Cleaning Outdoor Furniture and Awnings

Patio furniture, cushions and awnings are soft goods, and soft goods do not belong anywhere near a pressure washer. The spray tears fabric, forces water into foam and strips protective finishes. Almost everything on your patio cleans up with mild soap, a soft brush and hand work — and the step people skip, drying it completely, is what actually keeps mildew from growing back.

Why not to pressure wash fabric and finishes

A pressure washer is built to move grime off hard, solid surfaces. Point it at a cushion or an awning and it does damage instead of cleaning. The concentrated stream can punch straight through fabric, blow out stitching, and drive water deep into cushion foam where it lingers for days. On awning material and finished frames, that same force strips the water-repellent coatings and protective finishes that make the item last.

The result is furniture that looks clean for an afternoon and is quietly ruined — soggy foam, frayed seams and bare fabric that soaks up the next rain. Fabric and finishes are exactly the kind of surfaces our overview of what not to pressure wash warns against. Keep the pressure washer for the patio slab, not the chairs on it.

Gentle methods by material

Match the method to the material and you will clean almost anything on the patio without harm. The common thread is mild soap, soft tools and a thorough rinse.

Item / material	Method	Avoid
Fabric cushions	Mild soap, soft brush, thorough rinse, full sun drying	Pressure spray, soaking foam, harsh bleach
Awning fabric	Brush off debris, mild soap wash, rinse, dry fully before retracting	Pressure washing, storing damp
Metal frames	Mild soap and water, soft cloth	Abrasive pads that scratch finish
Plastic / resin	Mild soap and water, soft brush	Harsh solvents that dull the surface
Wood furniture	Wood-safe cleaner, gentle handling, dry before storing	Pressure spray, saturating the wood
Wicker / rattan	Soft brush into crevices, light rinse	Soaking, high pressure

Cushions and soft fabric

Brush off loose dirt first, rinse with plain water, then wash with a mild soap solution and a soft brush. Let the soap dwell a moment before you scrub gently, then rinse until the water runs clear. Getting all the soap out matters — leftover residue attracts dirt and can leave marks.

Awnings

Awnings collect leaves, pollen and bird mess, and they trap water in their folds. Sweep or brush off the debris, rinse, then wash with a mild soap and a soft brush, working in sections. The single most important step comes after: let the awning dry completely, fully extended, before you retract or store it.

Drying is how you beat mildew

Here is the part that decides whether your cleaning lasts a week or a season: mildew grows on anything left damp. You can wash every trace of it off a cushion, but if you stack that cushion in a bin while it is still moist, the mildew comes right back, often worse. The same goes for an awning rolled up wet, where water sits trapped in the folds and breeds growth you will not see until you open it next.

So treat drying as a real step, not an afterthought. Dry cushions and fabric in the sun when you can — sunlight helps — and make sure foam is dry all the way through, not just on the surface. Let awnings dry fully extended. Between deep cleans, wipe up spills and dry items after rain so moisture never gets the days it needs to take hold.

If mildew is already a recurring problem on your patio and beyond, our guide to removing mildew from exterior surfaces covers the broader battle across siding, decks and hard surfaces.

Common mistakes

• Reaching for the pressure washer. It tears fabric, waterlogs foam and strips finishes. Hand washing wins for soft goods.
• Putting things away damp. The number one reason mildew returns. Dry everything fully before storing.
• Rolling up a wet awning. Trapped moisture in the folds breeds growth you will not notice until it is bad.
• Skipping the care label. Fabrics differ, and the wrong cleaner can fade color or weaken fibers. Check first, test a hidden spot.
• Leaving soap residue. Under-rinsing leaves a film that attracts dirt and marks the fabric. Rinse until clear.
• Using harsh bleach on fabric. It can weaken fibers, fade color and harm plants in the runoff. Favor mild soap or a fabric-safe cleaner.
• Scrubbing metal with abrasive pads. They scratch the finish and open the door to corrosion. Soft cloths only.

The short version

Your patio’s soft goods want a gentle touch: mild soap, a soft brush and patience, never a pressure washer. Clean them by material, rinse well, and above all dry them completely before they go back into storage. Do that, and the mildew that keeps coming back finally stops getting the damp it needs.