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Decorating and Home, Our Home, Seasonal, Tutorials

How to Clean your Outdoor Cushions + Pillows

April 13, 2020

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Interior blogger Liz Fourez adds a beautiful large deck and gazebo to her home that is just as cozy and stylish as the inside of her gorgeous farmhouse. Come take a peek of this stunning new outdoor space.

This week I was finally able to get outside and start cleaning the deck up from winter. Our new outdoor living space was completed last summer, and it was definitely one of the biggest and most rewarding projects I’ve tackled in awhile. It felt so good to finally get back out there and start preparing to make this space beautiful again! If you’re new here, you can catch up on these posts from last summer: the finished deck reveal, building the deck, and the design plans + furniture sources.

I started by removing the furniture covers and storing them in the bottom of the outdoor sofa, which is one of my favorite features of this particular sofa I chose. It’s so nice having the extra hidden storage! I also had all my outdoor cushions and pillows stored in there, so I pulled those out to give them a good cleaning. A lot of you mentioned wanting to see how I keep these lighter cushions looking so clean being outside with kids and a dog, so I took some photos and a video and will share what I do in today’s blog post! Cleaning your cushions even just once a year will help keep them looking new for years. But I typically clean mine once in the fall before I put them away so they don’t sit dirty all winter long, and then once again in the spring to get them ready to use. Let’s get started!

Interior blogger Liz Fourez adds a beautiful large deck and gazebo to her home that is just as cozy and stylish as the inside of her gorgeous farmhouse. Come take a peek of this stunning new outdoor space.

Note: These cushions that came with the outdoor IKEA sofa DO have zippers and are removable AND machine washable. I’ve washed them once, and they came out perfect. But I worry that continuing to take them off and on eventually may end up breaking the zippers. So unless there are some serious stains that need a better soak and scrub than I can do by hand, I prefer to clean them this way!

HOW TO CLEAN OUTDOOR CUSHIONS + PILLOWS

SUPPLIES:

bucket
liquid dish detergent
warm water
Borax (optional)
scrub brush
garden hose

STEP 1

Lay your cushions out on a deck, driveway, or sidewalk. Do not wash them in your yard to avoid any grass or mud stains. Spray the cushions with water, then mix your cleaning solution in a bucket: 1-2 tablespoons liquid dish detergent + ¼-½ cup Borax (helps remove mildew stains) + warm water.

How to Clean your Outdoor Cushions + Pillows to keep them looking brand new

STEP 2

Generously apply the cleaning solution all over the cushions with a hard-bristle scrub brush. Allow the solution to sit on the fabric for five minutes. Heavily soiled areas may need additional scrubbing and cleaning solution.

How to Clean your Outdoor Cushions + Pillows to keep them looking brand new

STEP 3

Use a garden hose on high pressure (not a pressure washer, which could damage the fabric) to completely rinse the solution off the cushion.

How to Clean your Outdoor Cushions + Pillows to keep them looking brand new

STEP 4

Press/squeeze any excess water you can out of the cushion, and lean the cushions vertically against a sunny wall to dry completely.

Interior blogger Liz Fourez adds a beautiful large deck and gazebo to her home that is just as cozy and stylish as the inside of her gorgeous farmhouse. Come take a peek of this stunning new outdoor space.

TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR CUSHIONS LOOKING BRAND NEW:

SWEEP THEM REGULARLY

Use a broom, vacuum with an upholstery attachment, or even a leaf blower to regularly remove dirt and debris. Be sure to sweep along any seams, creases, or tufting to keep stains from developing.

CLEAN SPILLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Use a clean, dry cloth to soak up as much liquid as possible (do not rub). If there is any stain remaining, clean with a solution of water and liquid dish detergent. Rinse with clean water, then blot with a dry cloth. To avoid any kind of water stain while spot cleaning, clean the entire side of the cushion instead of just the stained area.

APPLY A FABRIC PROTECTOR

When your cushions are freshly cleaned and completely dry, apply a spray fabric protector such as Scotchgard Water and Sun Shield. This helps prevent water damage or color fading and repels spills and stains, making it even easier to keep your cushions looking clean and new.

MINIMIZE MOISTURE

If your cushions get rained on, lean them vertically to help speed up the drying time.

ROTATE

If certain cushions get more or less sun exposure, make sure to rotate them regularly so they get equal amounts of sun.

CLEAN BEFORE YOU STORE

Letting dirt or stains sit on the cushions all winter will make them harder to clean when you’re ready to use the cushions again. Make sure they are clean and completely dry before storing for the winter. If you don’t have a dry place to store your cushions, you can buy a waterproof storage bag to keep them in.

Interior blogger Liz Fourez adds a beautiful large deck and gazebo to her home that is just as cozy and stylish as the inside of her gorgeous farmhouse. Come take a peek of this stunning new outdoor space.

