Cushions, Covers and the Summer Sun

Care for your colors

It is not a surprise that the sun can damage any fabric.  Anyone with a darker color has seen their fabric fade in the sun.  If you have ever had 1 chair in a set that gets direct sunlight all the time, while the rest of the set is in the shade you have seen this difference pretty quickly.  The good news is that there are measures you can take and wise color choices that can increase the longevity of your covers.

What will work for you

Color choice is a major component no matter the set up.  Blacks, reds and orange colors will fade much faster than blues, grays, or tans.

The best maintenance for your outdoor furniture is placing your set in a shady spot.  Using the natural foliage around, under an awning or umbrellas will increase the life of your patio furniture and covers also.  If you have a great shade area, you can use brighter colors and they will last for a very long time. Besides the life of the furniture is will also be much more comfortable for you and your guests.   If one of your areas where your furniture is set gets more sun than the others, rotate, rotate and rotate.  This will minimize the fading and keep it consistent so it won’t be noticeable.

If your furniture does get constant sun you have 3 different options.

• The first is to go with the lighter color. Light tans, light blues and light grays will be the longest lasting fabrics for the sun.
• Get a full patio furniture cover that is typically used for rain and cover them when the patio set is not in use.
• Click here to see some styles.
• The other option is to take off your covers when the sun is beating down during the middle of the day.  Covers are easy to slip on and off but this option does take some more time.  Using covers for when guests are coming over and not all year appeals will work for some folks, and for  other this isn’t an option.