Cleaning Outdoor Cushions



Nope. Not mine, but same look! My screened in porch is still a work in progress. You'll see it when it's DONE:)
via www://trends-on.info 

If you're like me, you've got outdoor cushions that go to your patio furniture, and they probably don't look exactly brand new anymore. One of the biggest drawbacks to living in the south is our humidity. It wrecks havoc on anything that can warp or grow mildew...ie. everything! So, you've go two options with patio furniture:
1. Don't use cushions,
2. Use cushions but only bring them out when you're actually sitting on them.

I'm not a fan of either option. My patio furniture gets used almost as much as my indoor furniture, so cushions are a must. But, I'm not going to put them up, then pull them out all the time. Silly. So, what's a girl to do? Let them sit there and get filthy so that NO ONE wants to sit on them? Nope. Let's add an option three to the above:

3. Clean them regularly (annually or bi-annually- in my case)

The issue is this, mildew/mold doesn't come off with a garden hose (or a pressure washer for that matter). You can scrub till you're blue in the face, with no luck. That is...unless you use the right product! Oh, yea. My secret is about to come out. I'm sharing this little secret with you after "testing" it for years. It just works...plain and simple. My old neighbors used to see me regularly out with a scrub brush, garden house, patio furniture AND cushions on the driveway. It's not an easy task, doing it the old fashion way, but it works and last all season.

Here's the secret:

Ahhh....the secret weapon!

As you know, I'm not a fan of chemicals, but I'm also a realist and know that sometimes that's just what you gotta use. When it comes to mold/mildew, you gotta pull out the big guns! Originally, I only used this on my white resin wicker patio furniture, then I got sick of the mold on my soft yellow cushions and decided they couldn't possibly look worse. What did I have to loose? Out it came and with a little experimenting, I figured out how to make them look brand new! Seriously!

Here's the method:
1. Soak the cushion or furniture down with water,
2. Spray liberally with Clorox Clean-Up,
3. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes (not if you're in a dry environment...only where it's humid),
4. If you have one of these:

Karcher Pressure Washer

the next step is really easy. Just spray it down real good with the pressure washer, turn on end and let dry. If you don't have a pressure washer, a good stiff scrub brush and garden hose will do. Just scrub every square inch down and then wash off. Again, stand on end and let dry.

See how easy that is? I even got up the nerve to try it on BLACK cushions with light color stripes that were beyond gross. Want to see?

Oh so dingy and dirty! It's either come clean or get out for you, cushion!

Ugh! See the mold on the light colored stripes?! Not the greatest picture, but the next one shows it in all it's glory:)

I can't believe I'm showing you this! Disgusting!
There's a reason I went with black last time I bought cushions.

Another reason for mold issues is kids. We all love to eat out on the screened in porch and if you've spent five seconds with a kid eating, you know SOMETHING will end up on the seat!

O.k. ready for the after?

Oh, be still my heart!

It didn't even fade the black! It's like Clorox 2 for colors...really makes them pop more (then again, maybe just removing dirt does that!). Just for fun, let's see that again...side by side.

"Why, helllllooo! Didn't recognize you all cleaned up! Want to stay awhile? Have a seat!"

Amazing what a little bleach can do!

linking up with:
Savvy Southern Style WOW #33