How to Clean Sunbrella Fabric

Sunbrella is a solution-dyed acrylic. The colour is in the fibre, not printed on, so it can take soap, water and even bleach without fading. Most dirt comes off with the basic method below.

1. Brush off loose dirt.
2. Mix ¼ cup mild soap (dish soap or laundry detergent) per 4 L (1 gallon) of lukewarm water.
3. Sponge or soft-brush the fabric.
4. Rinse thoroughly. Soap left in the fabric attracts dirt.
5. Air dry.

Clean spills as they happen. A stain that is rinsed the same day almost never sets.

Machine wash cold on a normal cycle with mild detergent. Add 1 cup bleach for mildew. Air dry only; never tumble dry. Put the cover back on the cushion while slightly damp for the best fit.

Use the sponge method above on the cushion in place. Rinse with a hose until the water runs clear, stand the cushion on its edge and let it dry. Do not saturate foam more than needed.

Sunbrella itself does not support mildew, but dirt left on the fabric does. Treat it with bleach; the fabric can take it.

1. Mix 1 cup bleach and ¼ cup mild soap per 4 L (1 gallon) of water.
2. Spray the full surface and let it soak 15 minutes.
3. Scrub lightly with a sponge or soft brush.
4. Rinse thoroughly. Bleach left in the seams and foam will weaken the thread.
5. Air dry.

Repeat once if needed. For heavy mildew on removable covers, machine wash cold with 1 cup bleach.

Sunbrella product: Sunbrella Renew™ Mold & Mildew Stain Remover.

Every stain below starts the same way: blot up what you can, then clean with soap solution (1 teaspoon dish soap per 1 cup / 250 mL of water), rinse until no soap remains, and air dry. The notes tell you what to add or do first for that particular stain. Always test a solvent on a hidden corner before using it on the face of the fabric. This follows Sunbrella's own cleaning guide, adapted for the cushions we make.

Each group also lists the matching Sunbrella cleaning product if you would rather not mix your own.

Sunbrella makes four cleaners for its fabric. Any of them can replace the home-mixed solution in the steps below.

• Sunbrella Clean™ Multi-Purpose Fabric Cleaner: the everyday cleaner; replaces soap solution for almost every stain.
• Sunbrella Erase™ Stain & Spot Remover: for the colour left behind after a spill is cleaned (wine, berries, ketchup, ink, blood).
• Sunbrella Extract™ Oil Based Stain Remover: for grease, sunscreen, cosmetics, wax and other oil-based marks.
• Sunbrella Renew™ Mold & Mildew Stain Remover: for mildew and dye transfer.

• Coffee, tea, cola, beer, wine, juice, berries and jam, BBQ sauce: soap solution. If a shadow remains, use the bleach solution from the Mildew section.
• Ketchup, mustard: soap solution. For any discolouration left behind, dab with diluted bleach or a bleach pen, then rinse.
• Tomato (fresh, sauce or juice): treat as an oil stain, below.
• Chocolate: soap solution. If an oily ring remains, follow with a degreaser.

Sunbrella product: Sunbrella Clean™, then Sunbrella Erase™ for any remaining discolouration. Chocolate: Sunbrella Extract™ for the oily residue.

Butter, cooking oil, grease, mayonnaise, salad dressing, motor oil, sunscreen, lotion, lipstick and cosmetics, wet or dried paint.

1. While the stain is fresh, sprinkle cornstarch over it to absorb the oil. Wait 10 minutes.
2. Scrape the cornstarch off with a straight edge (a plastic card works).
3. Clean the residue with soap solution.
4. Follow with a strong degreaser, rinse thoroughly, air dry.

Sunscreen is the most common summer stain on outdoor cushions. Clean it the same day; once it bakes in the sun it is far harder to lift.

Sunbrella product: Sunbrella Clean™ followed by Sunbrella Extract™ Oil Based Stain Remover.

• Bird droppings, urine, vomit: scrape off any dry residue. Clean with soap solution plus 1 teaspoon white vinegar per cup of water. Rinse well.
• Blood: soap solution plus 1 teaspoon hydrogen peroxide per cup of water. Rinse. Bleach solution for any remaining mark.
• Sweat, body oils: soap solution; bleach solution for set-in marks.

Sunbrella product: Sunbrella Clean™ with white vinegar (droppings, urine, vomit) or hydrogen peroxide (blood); Sunbrella Erase™ for any remaining blood discolouration.

• Ballpoint ink, marker, nail polish: dab with 100% acetone on a clean cloth (test first), then soap solution. Bleach solution for any remaining colour.
• Crayon, chewing gum: harden gum with ice and scrape off. Treat the mark with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, then soap solution.
• Charcoal: vacuum off the loose particles first, do not rub. Treat with isopropyl alcohol, then soap solution.
• Pencil: vacuum, then soap solution.
• Candle wax: lay a clean towel or paper over the wax and press with a warm iron so the towel absorbs it. Then clean with soap solution and follow with a degreaser for any oily residue. This is the one time an iron touches Sunbrella; keep it on the towel, never on bare fabric.
• Shoe polish (liquid or wax): for wax polish, use the towel-and-iron method first. Apply cornstarch, scrape, then soap solution and a degreaser.
• Glue: harden with ice, scrape, then a citrus degreaser and soap solution.

Sunbrella product: Sunbrella Clean™ with acetone (ink, nail polish) or isopropyl alcohol (crayon, gum, charcoal); Sunbrella Erase™ for ink colour left behind; Sunbrella Extract™ after wax or shoe polish.

• Tree sap, tar: soften with a solvent (Murphy Oil Soap, turpentine or 100% acetone) on a cloth and lift as much sap as you can. Repeat as needed, then wash with soap solution and rinse thoroughly to remove the solvent. Test on a hidden spot first.
• Rust: a rust remover such as CLR, then rinse thoroughly. Do not use bleach on rust; it sets it.
• Dye transfer (from wet jeans, towels, pool toys): soap solution plus 1 teaspoon isopropyl alcohol or bleach per cup of water. Rinse well.
• Pollen, dust, dirt: brush off dry, then hose and soap solution.
• Mould and mildew: see the Mildew section.

Sunbrella product: tree sap: acetone, then Sunbrella Clean™. Dye transfer and mildew: Sunbrella Renew™. Rust: no Sunbrella product; use CLR.

Heavy cleaning and bleach remove some of the factory water-repellent finish. After a deep clean, once the fabric is fully dry, apply a fabric protector made for outdoor acrylics (303 Fabric Guard or equivalent) in a light, even coat and let it cure 6 hours.

• Never tumble dry. Heat sets the fabric and can shrink covers.
• Never iron directly on the fabric (the towel-and-iron wax method is the only exception).
• Never use a pressure washer.
• Never store cushions damp. Dry fully, then store indoors or in a sealed deck box.

How to Clean Sunbrella Fabric: Complete Guide · Can Sunbrella Cushions Be Left in the Rain? · Sunbrella cushions and outdoor throw pillows · Care & Maintenance for all materials · Sunbrella's official care and cleaning guide (PDF)