For many of us, our gardens are our pride and joy. We spend significant time and care ensuring they’re in pristine condition and keep them as clean as we possibly can. Knowing how to clean patio furniture covers isn’t the most exciting task in the world, but it is necessary to ensure that you can stave off issues and get as much longevity out of them as possible.
Of course, there are other considerations, such as the material of your covers and the cleaning agents you can use to prevent staining or weakening of the material.
Key Takeaways On Cleaning Patio Furniture Covers
Use hot water and soap if you’re not dealing with a tough stain.
Explore how certain solutions and soaps react to your materials.
Combine your sets so you have the same colors and materials.
Allow your clean outdoor furniture covers to dry off before re-fitting.
Why Do I Need To Clean My Patio Furniture Covers?
Knowing how to clean patio furniture covers is part of broader, general household maintenance. Just as you’d keep your living room or kitchen in good, clean working order, patio covers are no different. Consistent maintenance can potentially result in years of extra life out of your outdoor furniture and covers.
Whether you want to protect your round table, chaise lounge, or fire pit, it’s not enough to just put your cover over it and forget about it. Those of us who take proactive measures to keep our covers clean will reap the added benefit.
By keeping your patio covers clean, you protect the material from wear and tear and decaying issues caused by debris, sand, or other elements and keep the materials looking clean—which is great for the overall aesthetic of your outdoor space! Maintaining the outside of your home is just as crucial as designing and maintaining the inside.
Before You Start Cleaning Your Patio Covers
Always do your homework. Knowing which materials and liquids to use and which ones to avoid is essential to an overall understanding of how to clean your patio covers. Here are a few pointers before you embark on your big clean.
Find Out What Your Outdoor Furniture Covers Are Made Of
Using abrasive materials like certain scouring pads or bleach could cause scratches. Ensure you read the labels and check this out before starting your big clean. Steel brushes and other sturdy, sweeping cleaning tools are usually a no-go as they can get caught in the material, potentially causing rips or holes.
600 denier polyester is the sturdiest cover we sell in our store. Its adaptable all-weather design protects against heat, water, and ice extremes. Given that it is 50% more durable than non-woven polypropylene, it is often the choice for many who are looking to protect their seats and other outdoor accessories.
Cleaning Products You Could Use
CoverClean FG is the solution for food or greasy stains. Although some people may use Bronte’s Path to remove algae or moss stains for their cover furniture, it’s strongly advisable to read the bottle, as they can cause cosmetic and sometimes permanent staining.
Using a light synthetic bristle scrub or pad is usually the best bet. It gives you a firm brush to remove stains while avoiding the more long-term scratching. As we alluded to in our last section, steel brushes and other hard, spiked brushes are generally a bad idea. However, using strong industrial bleaches and specialist solutions not designed for non-woven polypropylene or polyester can also cause lasting damage.
You could also try using a jet washer for a more powerful clean. Given that many patio covers are waterproof, they can withstand a solid, cleaning blast from a washer like this.
Can I Use Household Or Homemade Cleaning Products?
Classic homemade remedies can do the trick; hot water and mild soap are still some of the most common ways. It's best to avoid harsh chemicals like bleach.
Knowing how to clean patio furniture covers is a skill you can often refine once you know what works. But classic soap and lukewarm water combinations and a cup of white vinegar can often do the job if there are no obvious stains or issues with the cover.
How To Clean Patio Furniture Covers: A Step By Step Guide
The good thing about knowing how to clean patio furniture covers is that it’s a straightforward process. A lot of the preparation from the research you complete beforehand ensures that the brushes and cleaning solutions you opt for are suitable for the type of cover you have.
Let’s take a look at some top tips for cleaning different types of patio covers.
Table Covers
Table covers are perhaps the easiest to clean. Although some people prefer to take them off the furniture and stretch them out, if you use hot, soapy water, the cover can often remain on the table.
Irrespective of whether it’s a round table cover or an Ottoman or coffee table cover, you can use the furniture as a foundation to scrub and clean it - although it might be a good idea to remove it so it can dry properly.
Having your solution prepared in a small bucket next to the cover and hosing it down at the end should be enough to do the trick. Gently brush it clean and go a little harder on those stubborn stains. Soft bristles on your brush are ideal, but you may need to use something tougher for more tricker ones.
Chair Covers
Likewise, chair covers follow a similar principle: their importance has more to do with the solution you use than how you clean them.
As long as you cover every crevice and thoroughly dry it out, you can apply your knowledge of cleaning patio covers to all table and chair covers.
We also recommend using a soft brush or scrubber for cleaning chair covers unless they’re especially dirty.
BBQ Grill Covers
We’d say that for BBQ grill covers, you’re best to take them off the unit and wash them separately. By design, the whole cover is meant to protect from water damage.
Still, if you’re using a cleaning solution, particularly any specialist chemicals, you don’t want to run the risks of it seeping through and potentially damaging the mechanics of your BBQ grill. While this is highly unlikely, it’s still a pointless risk to take.
You may need to use a more robust tool for cleaning these covers. Grills can dirty your cover with soot, grease and grime, so using a scourer could be more effective at taking those off. You could then use a garden hose or jet washer to rinse them down.
Hot Tub Covers
Out of all of the patio furniture we have discussed today, we’d say hot tub covers are possibly the easiest to clean. Given that they fit around the tub's perimeter, both medium square and large square covers can be cleaned with the cover still attached. Any seepage can drain out through the hot tub mechanism, but if you’re trying to remove a noticeable stain and use a specialist solution, take it off.
A common-sense approach to cleaning your covers is often the best approach. As long as you cover all the basics, you should be able to get your money’s worth out of them and keep them looking new and smelling fresh.
The Importance Of Drying Out Your Covers
Regardless of whether you use 300—or 600-denier polyester or non-woven polypropylene, you want to clean your patio furniture and ensure it dries out correctly. If you don’t dry it out correctly, some materials can crumple or begin to pick up an odor.
More often than not, if you use the right cleaning solutions and allow the sun to dry off your cover, it’ll be fine. However, if you live in a wet or moist environment, drying out your covers in a garage or under a covered area is crucial. Otherwise, they may not dry properly and begin to smell or lose some of their resistance.
Get Durable And Stylish Patio Covers Online
If you have a patio garden set, then getting covers often goes hand in hand. Not only from an aesthetic perspective but if you purchase covers as part of a combo bundle option, you can save money compared to buying them individually.
You’ll also be able to get a warranty to cover all of the items collectively instead of having to take out separate policies.
If you’d like to learn more about our service here at PatioCover.com, why not get in touch via our free helpline and live chat? We’re on hand 24 hours a day.
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Jan Craig
Writer
PatioCover.com