SOURCES

sofa | rug | coffee table | ceiling fan 

Now that the deck is all cleaned up, I can’t wait to decorate and plant flowers again and finally entertain out here this year. Stay tuned for an updated blog post once I get the deck all finished! I hope this post is helpful for keeping your beautiful outdoor furniture looking like new, and I also know how expensive having to buy new cushions can be. Hopefully this post stretches the life of your cushions out quite a few more years!


 

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Welcome, sweet friends! My name is Liz, and I started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.
Here you’ll find simple project tutorials, holiday and entertaining ideas, and my journey renovating a 1940’s farmhouse that I live in with my two boys and French bulldog.
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Liz Fourez started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.  From simple project tutorials, to holiday and entertaining ideas, to her journey renovating a 1940’s farmhouse, Liz demonstrates how to create a beautiful and inviting home with a handmade touch. She turned her signature cozy, neutral style into a best-selling book in 2016 and continues to inspire readers with her captivating photography and easy decorating ideas. Read more about Liz > > > >

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I hope you had a wonderful, restful weekend! I wan I hope you had a wonderful, restful weekend! I wanted to kick the week off with one of my favorite winter decorating tips. Once all the holiday decor is gone, I always crave clean & simple spaces. But soon the house goes from feeling soothing to slightly boring, and I need something to breathe a little life back into our home. Do you ever feel the same?

The easy answer: PLANTS. Faux, real... whatever works for you. It’s the perfect detail to get us through the dreariness of winter and ready for spring. I’m always a fan of faux because they’re just easier, but I do really love this sweet little angel vine I’ve had for several years now!

What’s your favorite house plant? And also,  how easy is it to keep alive? 🌿

LIVING ROOM DETAILS:
link in my profile 

https://lovegrowswild.com/2020/02/living-room-dining-room-swap/
Starting the weekend with a clean (ish) house is t Starting the weekend with a clean (ish) house is the best feeling. Also, going to bed at 9 on a Friday night and that first sip of coffee on a Saturday morning. It’s the little things that are bringing me joy today. 😴☕️☀️

Happy weekend! 

HOW I STORE & ORGANIZE MY HOME DECOR:
link in my profile

https://lovegrowswild.com/2019/01/organize-store-home-decor/
NEW BLOG POST❕Raise your hand if you’ve ever b NEW BLOG POST❕Raise your hand if you’ve ever been frustrated trying to find the right combination of pillows for your sofa… 👋🏻

how many pillows?
what size pillows?
what color pillows?
too much pattern or not enough pattern?
do these colors even go together?
but wait… how many pillows are TOO MANY pillows??

Yep, I’ve been there too!

I hesitate calling what I’m about to share a “formula” because I truly believe there are no right or wrong ways to decorate your home. It’s all about what YOU love. But if you’ve ever gotten stuck or frustrated, here is one of my favorite easy tricks to make styling your sofa a breeze…

>> SIMPLE PILLOW FORMULA FOR YOUR SOFA <<
link in my profile

https://lovegrowswild.com/2021/01/the-simple-pillow-formula-for-your-sofa/
neutral timeless simple a little bit vintage cl neutral  timeless  simple
a little bit vintage  clean

Guess which of those my house is NOT right now 😳🧐

KITCHEN DETAILS
link in my profile: 

https://lovegrowswild.com/2020/02/kitchen-curtains-counter-styling/
Hello, my favorite beach hat. I’ll wear you in t Hello, my favorite beach hat. I’ll wear you in the warm sunshine again one day! My suitcases are looking awfully lonely lately, and I’m getting the itch to take the boys somewhere... ANYwhere. I’d take a road trip and some sunshine and a change of scenery in a heartbeat. Anyone else feeling ready for spring and getting that travel bug?

Share some ideas for safe travel destinations that we can follow all the distancing rules, but feel just a little bit of normalcy again. ⬇️ Where would you love to go this year? (even if all we can do right now is dream about it 😉)

HOW TO PAINT WICKER FURNITURE:
link in my profile

https://lovegrowswild.com/2019/06/how-to-paint-wicker/
The perfect example of design on a budget. I feel The perfect example of design on a budget. I feel like kids go through so many phases of what they do and don’t like as they get older, and we’re often changing the boys’ bedrooms to make them function better as they grow out of each phase (way too quickly, I might add 🥺).

I’m a big believer in teaching kids to be mindful of taking care of their belongings and their home from the time they are little, which is why I don’t worry so much about light colored couches in the living room or white walls throughout the house. BUT kids are also kids, and I design their bedrooms with a much more frugal budget so that if anything gets old & worn or needs to be replaced/repurposed... I don’t sweat the money that was spent!

In this room we used inexpensive pieces from IKEA, Target and Walmart to create a cozy teenage boy’s room, but it definitely doesn’t skimp on style. We’re planning a little makeover again in this room soon, and I’m excited to show you what we have up our sleeves for my now 15 year old... good grief, where does the time go?

You can find all the details of this room here:
link in my profile

https://lovegrowswild.com/2018/11/boys-bedroom-makeover-part-1/
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