Outdoor Cushions and Seat Pads

GARDEN · GLOBAL

Outdoor Cushions and Seat Pads

Fabrics and fading, foam and drainage, storage and cleaning

Outdoor cushions are what make garden furniture usable and are the part that fails first, almost always through water and sunlight.

Fabric

Solution-dyed acrylic has the colour built into the fibre rather than applied to it, which is why it resists fading far better than printed polyester. It costs more and lasts several times as long.

Check for a stated ultraviolet rating and a water-repellent finish, and note that repellent is not waterproof.

Filling and drainage

Reticulated foam is open-celled and drains and dries quickly, which is what outdoor cushions should use. Ordinary upholstery foam holds water, stays damp inside and grows mould you cannot see.

Look for mesh drainage eyelets in the cover, and check the cover is removable and washable.

They still need bringing in

No outdoor cushion is designed to live outside permanently in a British winter. Store them somewhere dry, or in a ventilated waterproof box, and never bag them damp.

Check anything stored over winter before putting it back out.

Cleaning

Brush loose dirt off first, wash covers as the label allows, and dry fully before refitting. For mildew, a specialist cleaner rather than bleach, which damages colour and fibre.

Ties and fit

Seat pads with ties stay put and stop pads blowing across the garden. Measure the seat rather than assuming a standard size.

Furniture underneath

Cushions last longer on furniture that drains and dries. Slatted seats, raised feet and a position that gets some sun all help, and a cushion sitting in a puddle on a solid seat will not dry.

Check any powder-coated metal for chips and touch them up, since rust starts at the break in the finish.

Indoor seat pads

For dining chairs, look for ties, a non-slip backing and a washable cover. Check the pad thickness against the table height, since a thick pad can make a chair uncomfortable.

Wash covers with the rest of the household textiles rather than treating them as an annual job.

Buying

Measure the seat before ordering, check whether covers are sold separately, and look for a stated fabric type rather than a description. Solution-dyed acrylic is worth asking about by name.

Buy at the end of the season, when prices fall sharply and nothing about the product changes.

Comfort

Thickness and density both matter. A thin pad on a hard slatted seat compresses within minutes, and a dense foam pad of the same thickness stays comfortable for a whole afternoon.

For anyone sitting outside for hours, a proper seat cushion plus a back cushion changes the furniture completely.

Buying

Check whether replacement covers are sold separately, since that is what lets a set last a decade rather than three summers.

Buy at the end of the season, when prices fall sharply.

WHERE TO BUY

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