The outdoor living area of your house needs furniture. Giving you and your family a space to sit, unwind, cook, dine, and enjoy the outdoors makes the area more functional. You must take a few simple precautions to save the cushions on your outdoor furniture. Outdoor furniture cushions may get faded, moldy, or otherwise damaged if they are not taken care of. Take into account the following advice to prevent this from occurring to the cushions of your outdoor furniture.
Dry Them Off
You must maintain the dryness of the cushions on your outdoor furniture. Why this is essential with water-resistant cushions may be a mystery to you. Waterproof isn’t the same thing as water resistant, and most cushions only have the former kind of fabric.
They could suffer harm if left outdoors and exposed to the weather. You must maintain your cushions dry if you want them to last a lifetime. Your pillows should ideally be put in a dry location away from potential rain. And if they do get wet, dry them off with a fresh towel. Drying out your cushions will save the fabric from being saturated and ruined by moisture.
Select a Waterproof Material
When choosing new outdoor furniture cushions, choose a resilient fabric. Because they absorb and store a lot of moisture, conventional materials like cotton and linen aren’t advised. If you keep cotton or linen furniture cushions outdoors, you risk mold or mildew growth. Contrarily, materials like vinyl, olefin, and Textilene are made expressly to ward against moisture, making them perfect for cushions for outdoor furniture.
Place Furniture in a Shaded Area
Your outdoor furniture cushions won’t suffer any significant harm from exposure to the sun, although fading might result in discoloration. Your pillows will naturally become a lighter hue if they are exposed to the sun for an extended period. UV rays from the sun bleach textiles, giving them the illusion of having a softer, more light tone.
But you won’t start noticing this right away. The color of your cushions won’t necessarily alter after a few months of exposure to the sun. Try putting your furniture, including the pillows, in a shady place to avoid fading.
Always Keep Them Clean
Even water-resistant outdoor furniture cushions made of unclean materials might grow mold and mildew. This happens when fungi that feed on the organic material covering a soiled cushion start to grow mold or mildew. For mold and mildew, the soil effectively serves as food, enabling it to flourish. The good news is that cleaning your pillows is simple.
You may clean them with warm water and liquid detergent if they are made of water-resistant fabric. Soak a clean washcloth with soapy water and scrub the cushions. To avoid the accumulation of filth, try to make it a practice to clean your cushions at minimum once every one to two weeks.
The correct piece of outdoor furniture may last a lifetime if you take care of it. However, the average lifespan of outdoor furniture is 10 to 15 years. You may start by following these four pieces of advice to maintain the quality of your patio furniture.
