Funky Cushions - Icky Patio Furniture

The weather has finally decided to work with you, the long, damp, unforgiving winter months are behind us and it's that first wonderful weekend to sit out on your patio furniture and enjoy the bliss of the lake.

You envision this.

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But what you uncover is this.

You've got funky cushions and icky patio furniture after a season of wet weather, damp and dirty conditions, and no sun or cleaning to those cushions. 

We all know that new patio cushions are both expensive and usually difficult to find to fit precisely the way the "original" set did that came with your patio furniture. (Interesting little scam those patio furniture companies have... Replacement cushions are almost as expensive as new furniture and always seem to be just shy of the right size for your furniture...)

The solution, is simple. It just takes a time, a sunny day, and some elbow grease. Since so many of us don't have a fully day to waste cleaning patio furniture once we're AT the lake, just call Prep My Lakehouse(PML) and your PML lakehouse manager can take care of it before you arrive so all you have to do is enjoy.

Now, if you prefer to tackle the challenge yourself, on a fully sunny day - start first thing in the morning. You'll need the sun from the day to dry off your freshly cleaned items. Put on your work clothes, grab a hat and here goes:

Step 1:  Cleaning Solutions and Sprays

• For wicker and plastic type patio furniture, I highly recommend using the 303 line of products.  They're made specifically to carefully clean and protect the furniture itself. It will prevent further oxidization and "crumbly-ness" of furniture, and is safe for outdoor patio furniture.

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• For metal furniture - a good pressure washer like the Ryobi 1,600 PSI pressure washer does the trick. And sells for less than $100 at Home Depot... and once you have one, you'll find a myriad of uses for it.  Cleaning boat docks, cars, cobwebs, mold/funk off steps and driveways... The list goes on and on.

• For outdoor patio furniture cushions (with outdoor rated fabric), you'll need to make your own cleaning solution and make use of the above mentioned Ryobi 1,600 PSI pressure washer. For your cleaning solution, mix 1 tablespoon OxiClean Powder Detergent, with one tablespoon of Dawn dish detergent, in a standard spray bottle full of warm water. Shake until combined. THIS is your magic patio cushion cleaner.

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 Step 2:  Separate and Lay It All Out 

• The key is starting with the cushions so they dry in the sun to kill any residual mold and "funk."
• Remove any cushion covers that have zippers, as this makes it even quicker on the dry time. If they can't be removed, don't fret, the cushions are made to get wet and dry relatively quickly (hence needing that full sun day).
• Clean off your drive way - give it a good pressure washing spray if it's particularly nasty, so your cushions don't get dirty after you've just cleaned them.
• Take each cushion, quickly wet them with the pressure washer at a 2-3 foot away distance. You don't want to shred the cushion, just give it a good softening pass to loosen up dirt and get the thick stuff off.  Borrowing the above photo from This Abundant Life's Blog (her photo is precisely the way you should be set up... and let's be honest, it's hard enough to do the work... then to find someone to photograph you doing it?  )

 Step 3:  Pre-treat

• Lightly spray each cushion with your home made spray cleaner, and using a hand brush or scrubber, gently scrub any spots that are particularly dingy.  This is your pre-treatment step. While you're doing the rest of the cushions, the cleaner is loosening up all the dirt and stains for your second pass.
• Once all have be properly wet and pre-treated, you're ready to power wash them.

Step 4: Careful Powerwashing

• Outdoor rated fabrics are tougher than clothing fabric, but they do deteriorate over time. Start further away from the fabric, in an inconspicuous spot until you can assess how tough your fabric is to the strength of your pressure washer. 
• Spray firmly and consistently in a back and forth pattern as you watch the dirt be washed away. You'll see a marked difference between the areas you've pre-treated and then pressure washed, and those still to be washed.
• Don't stay in one spot too long for risk of shredding your cushion, but keep moving consistently and methodically - on one side - the other, and all areas.
• Once the cushion cover and/or cushion itself has been washed on all sides, it's done and ready for drying.
• Take the same approach on pressure washing the actual furniture... it's easier, as it's more rigid, and should go extremely quickly.

​Step 5: Sun Dry

• Set each cushion (preferably with the "ugly" or back of the chair portion to the ground) in the full sun to dry.
• Check cushions regularly, rotate them, and make sure they're getting properly sunned and dried. This should take close to ALL DAY.
• Once you are certain all cushions are dry and patio furniture is dry, take some time to wipe down the furniture with the 303 protectant to keep things looking fresh and new.

Step 6: Assemble and ENJOY
It goes without saying, once everything's clean and dried, put it back together, sit back, and relax...

It bears repeating, this is not a difficult process, but it is time consuming, requires planning, and the right tools - or you can contact PML and we'll handle it for you. Our job is to take care of the details, yours is to enjoy.

#CedarCreekLake #LakePalestine #LakeAthens #PatioFurniture #CleanOutdoorCushions #KeepCalmAndCarryOn #LakeLiving #Patios #MoldyCushions #GrossCushions

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