Solution-dyed acrylic
Outdoor fabric with the colour built into the fibre rather than applied to it — which is why its maker specifies bleach where the rest of the catalogue prohibits it.
What not to do
Mild abrasion may damage Solution-dyed acrylic
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Why we say this
Supported
The manufacturer excludes the technique explicitly, which matters because the fabric's bleach tolerance invites people to treat it as robust generally.
Sources
Sunbrella Upholstery Care and Cleaning
Glen Raven, Inc. (Sunbrella), 2023 · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That scrubbing, hard bristle brushes and any other abrasive cleaning method are to be avoided on the fabric. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Read in full: Outdoor Upholstery (removable and non-removable), Mold and Mildew, Indoor Upholstery, Helpful Hints, Retreating and Professional Cleaners. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. CleaningHQ expected a fabric manufacturer to prohibit bleach, as the wool guidance in this register does. This one specifies it, at a stated concentration, for its own fibre and for a reason — solution dyeing — that does not transfer to fabric dyed any other way. The catalogue therefore models the permission as a property of solution-dyed acrylic rather than of outdoor fabric, and the mildew-grows-on-the-dirt statement became the prevention answer for the whole family.
Last reviewed by a person on .
In detail
Solution-dyed acrylic is the material behind most garden cushions, awnings and marine covers, and it is the one textile in this catalogue where a manufacturer positively specifies chlorine bleach. The reason is in the name. Ordinary fabric is dyed after the fibre is made, so the colour sits on or near the surface where an oxidising agent can reach it. In solution dyeing the pigment is added to the polymer before the fibre is extruded, so the colour is distributed through the fibre itself and is created during fibre production rather than applied to it. Bleach that would strip a surface dye has far less to work on. That permission is a property of THIS construction and does not travel. It says nothing about surface-dyed or printed outdoor fabric, nothing about the stitching, and nothing about whatever the cushion is filled with. The manufacturer separately warns that bleach used on its fabric may discolour adjacent NON-Sunbrella fabric, which is a neat illustration of the point. The fibre's other useful property is negative: it does not promote mildew growth.
Properties
Sensitivity
- Chlorine bleach
- Recorded
- Heat
- Recorded
- Abrasion
- Recorded
- Porous
- Recorded
“Not known” means CleaningHQ has not established this, not that the material is unaffected.
What works
Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach) is safe on, in specific conditions, Solution-dyed acrylic
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
The only positive bleach clearance on a textile in this catalogue, and it exists because of how the fibre was dyed rather than because outdoor fabric is tough.
Only within these limits:
- one cup of bleach with a quarter cup of mild soap per gallon of water
- left to soak for 15 minutes, then worked with a sponge, clean towel or very soft bristle brush
- rinsed thoroughly to remove all residue, then air dried — never machine dried
- surrounding non-Sunbrella fabric protected, because bleach may discolour it
- solution-dyed acrylic only; not surface-dyed or printed outdoor fabric
The manufacturer states that for severe growth the bleach quantity may be increased. CleaningHQ carries the stated ratio and does not publish an increased one.
Precautions
- Wear gloves
- Wear eye protection
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Rinse thoroughly afterwards
- Dispose of responsibly
Why we say this
Supported
A manufacturer specifying a concentration for its own fibre, with the reason given. Scoped tightly: the register elsewhere records a wool body advising against both chlorine and oxygen bleach, and the difference between those two positions is the fibre and the dyeing, not the bleach.
Sources
Sunbrella Upholstery Care and Cleaning
Glen Raven, Inc. (Sunbrella), 2023 · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That mould and mildew are removed with one cup of bleach and a quarter cup of mild soap per gallon of water, sprayed on, soaked for 15 minutes, cleaned with a sponge or very soft brush, rinsed thoroughly and air dried, and that the fabric is solution-dyed acrylic. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Read in full: Outdoor Upholstery (removable and non-removable), Mold and Mildew, Indoor Upholstery, Helpful Hints, Retreating and Professional Cleaners. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. CleaningHQ expected a fabric manufacturer to prohibit bleach, as the wool guidance in this register does. This one specifies it, at a stated concentration, for its own fibre and for a reason — solution dyeing — that does not transfer to fabric dyed any other way. The catalogue therefore models the permission as a property of solution-dyed acrylic rather than of outdoor fabric, and the mildew-grows-on-the-dirt statement became the prevention answer for the whole family.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Detergent is safe on, in specific conditions, Solution-dyed acrylic
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Only within these limits:
- CONSULT THE FURNITURE MANUFACTURER BEFORE REMOVING THE CASING — cushion construction varies and this comes first
- All zippers closed
- Cold water, delicate cycle, normal amount of mild laundry detergent
- One cup of bleach added only for severe mould
- AIR DRY. Never a steamer, and never an iron set to steam
Recorded against the detergent rather than against laundering, because laundering is a CONTEXT in this model and cannot carry a safety state. The instruction that gets skipped is the first one: some casings are not meant to come off at all, and the fabric maker defers to the furniture maker rather than answering for it.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
Why we say this
Supported
A rare positive machine-wash clearance for upholstery in this catalogue, and it is fenced by a question the fabric manufacturer explicitly refuses to answer on the furniture manufacturer's behalf.
Sources
Sunbrella Upholstery Care and Cleaning
Glen Raven, Inc. (Sunbrella), 2023 · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That some casings can be machine washed but the furniture manufacturer must be consulted before removing the casing because cushion construction varies, that zippers are closed and the wash is cold on delicate with mild detergent and one cup of bleach for severe mould, that the fabric is air dried, and that a steamer or an iron set to steam must not be used. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Read in full: Outdoor Upholstery (removable and non-removable), Mold and Mildew, Indoor Upholstery, Helpful Hints, Retreating and Professional Cleaners. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. CleaningHQ expected a fabric manufacturer to prohibit bleach, as the wool guidance in this register does. This one specifies it, at a stated concentration, for its own fibre and for a reason — solution dyeing — that does not transfer to fabric dyed any other way. The catalogue therefore models the permission as a property of solution-dyed acrylic rather than of outdoor fabric, and the mildew-grows-on-the-dirt statement became the prevention answer for the whole family.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Why
- Solution-dyed acrylic is explained by Material compatibility
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 the fabric is solution-dyed acrylic with colour created during fibre production rather than applied to the surface, that a bleach solution is specified for mould and mildew, that bleach may discolour adjacent non-Sunbrella fabrics, that the fabric does not promote mildew growth, and that steamers, steam irons, scrubbing, hard brushes and machine drying are excluded. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Read in full: Outdoor Upholstery (removable and non-removable), Mold and Mildew, Indoor Upholstery, Helpful Hints, Retreating and Professional Cleaners. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. CleaningHQ expected a fabric manufacturer to prohibit bleach, as the wool guidance in this register does. This one specifies it, at a stated concentration, for its own fibre and for a reason — solution dyeing — that does not transfer to fabric dyed any other way. The catalogue therefore models the permission as a property of solution-dyed acrylic rather than of outdoor fabric, and the mildew-grows-on-the-dirt statement became the prevention answer for the whole family.
What CleaningHQ cannot answer yet
These are recorded questions about this subject that we have not yet researched to a standard we would publish.
- Removing algal growth from outdoor furniture without damaging the finish
Last reviewed by a person on .