The holiday is coming! It is the right time to prepare all things right before the holiday begins. Well, you may start your preparation by cleaning up the patio. It is definitely a place in the house that is visited the most over the year, so you can start by taking care from this part. You can do the cushions first; you might find some leftover snacks, sauce, and so on, and now it is time to get rid of it.
Outdoor furniture is one who are exposed the most to the weather change, especially the cushions. The good thing is many styles of cushions you find nowadays have the design in which you can remove the cover and simply clean it by putting it inside the washing machine. However, if your cushion is the non-removable one, still you can find ways to clean the cushions and get ready for the holiday.
Read also: HOW TO CLEAN CONCRETE PATIO: TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS
1. Tools and Materials Needed for Cleaning
Before you begin doing the cleaning, there are some materials and tools you would be better prepare. It is better to prepare everything right before you begin, so you don’t need to come and back during the process.
- Dishwashing Liquid
- Towels
- Garden Hose
- Bucket
- Scrub brush
- Borax
- Vacuum
- Sponge
2. If the case are removable, wash it using the machine
Many patio cushions nowadays have the design in which you can easily remove its case. It will definitely help you in cleaning it easily. You can use the machine to wash it, so it will save your time, so you can do other things during the process.
However, you need to pay attention the the material of the case and find the best way to rinse it using the machine. Some materials are not resistant to the heat of the washing machine. In a different case, if it is not removable as you expect, you shall no worry.
You can clean the case together with its full cushion. There will be following steps that help you to clean the whole patio cushions easily and grant you a brand-new-look-like patio cushions.
3. Get the Patio Cushion and Vacuum All Parts of It
If you have done cleaning the case, you shall hang it and let it dry. While waiting for the case to be dry, you can go to the next step. There is a part of the vacuum cleaner called upholstery attachment that will help you get rid of loose dust and dirt.
It will clean your cushions into its deepest part. It is an easy job if you have the simple cushions, but if you have ones that are tufted; you need to be more careful while using the vacuum. There are some fragile parts that you need to take care carefully such as the seams, crevices, and any buttons.
Set the vacuum into gentle mode while cleaning its part. No need to worry about its cleanliness; these parts usually have less loose dust and dirt than other parts of the cushion.
4. Mix dish soap into the water and wash the cushions using hands.
It is not every part of the cushions that you can clean using the machine. This time, you need to use your hands directly to clean it up. Get yourself dishwashing liquid and put it into warm water.
The comparison is one table spoon of the liquid is for one big bucket of water. If your cushions seem to have mildew, you can add borax into the bucket around ¼ cups. Mix them all until it is sudsy and put your cushion inside and let it soak for around fifteen minutes. After waiting for fifteen minutes, you will find the dirt and mildew removed from your cushion.
However, in some cases, some dirty spots are still there. You can increase the portion of the dishwashing liquid and borax into the bucket, and re-apply it to the cushion. You can use the scrub brush to rub the spots to help its cleaning process.
5. Using Your Garden Hose, Rinse It and Get All Liquids and Borax Away
You need to make sure that the soaking process works best on your cushion. You can see it from the no more spots you find in the cushion. Get yourself the garden hose and use it for rinsing the cushion. It is better to let the water flow naturally, rather than using the pressure washer.
The usage of pressure washer may break the quality of fabric. Rinsing the dish wash and borax away from the cushion may take time, so you will need more than just a while for making sure your cushions are completely clean and ready to be dried.
If you let some left over dish washing liquid and borax stay inside the cushion, it may take longer time for you to dry the cushion. As a result, it will leave your cushion smelly and uncomfortable to sit on.
6. Dry in Two Ways (Towel and Air) and Apply Fabric Protector
The first way to dry the cushion is using towel. Find the clean towel and wrap it around your cushion to absorb the left over water inside the cushion. Cushions material is usually the one that absorbs much water.
Therefore, after rinsing it, you may find your cushion is heavier than before. In order to completely dry the cushion, you can repeat it two times or three times using different dry towel, so you can take out most number of water.
After finishing that part, you can stand it up and let the air completely dry it. Let it dry by the air long enough, so there will be no water at all in your cushion. Left over water will make your cushion full of mildew later on. You can take blow dryer if it is necessary.
After you make sure it is already dry, you can continue to the second way to dry the cushion. Spray the cushions using a fabric protector, so the cushions will resist more toward dirt and stains. There are many well known brands of fabric protector in the market. You can simply choose one that is recommended.
