How to store garden cushions: winter, rain and the box question
Most cushions are not ruined by rain. They are ruined by being stored wet. Here is a storage routine that takes ten minutes and works for any fabric.
The three rules
- Dry. Stand each cushion on its side for a couple of hours in wind or sun before it goes anywhere. Press the corner: if water appears, it is not ready.
- Clean. Brush off and wash before storage. Dirt left on all winter feeds mould. See how to clean outdoor cushions.
- Ventilated. Air must move around the cushions. A sealed plastic crate or bin bag traps the last moisture and gives you a musty smell in spring.
Storing between showers (summer)
With Sunbrella® cushions you do not need to. The fabric sheds most of the rain and the hollow-fibre filling drains. Stand them on their side after a shower and carry on. For printed polyester cushions with foam filling, a quick dash to the shed is worth it: foam holds water for days and that is where the mildew starts. If you are away for a week, under a roof is nice but not essential; in a closed box while damp is the one thing to avoid.
Storing for winter
We recommend storing all outdoor cushions dry from November to March. Not because frost damages them, but because four months of algae, leaf tannin and bird droppings is a lot of cleaning in spring. Options, from best to worst:
| Where | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Shelf in a dry shed or garage, cushions standing up | Best. Air all round, nothing crushed. |
| Breathable cushion bag (cotton, mesh) | Good. Keeps dust and spiders off, lets moisture out. |
| Ventilated cushion storage box outside | Fine if it really has vents and stands off the ground. Read our guide to cushion storage boxes first. |
| Sealed plastic crate or bin bag | Avoid. Any remaining moisture stays in with the cushions. |
| Loft or airing cupboard | Fine, as long as you do not store them next to a water tank. |
If you can smell the cushions when you open the box, they went in damp. Dry, clean, ventilated, in that order.
How to pack them
Stand them on edge like books rather than stacking flat; the bottom cushion of a stack gets crushed and stays flat. Do not fold cushions with foam filling. Scatter cushions with hollow fibre can be squashed and recover after a shake. Keep covers on; a bare inner cushion attracts dust.
No space to store anything?
Then buy cushions that can stay outside. A Sunbrella® cover with a draining filling needs nothing more than standing on its side after rain. Many of our customers leave them on a covered balcony all year. Fabric details in what is Sunbrella fabric.
158 Sunbrella® colours in 45×45, filling included, shipped next working day. Browse the collection or ask about made to measure.
