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Since it is summertime, we are sharing some commonly asked questions over the next month for you. All things relating to outdoor spaces! Today, we are sharing with you how to clean outdoor  fabric the easy way!

You probably see my little outdoor space all the time on instagram stories. Amelia and I are ALWAYS outside swinging 🙂 I have various types of outdoor fabric.

Outdoor fabric can be anything from patio cushions to outdoor pillows. Whatever you have on your patio that needs to be cleaned, these “how to” methods will help you.

We want to give you the best information possible, so this is going to show you a few different methods depending on what you have going on.

Let’s get started.

How to Clean Outdoor Fabric the Easy Way

Most of the common issues with outdoor cushions or pillows is dirt. In Texas, we have constant storms and bad weather during the spring, so my cushions get really dirty!

I get readers also asking about mildew removal from cushions. If you live in a wet climate, you probably experience mold or mildew on fabrics. Here in north Texas, we start getting hot dry weather early on, so mildew isn’t a big issue. I will share with you the easiest way to take care of that too!

First, let’s dive into basic fabric cleaning.

How to Clean Outdoor Cushions Without Borax

I have noticed almost EVERY single DIY cushion cleaner online adds borax. I use borax for many things, but I prefer this method for cleaning dirt from cushions. You will find borax added to the last method which is geared more towards mold and mildew. This DIY below is a great way to freshen up everything if you plan to have company or just need to spruce up your patio.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon washing soda
• 1 tsp dish washing liquid (I always use blue Dawn)
• Hydrogen Peroxide (optional)
• Scrub Brush
• Hose with spray nozzle

Directions:

1. First, shake out your cushions and beat out dust and debris. This step is very important!
2. Add the warm water to a bowl, sprinkle in the washing soda, then add in the dish washing liquid. I always use blue Dawn because it works best (read this post for more information). You can also add the solution to a spray bottle! It is your preference. I prefer spray bottles if I just want to quickly clean, but will use the bowl for deep cleaning.
3. If you have very stained cushions, now is the time to spray some hydrogen peroxide on them. Oxygenated bleach like peroxide doesn’t remove coloring from fabric, but TEST a spot first. If you don’t have stains, you can skip the peroxide.
4. Dip your scrub brush into the warm water solution, scrub in a small circular motion all around the cushions. If you sprayed the peroxide, really scrub that area!
5. Allow solution to sit for 5-10 minutes.
6. Rinse with a hose.

How to Clean Outdoor Fabric with Chemistry Cachet’s All-Purpose Cleaner

If you own our eBook, the absolute EASIEST way to clean outdoor fabric is with our all-purpose cleaner on page 13. If you don’t have the eBook, use code “OUTDOOR” now for 25% off!

Ingredients:

• Chemistry Cachet’s all-purpose cleaner page 13
• Scrub Brush
• Microfiber cloth

Directions:

1. Spray entire area with all-purpose cleaner. Saturate it in heavily stained areas.
2. Scrub it well.
3. Wipe off with a damp microfiber cloth. You can rinse with a hose if desired, but not necessary.

Here is a photo of using this all-purpose cleaner on one side of my faded cushion.  These are very old, dirty faded cushions with some rust and dirt stains on them. It cleans so well!

How to clean patio cushions with mildew

If you have mold or mildew on your cushions, you will need to use some different methods to get it out. There are a few things to try. Depending on what type of fabric you have or how bad the mold is, these will help!

This will be a similar solution to the first method, but with some changes to address mold or mildew. In this particular case, we WILL be using borax.  Cleaning mildew off outdoor fabric can be simple with this DIY solution.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 tablespoon borax
• 1 tsp dish washing liquid (I always use blue Dawn)
• 10-15 drops of tea tree oil
• Scrub Brush
• Hose with spray nozzle

Directions:

1. Mix up the solution in a bowl.
2. Using the scrub brush, add a generous amount to the cushion or fabric, rub in circular motions and upward.
3. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
4. Spray off with hose.

Science Behind These Ingredients:

You will notice this is very similar to the first method I talk about, but this time we have borax added to it. Borax can help with mold or mildew due to the boron compounds, so it makes a great option for this scrub. Be sure to read this post on the science of borax and all the things you can use it for.

The acidity of vinegar (acetic acid) helps break down the stains from mold on fabrics. It doesn’t always work on its own, but it helps all of these ingredients work together.

The last star ingredient for this mold or mildew remove is tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is one of the main ingredients in our homemade mold remover spray because it works so good! It works as good as bleach for killing mold. You can read more about tea tree oil and the science behind it in this post.

Using this combination of ingredients has worked well on my fabrics in the past when I have had a touch of mildew. Like I mentioned above, we don’t get that very often in Texas due to our hot dry weather, but some years we have very wet summers that linger.

In Conclusion:

With these three different methods, you will have some great options for cleaning your outdoor fabrics this year! My favorite one is using Chemistry Cachet’s all-purpose cleaner. I absolutely love this SIMPLE DIY spray. If you follow me on instagram stories, I made this solution up and talked about how you can truly use it for anything and everything in your home. I just keep a bottle ready to go. I clean the kitchen, bathroom, living room, office, and as you can see, outdoor spaces!

It really cleans fabrics well, so I even use it for indoor pillows and fabrics.

If you don’t have our ebook yet, remember to use code OUTDOOR for 25% off the book now.

 

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