How to Clean Outdoor Cushions for Winter Storage

Do you struggle with how to clean outdoor cushions for winter storage without having to use a ton of water? Especially tufted cushions? I did too, but this year, I found a different solution! Outdoor cushions can be expensive to replace every year, so cleaning them is a great way to keep them looking good from year to year, and stretch out replacement time.

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It always amazes me how summer seems to fly by so quickly.  Maybe it’s because we live in an area where it does (insert laughing emoji here.). It feels like we just put all of the outdoor furniture outside, and then the first leaf falls. Our cushions sit outside exposed to the elements all summer, and by the end, they are pretty grimy. Some of them are tufted, which is even worse, because the grit seems to settle in those areas, and is really hard to clean. There are even pieces of leaves, and sometimes spider webs ( Which made me want to burn them instead. I do not do spiders.).

In the past, I’ve scrubbed them out with a soapy sponge, and then rinsed them with the hose. Most of the time, I have to do it again. It makes the cushion saturated, and it ends up taking several days to a week dry out before we can put them into a plastic bin for storage in the crawlspace. This year, I pulled out my HomeRight Steam Machine, and steamed the cushions. I was so pleased with the result, it’s the only way I will ever clean them again.

 I cleaned the cushions outside on our patio, this is definitely an outside job! The first thing I did, was brush any loose dirt and grime off of the cushions. Then, I used my HomeRight Steam Machine, to get the ground in stuff (According to the instructions ,always make sure to do a test patch on your cushions first.).

I laid the cushions flat, and used the brush attachment to scrub the cushion, making sure to get into the tufted area.

It was so fast and easy, and I was so impressed with how clean they became, especially in the tufted areas!

I love that they got so clean without chemicals of any kind, and that they dried out so much faster, since there wasn’t as much water used! Once they were 100% dry, they go into big plastic bins until next year.

 

I had to share a side by side of the cushions how clean they got using the steamer! I LOVE the end result! I am convinced this is the best way how to clean outdoor cushions for winter storage!

You can see the full tutorial here on HomeRight.

Want to know about other ways to clean with steam? Check out this transformation in our bathroom!

Love quick and easy decorating ideas? I love these!  And, this one!

This post is sponsored, opinions are entirely my own. When using mentioned products, always refer to the product instructions and proper use for safety.

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Fall Front Step with Pumpkins on the Vine

Happy Fall! Can you believe that it’s already that time  of year to start pulling out the plaid shirts and boots?  I feel like we were just in the middle of summer, and already the first leaves are falling! I’ve started doing a little fall decorating around the house. While I don’t have a front porch, I do have a Fall front Step with Pumpkins on the Vine to share with you today!

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This year, we had a pumpkin vine pop-up on it’s own in our front yard. It was fun to watch it grow, and we actually ended up with three full-sized pumpkins this year! I thought it would be kind of cool to cut them, and display them with some of the vines still hanging off.

It made for a really cool look. I don’t know how long they’ll last, but I can enjoy them while they still look good.

If you love pumpkin decor,check out this pumpkin pillow!

I did a fun post for DecoArt with mums and a DIY witch’s hat. You can see hat here. We had a few huge wind storms that came through, and I made good use of some of the smaller, fallen branches to put in my bucket planter. It looks Fall-ish and creepy at the same time. My smaller mums are in galvanized buckets from the home improvement store. They make a quick and easy planter!

I used an large embroidery hoop, some wood slices,and a few faux florals to make a cute, fall wreath for my front door.

Every year, I plant some of my mums in the ground early in the season. It allows them time to grow roots, and they come back year after year. You can see how to grow your own big, beautiful mums here.

I found one last year that starts out white, and fades into a really pretty lavender color. I love how beautiful and delicate it looks!

 

We put in a new front walk last year, and it looked like a wasteland forever. I am so happy the landscaping is finally starting to fill in. It finally looks established.

 

I love this variety of Sedum. The older the blossoms, the darker and deeper the pink color.

At the beginning of the summer this year, I also planted a tiny purple grass, with about 4 blades in the 4-inch pot. It looked a little sad.

It’s a monster just in time for Halloween! I can’t believe how much it’s grown. It’s a shame it’s a annual here!

Thank you so much for joining me for a peek of my Fall Front Step with Pumpkins today. Make sure you stop by the other blogger’s Fall porches!

