Wicker furniture has been around for centuries. Sturdy and beautifully crafted wicker products make a room feel cozy and inviting. Wicker chairs are especially popular as outdoor and indoor furniture, but the cushion’s look and feel make the chair. Choosing the right cushions and caring for them is important to maintain your wicker furniture’s overall quality and aesthetics. This includes selecting the right fabric, cleaning and keeping them intact, and replacing worn covers or cushions when needed.
Choosing The Right Wicker Cushions
When buying cushions for your wicker furniture, consider where they will be used. You can select cushions made of cotton, polyester, acrylic, or olefin materials if it’s indoor wicker chairs. As much as you don’t always need the extra protection that an acrylic fabric like Sunbrella acrylics provides, these can be used indoors. If you’re using the cushions outside, you will probably want to use fade-resistant acrylics like Sunbrella or Outdura, which is best for outdoor use where the elements (and rougher handling), can wear them out faster. If you use high-quality fabric, It will make caring for them easier. Choosing removable cushion covers will also facilitate their care if you choose to buy cotton covers because you need to dry clean them. Otherwise, you risk shrinking, fading, and wrinkling them.
How To Clean Your Wicker Cushions
Let’s start by stating we only recommend dry cleaning for cotton cushion covers. As mentioned above, cotton is a natural fiber that can act adversely when cleaned in methods other than dry cleaning. So, for cushions that contain cotton, you need to have zippered covers that can be removed so you can take them to the dry cleaners.
For all other synthetic cushion fabrics, the first step in caring for your wicker cushions is cleaning them regularly. Whether you clean them once a year or four times a year, it all depends on how dirty they get. If you cover or store your cushions when you’re not using them, you don’t need to clean them as much.
If you leave your cushions out most often, you should clean them more frequently. Most people don’t realize that pollen is one of the biggest culprits that make cushions dirty. You may have seen pollen lying on your car or dining table outside. Well, guess what, it’s lying on your cushions too. Once you sit on them, it’s embedded into the fabric. Mold and mildew thrive on organic substances like pollen. So, you need to remove it before it grows and stains and smells.
This involves gently removing heavy dirt and grime with a soft brush. You can remove the covers from the cushion, but we recommend leaving the covers on. Fiberfill, dacron, and most foam can not be harmed by wetting them. So, you should not be afraid if you do. You should, however, concentrate on the covers, not the inside.
Spot clean with commercial fabric cleaner, mild carpet cleaner solutions, or mild detergent soap. Do not scrub too hard, or you may lighten the color or begin to fray the fibers. You do not need to immerse the entire cushion in the water! But if you do, don’t worry too much about it. You need to make sure you dry it completely. To remove mold and mildew and to help sterilize, use all-fabric bleach (or regular bleach for white cushions) in the water/detergent mixture. You can also use Oxi Clean; it won’t bleach out your sensitive fabrics. Use a damp sponge to clean the surface gently. You may use a nylon scrubber to remove tougher stains. Now the fun part. You can rinse your cushion covers with fresh water from a hose or faucet. Take them outside, shake them to remove excess water, and dry them in a sunny place. Check on them and turn them around so the sun warms different areas until they are completely dry. Make sure they are completely dry before use or storage. Sunbrella offers cleaning solutions for their Acrylic fabrics on their website.
Replacing Your Wicker Cushions
When your wicker chair cushions show signs of wear and tear, it’s time to replace the cover or the entire cushion with custom made outdoor cushions. If you need to replace your cushions, don’t hesitate to contact Wicker Living today to find the best cushions for you. You may also choose to have the covers custom-made or sew them yourself. Whichever way you choose, update your cushions as often as needed.
Caring for wicker cushions is vital to getting the most out of your wicker furniture. Keeping the cushions clean, intact, comfortable, and looking great will ensure the continued enjoyment of your wicker chairs for years to come.
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