Outdoor furniture covers act as the initial defense against bad weather, dust, pollen, and debris, which might destroy your precious outdoor items during the shifting season. Learning how to clean outdoor furniture covers is important in keeping their protective properties intact and therefore protecting your furniture against the weather in the years to come.
Getting Your Covers Ready for the Washing Process
It is essential to ensure that prior to starting the actual cleaning, you remove all the loose debris, leaves, dirt, and dust from the surface of your outdoor furniture covers by shaking them or sweeping away dust using a soft-bristle brush.
Also, take the time to examine the covers thoroughly for whether there are tears, weak seams, or damaged spots that could deteriorate during washing. The thing is that by seeing the problem beforehand, you will be able to make the necessary repairs, or at least take care of the parts that you have.
Look at the care label on the manufacturer of your covers. This label has the most crucial details of the recommended washing methods, heating limits, and whether the machine washing process is suitable for the material of the covers in question. In the case of covers over oak or walnut furniture, make sure that you take the covers off the furniture prior to washing so that the furniture does not get subjected to any moisture and hence leaks.
Washing Your Outdoor Furniture Covers with a Machine
If you’re using a machine for how to wash outdoor furniture covers, stick to a gentle or delicate cycle. Always use cold or lukewarm water—this prevents the fabric from shrinking and helps keep the waterproof coating intact.
Do not use harsh chemicals, bleach, or strong detergents that may destroy the weather-resistant treatments in the cover and severely undermine the protection of the cover in the long run. Use mild, non-detergent soap or a special outdoor fabric cleaner instead.
You should only put one or two covers in your machine at a time so that they can have the necessary space to move freely and get a thorough cleaning without tangling up and getting too wrinkled during the washing process. An additional rinse cycle will allow all the soap to be removed, which may then allow dirt to be attracted or leave streaking after the covers are placed back to safeguard your outdoor furniture.
Hand Washing Procedures of Fine Covers
Hand washing is a softer alternative to covers made of finer materials or one covered with special surfaces to ensure less wear and tear, but with an excellent cleaning performance. Wet a big basin or bathtub or a clean space outside with lukewarm water and a little mild soap, and that will form a weak cleaning solution that will not strip away desiccating treatments and will not damage delicate fabrics.
Immerse the covers in water and put your hands on the covers or a soft sponge to swirl the cloth, paying special attention to the dirty sections of the covers, seams, and corners where dirt most readily settles. Let the covers stand for fifteen to twenty minutes when they are especially dirty, draining the soapy water, then rinse with a lot of clean water till no more soap bubbles appear and the water is clear.
Eradicating Stubborn Stains and Mildew
Age spots, mold, and stubborn stains cannot be removed with just any regular washing without special attention to make sure that your outdoor furniture covers will not lose their initial look and can be used safely again.
Prepare a special cleaning solution of one-part white vinegar to four parts water, or (this particular product is intended to be used on outdoor garments) apply a mildew remover preparation, which is specifically created to be used on outdoor clothes.
Working carefully not to hurt the fabric weave or protective coating, scrub the stained or mildewed areas in circular movements with a soft brush, trying to bring the discoloration and organic growth to the surface.
For especially stubborn blemishes on the washability of outdoor furniture covers, leave the cleaning solution on the area for ten to fifteen minutes and then scrub once more before rinsing well with fresh water.
Effective Methods of Drying to Lengthen
Proper drying procedures are of paramount importance in preventing the new buildup, upholding the integrity of your covers, and maintaining their weather-resistant properties to keep on protecting your outside furniture.
Do not put outdoor furniture covers into a machine washer because they will suffer shrinking, melting of protective coatings, and damage to elastic parts, and greatly diminish the life of your covers, irrespective of the material used to make the covers. Rather, place the covers in a clothesline, deck railing, or plain flat on a clean and high surface in a well-ventilated space with good air flow, but put them such that both sides dry evenly.
Do not leave the covers to dry in the direct sun; they may fade the color and deteriorate some materials with time, but in the shade or filtered sunlight, and before you store or replace the covers in your furniture, they must be thoroughly dry.
Recommendation
We know that at OAK Furniture Collection, to keep the beauty of your outdoor furniture, you must have quality craftsmanship as well as the ability and need to have proper protective care to increase the life of your investment pieces. Each of our premium outdoor pieces comes with a simple care guide, including how to wash outdoor furniture covers. We want to help you keep your set looking new through every season with as little effort as possible.
