Easy-Going Stretch Slipcover vs a Waterproof Recliner Cover

I am 72, and I have reached the age where I read the tag on everything and measure twice before I order. So when I went looking for a cover for my lift recliner, I did not treat a stretch slipcover and a waterproof recliner cover as the same thing. They are not. The Easy-Going stretch slipcover is for making the chair you already have look better, feel softer, and stay cleaner through crumbs and the occasional small drip. A waterproof recliner cover is for stopping liquid before it reaches the chair. I bought the Easy-Going cover in March 2026 and I have used it every day since. I have never owned a waterproof cover. I have read plenty of listings, and I have put my hand on the one a friend at church keeps on her recliner, so I can tell you where that kind of cover makes more sense.

My chair is an MCombo power lift recliner by the front window. In the first month I had it, I set a mug of coffee on the arm and missed. The coffee ran down the arm, and I got to it with a damp cloth before it set. That was enough for me. I wanted something that would go over the chair, stay put when the chair lifts and reclines, and go in the washing machine now and then. The Easy-Going cover has done that. A waterproof cover would have done a different job that day. The coffee would have sat on top instead of soaking in. If that is the problem you are solving, say so before you shop, because it changes which cover you should buy.

The Two Covers Side by Side

	Easy-Going Stretch Slipcover	Waterproof Recliner Cover
Main job	Make the chair look and feel better with a stretch fit	Put a waterproof barrier between a spill and the chair
Material	80% polyester and 20% spandex	Waterproof facing, often vinyl or a backed fabric
Water resistance	Not water resistant, per the listing	Waterproof, per the listings I read
Fit	Stretch fabric with elastic closure; fits a sitting area of 23 to 34 inches	Usually cut roomy and tucked in; less give
Feel	Soft stretch fabric	Can feel cool or stiff, and the one at church was a little slick
A full mug of coffee	A damp cloth handles a small drip; a full mug will soak through	Liquid sits on top and can be wiped up
Deep cleaning	Machine wash, hang to dry	Wipe down; most listings do not call for machine washing
Staying in place	Anti-slip feature and elastic closure	Often tucked in; a stiff cover can shift when the footrest moves
Use with a lift chair	I checked the lift and recline with it on and keep it clear of the mechanism and remote	Check clearance at the hinge and footrest; a stiff cover may need tucking
Best for	A chair that needs to look better and handle small messes	A chair that sees real spills

A stretch cover makes the chair nicer to sit in. A waterproof cover keeps a full cup out of the cushion. I needed the first one. I would not pretend it is the second.

Where Easy-Going Wins

The first win for Easy-Going is fit. The listing says 80% polyester and 20% spandex, with an elastic closure and an anti-slip feature. That is what it feels like on the chair: a stretch fabric that pulls around the arm instead of a stiff panel you have to tuck and re-tuck. It is made for a sitting area of 23 to 34 inches. The pieces are labeled, including the arm pieces marked ARM, so you are not guessing which panel goes where. Karen helped me fit it the first time, and it took us about 20 minutes. It is snug on the seat and back. The footrest piece is a little loose on mine, and I notice it when I put the footrest up, but it has not come off. I would rather have that than a cover that fights the chair every time I stand up.

The second win is that it lives with the chair. Mine stays put when I get up and sit down, and I keep it clear of the lift mechanism and the hand remote. I checked that the chair still lifts and reclines freely with the cover on before I started using it every day. I wash it on gentle about every three weeks and hang it to dry. The listing says machine wash, and that matches what I do. A waterproof cover is usually a wipe-clean item. That is fine for a spill, but it is not the same as putting the cover in the washer after a month of crumbs, coffee rings and general living room dust. The Easy-Going cover has a 4.4 average from more than 27,000 ratings on the listing. I did not buy it for the rating. I bought it because I wanted the chair to feel softer and look less like a piece of equipment. It did that.

Where a Waterproof Recliner Cover Wins

A waterproof cover wins the moment the problem is liquid. My friend at church has one on her recliner. I was standing there when someone set a cup down too close to the edge and it went over. The liquid sat on the surface in a little pool while she got a napkin. She wiped it up and that was that. The chair underneath was dry. My Easy-Going cover would not have done that. The listing is plain about it: not water resistant. A damp cloth handles a small drip if you get to it, but a full mug will go through to the chair. If you eat in the chair, if grandchildren visit with cups, or if a dog climbs up, that difference matters more than how soft the fabric feels.

