How to protect your outdoor upholstery fabric - Overstock Fabric
Weather, whether it’s good or bad, is capable of doing severe damage to your precious upholstery fabric. Precipitation, wind, and direct sun rays are some of the enemies of your outdoor upholstery fabric. No matter what kind of fabric you are using, it’s essential to know how one can properly maintain it and take care of it in fluctuating weather conditions. Even though you cannot prevent mother nature from unveiling atrocious weather conditions, you can definitely take certain steps to protect the upholstery fabric that’s being subjected to all kinds of weather conditions.
Not sure how to protect your outdoor upholstery fabric? Well, you are not alone. Hundreds and thousands of people have come up with the same question. In this guide, we’ve mentioned some of the best methods that one can bring into practice to make sure their outdoor upholstery fabric continues to look amazing.
How can weather conditions damage your upholstery fabric?
Outdoor fabrics are usually subjected to more damaging elements like moisture, sun rays, heat, UV rays, etc. Sunlight is highly responsible for the discoloration, degeneration, and weakening of the fabrics. On the other hand, pollutants and atmospheric gases such as automobile exhaust and fireplace fumes target the fiber and dye of the fabrics. The life of the upholstery fabric is reduced by heat and moisture. There isn’t a lack of pollutants and contaminants in our surroundings, so we should take appropriate methods towards reducing the extent of damage, even if we cannot combat it completely. Stronger fabrics might have a prolonged life than the others. However, ultimately all fabrics degenerate. We can only extend their life and charm by following certain steps mentioned below.
1-Use fabric guards
The job of fabric guards is to help the fabric resist water and repel stain. To some extent, fabric guards also provide UV screening to keep fading under control and mildew resistance. The pre-treatment is in no way going to affect the feel, breathability, or color of the fabric. Rather, it will protect it from stains, UV rays, and water. One should always apply the fabric guard on dry and clean fabric.
Starting tom cotton and acrylic to leather, wool, and suede, it can be used on all kinds of fabrics. Apart from that, it’s also environmentally safe, odorless, and non-toxic when dry. You are surely going to notice a big difference after applying it only once.
2-Spot & Light cleaning
Keep the outdoor upholstery fabric free of all loose debris and dirt. Over time, dust particles get carried away by wind and get accumulated over the fabric, which needs to be cleaned time and again. Blot with the help of a dry and clean cloth. In a ratio of 1:16, make a cleaning solution using mild detergent and lukewarm water. Spray it over your fabric. However, soft-touch fabrics should be cleaning using a soft cloth or sponge to clean.
Once the fabric absorbs the solution, rinse it thoroughly, and remove all remaining soap residues. Put it under the sun to dry, and you’re done! Repeating this time and again ensures your fabric lasts long.
3-Make them waterproof
While shopping for upholstery fabrics for the outdoor, make sure you always choose a waterproof one. Not only it extends the life of what’s inside, but it also doesn’t require much maintenance. Having extra protection never hurts, does it?
Several products are available in the market, as well as online, that claim to make your fabric waterproof. And it has been noticed that it does wonder when it comes to protecting the fabric. Whether it’s your cushion covers, rugs, blankets, or pillows, you can use them wherever you want to. Most people often avoid using such kind of products believing that it might cause discoloration. It’s not something you need to worry about as the claim is completely false.
4-Protect against UV rays damage and fading
Furniture placed on the lawn experience the direct sunlight and absorb all the UV rays. Not only does the UV rays result in faded outdoor upholstery fabric, but it also leads to the gradual destruction of the material. Over time, the fabrics literally break down & fall apart. Although some special fabrics might withstand the sun for some time, ultimately, the sun gets to taste the victory.
However, scientists have developed a product that is exclusively formulated to protect the fabrics from the UV fading and damage while making them resistant to soil and stain as well. If you wish to get your fabric bilayer protection, mix the waterproofing product with the fabric protectant. Point to be noted: such products should only be used upon vinyl fabrics.
5-Pick a performance-based upholstery fabric
The fifth and last approach to save your fabric is buying an upholstery fabric that’s suitable for the outside weather conditions. With so many brands and types to choose from, it becomes really difficult to pick the correct one. So, some basic things that you should look for while shopping for fabric outside are its ability to resist stain and its durability.
One can shop from online stores as it allows you to compare and contrast all the features and the prices. You can know what the previous customers have to say about a particular product from the review-section and decide accordingly. In this way, you can lay your hands on one of the best deals and save some bucks as well.
Conclusion
We hope the tips mentioned above were informative and helpful enough. Undoubtedly, we cannot put a stop to Mother nature’s wrath, but we can certainly keep our fabrics soft and supple for a longer period. Letting go of your favorite outdoor upholstery fabric is heart-wrenching, and we know that. That is why so many products are being developed and are available in the market. Whether you need an attractive set of fabric for your brand-new furniture or require products to maintain it, online shopping websites have got everything covered. Now that all your questions have been answered get online, and choose the product that caters to your requirements.
