How to Clean Fabric Patio Cushions and Pillows
Posted on: 14 July 2015
Just because your patio furniture is outside doesn't mean it has to be dirty and stained. You still want your outdoor furniture to look nice and clean. Spraying down your patio furniture with the garden hose and giving it a good scrubbing from time to time helps get rid of dust and grime that builds up, or simply spraying a glass table with some glass cleaner and wiping it off also goes a long way. What about your fabric cushions and pillows? These can get quite costly, so you want them looking great and lasting a long time, too. See below for some helpful tips on how to clean your cushions and pillows.
General Care
- First, check your patio cushions and pillows to see if there are tags with special cleaning instructions. Follow the care instructions listed if there are any.
- Clean your cushions or pillows using a vacuum or a soft bristle brush to get rid of dirt and dust that has accumulated. Since outdoor furniture is usually coated with special UV/water protectant, simply brushing or vacuuming the cushions or pillows is best.
Yearly Care
- Each year your cushions and pillows will build up more and more dirt and dust. You'll want to get rid of this buildup by giving them an annual deep clean. Use a solution of 1 tsp. mild dish soap, 1 tsp. borax, and a quart of warm water. Mix this solution in a spray bottle.
- Remove your cushions and pillows from your outdoor furniture and then spray them down with the solution until they are saturated.
- Allow the solution to sit for about 15 minutes, then rinse off the cushions or pillows with a garden hose.
- Set the cushions/pillows on their edges to air dry.
- If your cushions or pillows have outer fabric that can be removed, you can machine wash it. Allow the fabric to air dry, but replace them before they dry completely. This way the fabric will stretch back into shape onto the cushions/pillows.
These yearly care tips are also good to use when you have stains or if bird droppings happen to fall onto your outdoor fabric. You don't want to wash them too often, as you will wear down the UV/water protectant.
Keeping your outdoor furniture cleaned and maintained will not only help it to look nice, but it will also hold up better over time. Outdoor patio furniture isn't cheap, so you should take care of it and keep it looking it's best.
If you're looking for some patio decor, consider searching for outdoor furniture in Fort Lauderdale.
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