I love this bench! I have owned it for about a year now, and the quality is excellent and it looks fantastic in my foyer. I wanted to use it without the cushion, originally, but given that our dog jumps up on it, I decided that her nails would scratch the finish, so have kept the cushion on. The cushion still looks good after a year of use as well. I have not had to wash the removable cover, but glad to know that's an option.