Outdoor furniture items are amazing. They allow homeowners to extend their living spaces and enjoy their backyards or patios. The use of outdoor furniture items is intrinsically linked to Western culture. That’s why the United States is the leading importer of outdoor furniture items in the world. However, outdoor furniture items are very hard to maintain.
Maintaining Outdoor Furniture Items
Anyone who uses outdoor furniture knows how hard it is to protect these items. The average indoor furniture item will face risks like – people negligently spilling drinks/food, pet dander, and physical damage. An outdoor furniture item will face all these risks on top of risks like sunlight damage, rainwater damage, etc.
What outdoor furniture item suffers the most due to these outside elements? Believe it or not, it’s the cushions. Outdoor furniture items made of metal or plastic are relatively easy to maintain. But, the cushions that make these furniture items feel comfortable are usually very hard to clean. That’s why smart furniture owners use high-quality cushion covers.
How to Buy the Right Covers for Your Outdoor Cushions
Cushion covers seal cushions from all external risks. They don’t let dust, dirt, pet hair, and other germs enter the cushions. But, not all cushion cover fabrics are made the same. Cushion covers made of the right fabrics will provide adequate protection to your outdoor cushions. Here’s how you can select the right fabrics for your outdoor cushion covers –
Water Resistance
Unlike indoor cushions, outdoor cushions will get wet frequently. Only a water-resistant cover can ensure that rain water doesn’t totally ruin your cushion’s shape or structure. If your cushion covers aren’t water-resistant, you’ll have to manually carry your cushions indoors every time it rains. That’s why buying cushion covers made of water-resistant fabrics is very important.
Which fabric to buy? Polyester fabrics are highly water-resistant. The surfaces of polyester cushion covers are also anti-bacterial. Hence, the risk of mold/mildew growth from water damage is also minimal.
Fade Resistance
Sunlight damage will cause your cushion covers to lose their colors eventually. The question is how quickly will the colors of your cushion covers fade when they’re in constant sunlight? A good way to avoid fading is by picking colors that don’t fade fast in the sun. Lighter colors fade slower. Darker colors like black or navy-blue fade faster under sunlight.
If you still want to buy dark-colored cushion covers, you’ll need covers made of UV-resistant materials. Several new-age cushion covers are made of fabrics that contain built-in acrylic or polyester. These ingredients make the covers UV-resistant. The harsh UV rays of the sun (responsible for the quick fading) don’t damage these fabrics too much.
Ease of Cleaning
The main reason why people use cushion covers is that cushions are not easy to wash, dry, and reuse regularly. That’s why buying cushion covers that are machine washable is very important. The covers should also have zippers that make it easy to slip them off the cushions.
Look for these key qualities when buying outdoor cushion covers.