Sunbrella Cleaning Guide
When it comes to your investment on custom outdoor cushions, it’s important to take care of them. Fortunately, Northern Patio only offers the best outdoor fabric available, through Sunbrella.
Sunbrella is the leader of outdoor fabrics with hundreds of designs and colours to suit your backyard lifestyle. Given the variations of the elements the outdoors may bring to your cushions, it’s important to know the steps to take care and clean your cushions. Don’t worry, though. We here at Northern Patio have you covered.
Draining your cushion
In order to keep your cushions looking like brand new for years to come we STRONGLY advise you to not leave your cushions in the rain. If they do get wet, however, here is the best way to dry them quickly:
- Unzip your cushion.
- Fold back the fabric a few inches so that the foam is exposed and no water can gather in fabric pockets.
- Set your cushion upright, foam side down so that the water can drain. This may take several hours depending on the size of the cushion and how saturated it had become.
Do not fully remove the casing from the foam due to the difficulty of re-stuffing the cushion. Do not use artificial heat to dry your cushion as this will shrink the casing.
Cleaning Sunbrella cushions
Cleaning your Sunbrella cushions is fortunately an easy task which should take much time at all. Varying stains may require different cleaning techniques than others. We’ll show you some of the most common ways to clean your Sunbrella fabric:With a new stain, blot (don’t rub) most liquid spills with a dry cloth or paper towel.
How to Deal with a New Stain
- With a new stain, blot (don’t rub) the spill with a dry cloth or paper towel.
- Spray a mild cleaning solution of soap, such as Dawn dish soap, and water. Lather the entire cushion to prevent water rings.
- Rinse the fabric to remove the soap residue.
- Air dry.
Cleaning Removable Sunbrella Fabric
For washing removable fabric, there are two methods to clean: by hand or machine.
When hand washing, soak the Sunbrella fabric in a 1/4 cup of mild soap per gallon of water. Using a soft sponge or soft bristle brush, lightly agitate the stain. Rinse the fabric and let air dry.
Machine washing removable is possible. To machine wash, close all zippers, and run machine with cold water on the delicate cycle with a normal amount of mild laundry detergent. For extreme cases of mold or mildew, add 1 cup of bleach. Let fabric air dry.
Note: Never machine wash a cushion with foam still inside it.
Cleaning Non-Removable Sunbrella Fabric
Soak the Sunbrella fabric in a 1/4 cup of mild soap (such as Dawn dish soap) per gallon of water. Using a soft sponge or soft bristle brush, lightly agitate the stain. Rinse the fabric and let air dry.
For mold and mildew, prepare 1 cup of bleach and 1/4 cup of mild soap per gallon of water. Apply the solution on the fabric and let it sit for 15 minutes. Using a soft sponge or soft bristle brush, lightly agitate the stain. Rinse the fabric and let air dry. For severe mold or mildew growth, add more bleach.
For more specific cleaning instructions based on the kind of stain you have, please visit: www.sunbrella.com/stainchart
*While Sunbrella fabrics do not promote mold or mildew growth, mildew may grow on dirt and other foreign substances if not removed from the fabric.
