With spring just over the horizon, it’s time to freshen up your patio furniture and cushions so that they are ready for the warmer weather. Because the weather in Australia is usually warm enough to still spend time outside during the day, most of us don’t pack our patio furniture away in winter.
Some Aussies in colder areas, however, might need to pack their cushions away for the winter to protect them from the elements, but they still need to be cleaned and refreshed before using them in the spring. Regardless of whether you pack your cushions away or leave them exposed to the winter weather, often the cushions become mouldy with all the overnight moisture in the air.
Even outdoor cushions that are designed to be left outside all year can become dirty and dusty needing a good clean to bring them back to life for the spring. After all, there is nothing worse than sitting on an outdoor cushion that is stained or covered with dots of mould!
Let’s take a look at the best ways to clean and refresh your outdoor patio cushions so that they are ready for your springtime entertainment.
Dusty cushions
These can just be brushed lightly to remove any dust or light debris that might have collected on them, but often it’s much more effective to vacuum them. Make sure that you get right down into the seams, as this is where dirt and debris can collect and where mould can start to grow.
Lightly stained cushions
When cleaning light stains from your cushions, don’t rub them with a cloth, as this will make it worse, instead use a blotting action. Spray the cushion with a mild cleaning solution (or 50mls of soap in 3L of warm water), leave it a few minutes and then rinse them with clean warm water. It’s best to clean the entire surface of the cushion, even for just a few spots, otherwise, you might be left with water rings where the stain has been removed.
Deeply stained cushions
Something like bird droppings can be difficult to remove from your cushions, particularly if it has been left for quite a while! Use the same mild cleaning solution as for light stains, but now you will need to use a soft bristle brush to actively remove the stain. Rinse in warm water and leave to dry in the sun.
Mould stained cushions
This takes a little more work to remove, so use a mild soap and bleach mixture consisting of approximately 250mls of bleach and 50mls of mild detergent or soap in 3L of warm water. Spray the entire surface of the cushion, leave it to soak in for 15 minutes and use a soft bristle brush to remove the mould. Rinse in warm water and allow to dry in the sun.
If this mild bleach solution doesn’t remove all of the mould, increase the quantity of bleach, but check the label first, so that you don’t harm the fabric. You might also want to spot check the bleach solution on a small area of the fabric first, maybe on the underside, to ensure that it doesn’t discolour your cushions.
Oil stained cushions
Remove oil based spills from sunscreen immediately, so that it doesn’t stain your cushions. Maybe lay a towel over a sun-bed or patio chair to avoid these type of stains, because they can be difficult to remove. You can dust oil stains with corn starch to absorb the oil and then brush the corn starch away, hopefully removing the oil stain, but you might have to do this a few times for it to work.
With all these spring cleaning tips, your patio cushions should be ready for the warmer weather and your springtime BBQs! If you need new patio furniture for your outdoor entertainment areas, check out the Daydream Leisure Furniture range today.