Ella Claire | Inspired by Charm | Zevy Joy | The Lilypad Cottage

Jeanne Oliver | Boxwood Avenue | Liz Marie Blog | Love Grows Wild

French Country Cottage | Home Stories A to Z | Nesting with Grace | Beneath my Heart

Shades of Blue Interiors | City Farmhouse | Jennifer Rizzo Design Company | Rooms for Rent

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A Simple Fall Boho Living Room with Hand-Painted Fall Art

I am joining in with the Seasons of Home bloggers to show our family/living rooms.  Season change is always a time when I love to revisit my decor, and change things up a bit. In many of my design clients homes, we are starting to bring in touches of fall as well, and visit fresh furniture layouts.  In my own home, I really wanted to add some of my own  hand-painted fall art into my decor, and I was tired of the mirror that I’ve had above the mantel forever now.

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It started when I found this great basket at Homegoods for my coffee table, and I filled it with plants ( a Pothos,and a Snake plant). I tucked a few pumpkins in for color, and a few wood beads, and I love how they look against the greenery.

You can find a similar basket here, and here, and a set of two here.

I love how simple and pretty it is. I liked last year’s decor too. I think every year is my new favorite.

I changed out my blue velvet drapes from something a little lighter. This side of the house can get dark in the fall,and I wanted to bring as much light in as possible. I tend to get down in the dumps after the holidays, when winter really kicks in. I am an outdoors, sun and garden person. In reality, I probably have SAD, so bringing in as much winter sun as possible really helps. I am really going to up my plants this year too.

I love the curtains, because thought they are a floral pattern, I felt like the colors were fall-ish, and they went well with my rug from Target. They don’t have it anymore, but this one from Wayfair is very similar, in fact, I almost like it better.

I added a few pumpkins, and a fall throw to bring in some color, and fall texture.

I decided to keep my mantel simple, and just add the new art pieces, and a few pumpkins and grasses. You can find pillow versions, and canvases of these prints here.

I decorated a lot with grasses from my yard. This is Quaking grass, and I love how the ends turn a pretty golden yellow.

 

Thank you so much for joining me for a little tour around my living room! Make sure to visit the other bloggers sharing their fall decor!

 

Ella Claire | Liz Marie Blog | Zevy Joy | Love Grows Wild

Rooms For Rent | Boxwood Avenue | Julie Blanner | Craftberry Bush

Beneath My Heart | Maison de Cinq | Shades of Blue Interiors | Nina Hendrick Design Co.

Jennifer Rizzo | My Sweet Savannah | City Farmhouse | French Country Cottage

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Pastel Halloween Decor with DIY Witch’s Hat

Even though I love traditional Halloween decorating, I love the fresh, new look of Pastel Halloween Decor.  It’s kind of fun to mix it up a bit! This month as a DecoArt blogger, I was able to use Americana Neon Lights Fluorescent Acrylics paint to make a fun Halloween DIY witch’s hat planter, with bats in fun colors (Pink Explosion, Radiant Yellow, Green Energy, Knock Out Blue, and Peach Punch)!

I bought the plastic bats at the craft store, and started painting. It was after the paint dried, and it started peeling right off of my bats that I realized my craft fail.

I didn’t use a Paint Adhesion Medium, which helps the acrylic paint adhere . You would think after 11 years, I would have figured it out by now, like when I paint furniture!!! So, learn from my mistake, and if you are going to paint something with a slick surface, use the medium before the paint.

While those were drying, I made my DIY witch’s hat.

First, I cut out a cone shape (template at the end) that would be the main part of the hat from the old painter’s tarp, and then a round circle that would be the brim.

I rolled my cone shape canvas and glued the edge. I then used some extra cardboard to make another cone to go inside the hat to give it support. I painted both parts of my hat in Americana Black Paint.

I put the top part of the hat on the cardboard cone and let dry. It got kind of slouchy at the bottom of the cone, which I liked. It made it look more “hat like”.

I also let the brim part dry. If you decide you are going to use it on a dowel rod like I did, Cut an x in the bottom before painting… Another craft fail. I cut mine after it was dry, and it was much harder to cut through the painted canvas.

Once it was dry, I glued the top of my hat to the base, and glued my bats on. A strong,multi-purpose tacky glue , or a hot glue works best. If this is going to be outside, even under a covered porch, use a clear coat of a varnish to help the durability.

After that, you are ready to put your planter together! I have that post ready for you for early next week! I also painted a few pumpkins with the Neon Lights Paint, and glued some of the extra bats to the pumpkins, witch made (ha ha see what I did there?) for fun decor.

I added some sticks from the yard, and it made for a fun Halloween front porch scene, or in my case, front step.

 

 

Who says Halloween has to be  black and orange?

If you love Halloween, you might love this Edgar Allen Poe mantelscape, this tutorial on how to paint fake pumpkins to look a little but more realistic, and

  a step by step of a pumpkin canvas you can paint!

This post was sponsored by DecoArt, opinions are entirely my own.

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