How To Clean Sunbrella Fabric?

In order to relieve your stress over life’s messes, we have put together this helpful guide that will show you exactly how to care for your Sunbrella fabric.

Sunbrella fabric offers a beautiful variety of options for fabrics that are water-repellent and fade-resistant, are tactile yet durable, have industry-leading environmental characteristics, are simple to clean, and offer long life. Sunbrella fabrics will look fantastic for years to come with routine, minimal maintenance.

Read this article to find out how to properly clean Sunbrella fabric.

Further Reading:

• How To Remove Hot Glue From Fabric? 5 Methods
• Can You Spray Paint Fabric? How to Do It?

How To Clean Sunbrella Fabric?

Below are some guidelines to clean Sunbrella fabric:

General Cleaning

To avoid dirt and grime accumulation, all Sunbrella fabrics should be cleaned every so often. Sunbrella has slightly different general care procedures for various uses and lines.

Indoor upholstered furniture pieces as well as removable items like pillow and cushion covers, slipcovers, and draperies can be covered with Sunbrella upholstery fabric. You can hand wash or put these removable pieces in the washing machine to clean them.

Hand washing involves soaking the material in a solution of 1/4 cup of mild soap to one gallon of warm water. If necessary, agitate the fabric with a sponge or soft brush before giving it a thorough rinse to get rid of all soap residue.

Additionally, Sunbrella can be laundered in a washing machine using cold water and a gentle detergent. Sunbrella must always air dry.

For general care of Sunbrella Upholstery fabric on outdoor furniture, brush off any loose dirt from the fabric and make a solution of 1/4 cup mild soap per gallon of lukewarm water.

Cleaning should be done with a sponge or soft-bristled brush, allowing the solution to soak into the fabric. Rinse thoroughly to get rid of all soap traces, then let it air dry.

Regular maintenance is also necessary for the Sunbrella Marine Grade fabric on your boat tops and covers. Brush away any loose dirt from the fabric’s surface and then hose down your marine tops to clean them.

Prepare a cleaning solution of water and mild soap, or spray with 303^® Multi-Purpose Cleaner. When cleaning, use a soft-bristled brush and give the fabric time to absorb the cleaning solution. Rinse thoroughly to get rid of all the soap, then let it air dry.

Spot Cleaning

Your upholstered fabric furniture for indoor and outdoor use may occasionally need to be cleaned because stains do occur. Discover how to spot-clean your Sunbrella here.

Start by dabbing liquid spills with a clean, dry cloth before spot-cleaning upholstered furniture. Apply an absorbent substance, such as cornstarch, to an oil-based spill, and then scrape it up with a straight edge.

Next, using a spray bottle, lightly mist the area with a solution of mild soap and water. After thoroughly rinsing off any remaining soap, let the fabric air dry. Repeat the procedure if your initial efforts to remove the stain are unsuccessful.

This time, work the soap solution into the stain with a sponge or brush with extremely soft bristles.

Heavy Cleaning For Stubborn Stains & Mildew

Sunbrella does not encourage the growth of mildew, but dirt on the fabric can. You might need to clean with bleach to get rid of it and other stains that have set in. To do this, make a solution in a gallon of water with 1 cup bleach and 1/4 cup mild soap, and soak the stained area for 15 minutes.

With a clean towel or sponge, remove stubborn stains. Use a sponge, clean towel, or soft-bristled brush to thoroughly clean the surface if you need to remove mildew all over. The fabric should then be thoroughly rinsed to remove any remaining soap, and dried naturally.

If the mildew or stain is particularly bad, you can change the amount of bleach used.

Re-treating Sunbrella Fabric

Sunbrella fabrics have a unique finish that improves their ability to repel water. The 303 High Tech Fabric Guard, the preferred re-treatment product for Sunbrella fabrics, can be used to refresh the finish after several years of normal use.

Applying 303 High Tech Fabric Guard:

• Sunbrella should be cleaned and completely air-dried.
• Allow 303 to dry after applying a thin, even coat.
• Repeat step 2.

A single heavy coating does not restore fabric water resistance, as well as two light coatings, do. For up to 50 square feet of fabric, a 15-ounce bottle is sufficient.

Can I Put Sunbrella Fabric in the Washing Machine?

Many of our outdoor pillows and cushions have zippered, removable covers that can be washed in your washing machine if you don’t want to fiddle with a hose or bucket of soapy water. Use a normal amount of mild laundry detergent, a cup of bleach, and a delicate cycle. Let the covers air dry rather than using a dryer.

Last but not least, using outdoor furniture covers will lessen the frequency of cleaning your furniture.

Additional Tips & Hints

• Sunbrella should not be ironed using a steamer or an iron that is set to steam. If you need to iron out wrinkles, use an iron set to “synthetic fabric.”
• When cleaning with bleach, keep the area around your Sunbrella protected.
• You can machine-wash removable outdoor accessories like cushion covers and umbrellas in cold water. Still, let them air dry.
• When using bleach to clean marine tops, be mindful of the environment. Move the fabric away from bodies of water if a bleach cleaning of your fabric is required.
• A polyester thread is harmed by bleach cleaning solutions. For items stitched with Lifetime Thread, bleach cleaning is recommended.

Conclusion

Sunbrella fabrics are enduring and simple to maintain. Knowing how to wash Sunbrella fabric by hand or in a machine will help you keep yours stain-free at all times.

We hope that this gives you the confidence to quickly clean these items before storing them away for the year or taking them outside in the fall. Likewise, stick to the cleaning solutions Sunbrella suggests. 303 Multi-Surface Cleaner, Resolve, or mild dish soap are your best bets.

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