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Patio furniture is the foundation of every beautiful and functional outdoor living space. And, in most cases, outdoor cushions add comfort and a welcome splash of color to enhance the look and feel of your personal oasis.
While those cushions are incredibly well-made and designed to be essentially weatherproof, they’re really only intended to weather three seasons. To keep your outdoor seating in tip top shape, you’ll need to make arrangements to store your cushions over the winter.
Why do outdoor cushions need to be stored for the winter?
During the warmer months, your outdoor cushions will routinely get wet from the rain. But then, usually within hours or, at most, days, they’re dried off again by the sun and wind. That’s what modern outdoor cushion materials are designed to deal with, and they do it well.
If they’re left out for the winter, though, snow, ice, and freezing temperatures join the mix. And, in many climates, once the cold locks down for the season, it may not let up for months. That’s more than your cushions were intended to handle, and you’ll find they come out the other side of an unprotected winter looking and feeling much worse for the wear.
What options are there for storing outdoor cushions?
If you have plenty of clean, dry storage space available — an attic, garage, or dry basement, perhaps — you can simply bring your cushions inside and out of the elements before the snow starts to fly. For extra protection, you can use specially-designed outdoor cushion storage bags or boxes to keep dirt and dust off of them while they’re waiting out the winter.
A lot of homeowners and apartment dwellers don’t have that much storage space, though. In that case, another popular option is waterproof patio furniture covers. These durable, weather-resistant fabric covers are designed to protect your outdoor furniture investment by keeping your seats, tables, and yes, even cushions clean and dry year-round. The obvious benefit of this method is that your cushions can stay right where they are, so there’s no storage space needed.
Whatever route you decide to go, be sure to properly winterize your patio furniture, including those comfy cushions, before the fall turns into winter. Give them a quick cleaning using some quality outdoor furniture cleaner, make sure they’re thoroughly dried, then store them appropriately. That ensures you’ll enjoy its use for years to come.
Topics: Outdoor and Patio - Furniture, How to
