning of a commercial about a local company's "slip covers" made to fit sofas, love seats and single wing chairs. They had two kids a boy and a girl (Probably the owner's little brats.) jumping on the sofa and a wing chair.The covers were a clear thick plastic.My G mom had them and we stuck on them like flies on shit. Especially in the Summer time.