How to Clean Outdoor Cushions and Furniture
How to clean outdoor cushions and patio furniture quickly in 2 simple steps using just 1 ingredient already in your pantry.
The ONLY reason I could ever get excited about cleaning anything is due to the anticipation that spring and brighter, warmer days are on the horizon!
It was 80+ degrees here in South Carolina today, and I basically have a whole new lease on life now. So cleaning our outdoor cushions and patio furniture in the backyard seemed like a good way to celebrate that.
This was the state of our patio chairs… covered in mildew and they had definitely seen better days.
How to Clean Outdoor Cushions
The 1 Ingredient to Remove Mildew and Mold from Patio Furniture
We should have brought our patio furniture inside during the winter or covered them (but we’re over here handling toddler tantrums and keeping our children alive, so it didn’t happen).
And the winter aftermath isn’t a pretty sight. It’s an easy fix though.
The only ingredient you need: Vinegar
That’s it. 30% vinegar is the unsung hero of rescuing outdoor furniture from the post-winter grossness. Regular kitchen vinegar can do the job, but if you have a serious mildew/mold problem on outdoor cushions and patio furniture, the 30% stuff can knock it right out.
How to Remove Mildew from Fabric
I poured straight undiluted 30% vinegar into a spray bottle and spritzed it all over our outdoor cushions and patio furniture. Let the vinegar sit on the mildew / mold stains for about 15 minutes.
For any extremely stubborn stains, soak a rag in the 30% vinegar and let it sit on the stain for 10-15 minutes.
The Best Electric Power Washer for Patio Furniture
After allowing the vinegar to sit on the mildew stains for 15 minutes, rinse with a power washer.
I don’t know why power washing is so satisfying, but I could literally power wash everything in my path all day long in our backyard.
We absolutely love this electric power washer that we use every spring and fall to keep our backyard and porches looking fresh.
It’s mesmerizing to watch the milder / mold spots completely disappear with the swipe of that power washer.
Flip your patio furniture, outdoor cushions, and fabric over to repeat the process on the underside as well.
That’s it!
I’ve used a couple of outdoor cushion cleaning processes in the past, and this one has proven to be the most simple, most effective, and uses very inexpensive ingredients.
If you need more help getting your outdoor furniture in ship shape for spring, here are more resources.
Related Outdoor Furniture Cleaning & Sprucing Posts
- How to Restore Wood Outdoor Furniture
- How to Revive a Patio Table
- 10 Outdoor DIY Projects Perfect for Spring
I’m just ready to get to living live by our pool in this DIY pergola cabana again. The rest of the backyard isn’t nearly as cute as this at the moment, but it won’t be long now.
Is it feeling a little spring=like where you are? I know we hit a weird weather spike of “fake spring” as we like to call it in the south, but whatever you want to call it, I am here for it!