The second win is speed. A waterproof cover is made to be wiped. You do not take it off, you do not wait for it to dry, and you do not have to remember which piece goes over the footrest. For a chair that sees real spills, that is the whole point. The trade is feel and fit. The one at church felt cool and a little slick under my hand, and it did not have the stretch that the Easy-Going cover has. The listings I read describe covers that are cut roomy and tucked in at the sides. That can look neat if you take the time, but it is not a stretch cover that pulls itself around the arm. I would still choose waterproof if my main worry was liquid. I would just know what I was giving up.

How the Easy-Going Cover Fit My Lift Chair

I measured the sitting area before I ordered. The listing gives a range of 23 to 34 inches, and mine fell inside it. The cover also lists dimensions of 31.5 inches deep by 29.92 inches wide by 31.5 inches high, and it weighs 2.2 pounds. I did not need those numbers to understand the cover, but I did use a tape measure on the chair. That is the part I would tell anyone not to skip. A stretch cover has some give, but it still has to start near the right size. If your chair is much smaller or much larger than the range, the cover will either fight you or hang loose. Mine is snug on the seat and back, which is what I wanted.

The lift chair is the reason I am careful about fit. The chair moves. The back reclines, the footrest comes up, and the whole seat tips me forward to stand. A cover that catches in the hinge or covers the hand remote is a nuisance I do not want. I keep the remote in the chair's side pocket, not under the cover. I checked the lift and recline with the cover on, and I still check after I wash it and put it back. The Easy-Going cover has not stopped the chair from moving. The footrest piece is the one spot that is a little loose. If I were buying again, I would still choose this cover, but I would take my time with that piece and smooth it flat before I use the footrest.

One more thing about the fit. The cover is not water resistant. That is not a flaw I discovered. It is on the listing. So I treat it like fabric. Coffee gets blotted, not ignored. Crumbs get brushed off. If something more than a drip lands on the arm, I take the cover off and wash it. That is a different habit from wiping a waterproof cover with a cloth and going on with my day. I am willing to do the extra step because I wanted the softer feel. If you are not willing to do that step, do not buy a stretch cover and then blame it for being fabric.

What I Did Not Like About Each

The Easy-Going cover is not perfect. The footrest piece is a little loose on my chair, and I have to smooth it when I put the footrest up. The cover is not water resistant, so a full spill goes through. It also takes a few minutes to put back on after washing, because the pieces are labeled and you have to match them. That is not a complaint about the company. It is what a labeled stretch cover is. If you want something you can throw on in one motion, this is not that. If you want a fit that follows the chair, the pieces are part of how it does that.

The waterproof cover has its own annoyances. The one at church felt cool and a little slick, and it did not have the stretch of the Easy-Going cover. The listings I read show covers that are cut roomy and tucked in. That can look tidy, but it is more fussing at the sides. A stiff cover can also need checking at the hinge and footrest when the chair moves. I have not owned one, so I am not going to pretend I know how it wears after a year. I can tell you what I felt and what I read. That is enough to know it is a different tool, not a better version of the same tool.

Who Should Buy Which

Buy the Easy-Going stretch slipcover if you want the chair to look better, feel softer, and you are mostly dealing with crumbs, dust and the occasional small drip. It suits a chair that is in good shape and does not need a waterproof barrier. It also suits a lift chair, as long as you check the fit and keep the cover clear of the mechanism and the hand remote. I have used mine on my MCombo since March 2026. It is the cover I would buy again for my chair, because my problem was a chair that felt a little institutional and a mug that got away from me once.

Buy a waterproof recliner cover if liquid is the reason you are shopping. If you eat in the chair, if grandchildren visit with cups, if a dog gets up there, or if you have had a full spill that soaked into the cushion, a stretch fabric cover is not the tool. The Easy-Going cover is not water resistant, and no amount of stretching changes that. A waterproof cover is the more sensible first buy for that house. You may give up some softness and some fit. You may also save yourself the kind of morning I had with the coffee mug.

I am not a nurse, doctor, physical therapist or occupational therapist. If you are buying a lift chair, or changing how one fits, ask your doctor or a physical or occupational therapist about fit and safety before you buy. That is true for the chair itself. For a cover, the practical version is simpler. Measure the sitting area, check the clearance at the hinge and the footrest, and make sure the hand remote and the lift mechanism stay clear. A cover is a small purchase next to the chair. It should not be the thing that makes the chair harder to use.