Outdoor cushion
A cover you may be able to wash and a filling you probably cannot. The fabric maker's first instruction about the cover is to ask the furniture maker.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Rinse thoroughly afterwards
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
Start here
What this is, what tends to go wrong with it, and what to do about it.
Made from
What tends to go wrong
A living growth, not a stain. Killing it and removing the staining are two separate jobs, and neither addresses the moisture that caused it.
Why it is difficult: Porous and non-porous surfaces, Moisture control and recurrence, Cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting, Organic load, Surface roughness
The science behind this: Material compatibility
Part of Patio furniture.
In detail
An outdoor cushion is two components pretending to be one, and the boundary between them is where advice goes wrong. The cover may be a performance textile with published cleaning instructions. The filling is foam or fibre whose construction varies by manufacturer, and which — once soaked — is slow to dry in exactly the conditions that grow mildew. That is why the fabric manufacturer's machine-washing instruction opens by sending you elsewhere: SOME removable casings can be machine washed, but consult the FURNITURE manufacturer before removing the casing, because cushion construction varies. Where washing is permitted the parameters are narrow — close all zippers, cold water, delicate cycle, mild laundry detergent, one cup of bleach only for severe mildew, and air dry. Never machine dry. For a cover that does not come off, the same maker gives soak-and-lift rather than scrubbing: mild soap solution allowed to soak in, worked with a soft brush, rinsed thoroughly, air dried, and cleaned seam to seam rather than in a circle around the spill, because a partial clean leaves a water ring. Scrubbing, hard brushes, abrasives, steamers and steam irons are all excluded.
Related
- Outdoor cushion is made from Solution-dyed acrylic
- Outdoor cushion is commonly affected by Mould
Hacks and claims involving this
- Bleach ruins outdoor fabric Does not work
Sources for this page
Sources
Sunbrella Upholstery Care and Cleaning
Glen Raven, Inc. (Sunbrella), 2023 · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That some removable casings may be machine washed but the furniture manufacturer must be consulted first because cushion construction varies, that washing is cold on delicate with zips closed and the fabric air dried, that non-removable fabric is soaked and lifted rather than scrubbed and cleaned seam to seam, and that scrubbing, hard brushes, abrasives, steamers and steam irons are excluded. (states this directly)