Can Sunbrella cushions really stay outside? Here is how it works.
Water-repellent is not waterproof. What that means for your cushions, and what we advise for rain, winter and a week away.
The question we get asked most: can I just leave my cushions out? The short answer is yes, with a few caveats. Sunbrella® fabric is designed for outdoors. The colour runs through the whole fibre, the fabric does not rot and mildew barely gets a grip on it. But a cushion is more than fabric.
Water-repellent versus waterproof
Sunbrella® is water-repellent: a shower largely rolls off the fabric. In prolonged rain some water does get through, and that is deliberate. A waterproof fabric would actually trap the water and let the filling turn sour. Our cushions therefore have a water-permeable inner cover and a hollow-fibre filling that does not soak up water. The water runs out, air comes in.
After a shower: stand the cushion on its side. Two to four hours of sun or wind and it is dry.
A week away
Leave them out, or put them under a roof if you pass by anyway. What you should not do: store them in a closed box while they are still damp. Then you do get a musty smell, even with Sunbrella®.
Winter
The fabric can take frost. Still, we advise storing the cushions dry from November to March. Not because they break, but because otherwise they collect green algae and leaf debris for months, which you have to scrub off in spring. A ventilated cushion box or a shelf in the shed is enough.
Cleaning
Cover off, wash at 30°. Stubborn stains can be treated with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. That sounds harsh, but because the pigment is in the fibre, the fabric does not discolour. Rinse well and line dry.
