Outdoor cushions take punishment no indoor sofa ever sees — sunscreen, salt air, pollen, tree sap, bird droppings and months of damp. They're also the most expensive fabric per square foot in most Long Island homes, and the most commonly destroyed by a pressure washer. We clean them properly, in place, at the same prices we charge indoors.
What the work actually looks like
These are our own jobs, photographed on a Long Island deck — a full outdoor set cleaned in place with the same hand tool and the same organic solutions we use inside.
Why outdoor upholstery is the harder job
An indoor sofa deals with body oil and settled dust. An outdoor cushion deals with all of that plus everything the weather and the season throw at it, and the failure modes are completely different.
Sunscreen — the one that does permanent damage
This is the big one and almost nobody realises it. Sunscreen contains oils and titanium dioxide, and both bond into fabric fibers. Left in place they oxidise and yellow, and on white or cream outdoor cushions — which is most of them — that yellowing becomes permanent once it's had a season to set.
The critical detail is timing. A cushion that gets sunscreen on it in July and is cleaned in September comes back. The same cushion left through the winter and cleaned the following May often doesn't. That single fact is why we tell every seasonal-home owner on the East End to clean at the end of the season rather than the start of the next one.
Mildew, and why outdoor foam is different
Outdoor cushion foam is usually reticulated — deliberately open-celled so water drains through rather than sitting inside. That works while the cushion is used and moved. It stops working when a cushion sits flat on a deck through a humid Long Island August, or gets stacked in a shed while still damp in October.
Mildew doesn't feed on the acrylic fiber itself, which is why manufacturers say their fabric is mildew-resistant and are technically correct. It feeds on what's on the fabric: pollen, skin oil, food, sunscreen and airborne organic debris. Clean fabric genuinely resists mildew. Soiled fabric does not, regardless of what the tag says.
Salt, pollen and tree litter
Anywhere near open water — and on Long Island that's most outdoor furniture — salt settles into fabric and draws moisture out of the air, keeping cushions perpetually slightly damp. Spring pollen loads them heavily, oak and pine drop sap and tannin, and bird droppings are acidic enough to etch fabric if left more than a few days.
Never pressure wash outdoor cushions. It's the single most common way expensive outdoor fabric gets destroyed on Long Island. High pressure breaks the fiber surface, strips the factory finish, and drives water deep into foam that then takes days to dry — which is how you get mildew growing inside a cushion that looks clean outside. It also frequently blows out seams and stitching.
Sunbrella and solution-dyed acrylic
Most quality outdoor furniture on Long Island is upholstered in Sunbrella or a similar solution-dyed acrylic. Worth understanding what that means, because it changes what's safe.
Solution-dyed means the colour is added to the liquid acrylic before the fiber is even formed, so pigment runs all the way through rather than sitting on the surface. That's why these fabrics resist fading so well and why they tolerate cleaning that would strip a printed fabric. It also means they respond extremely well to proper hot-water extraction.
What damages them is not cleaning — it's the wrong cleaning. Pressure washing, stiff brushing, and household bleach all degrade the fiber surface and the water-repellent finish applied at manufacture. Once that finish is gone the fabric wets through instead of shedding water, and the cushion never dries properly again.
We use organic, non-toxic solutions and controlled extraction, which lifts soil without touching the finish. Same chemistry we use on the furniture inside your house.
Outdoor prices — identical to indoor
What outdoor pieces cost
| Outdoor sofa — 3-seat | $125 |
| Outdoor loveseat | $99 |
| Outdoor sectional — 2 to 3 sections | $150 |
| Outdoor sectional — 4 or more sections | $220 |
| Patio dining chair / chair pad | $20 each |
| Chaise lounger / sun lounger / armchair | $65 |
| Ottoman / footstool | $40 |
| Fabric protector | +$65 |
Back cushions and scatter pillows are included with the piece they belong to — not charged separately. $99 minimum per visit, and every online quote takes 10% off. Built-in banquette seating is quoted on the piece: send a photo through the form above.
The same figures apply whether the furniture is indoors or out. A four-section outdoor sectional is $220, exactly like a four-section sectional in a family room. See the full price list for everything else.
Fabric protector is worth more outdoors
Indoors, protector is a sensible extra on light-coloured fabric. Outdoors it earns its money. The factory water-repellent finish on outdoor fabric wears off over a few seasons of sun and rain, and once it's gone the cushion absorbs water instead of shedding it — which is the beginning of every mildew problem there is.
Re-applying protector at $65 restores that shedding behaviour. Water beads and rolls off, spills sit on the surface long enough to be wiped, and the cushion dries in hours rather than days after rain. On a set that cost several thousand dollars, that's the cheapest insurance available.
When to book, and why timing matters
End of season is the important one. September or October, before the furniture is covered, stacked or stored. This is when sunscreen, salt and organic soil get removed before they have all winter to bond and oxidise. It also means nothing goes into storage damp, which is where mildew starts.
Spring opening is the second. Furniture that came out of a shed or spent the winter under covers collects dust, mildew spores and whatever got in. A clean before the season starts means you're using the furniture from day one rather than looking at it wondering.
If you only do one, do the autumn clean. Removing damage before it sets is always cheaper than trying to reverse it afterwards.
How we work outdoors
We clean in place — on the deck, the patio or the terrace — and nothing gets taken away. Cushions are vacuumed first to remove dry debris, pollen and grit, because introducing water to that just makes mud. Then organic pre-conditioner with proper dwell time, gentle agitation, and hot-water extraction with an upholstery hand tool, exactly as we'd do inside.
The difference is drying. Outdoor foam holds more water than indoor foam and we make heavy extraction passes to pull as much back out as possible. On a dry breezy day cushions are usually ready within two to four hours. In humid weather we'll advise standing them on edge and give you an honest estimate rather than a hopeful one.
Frames get attention too. Rope and cord wrapping like the chairs in our photographs collects grime in every wrap, wicker traps debris between the weave, and teak greys as it weathers. We clean the frames as part of the job.
Second homes, rentals and pool houses
If you rent out an East End property, outdoor furniture is what guests photograph and what they mention in reviews. It's also what deteriorates fastest, because rental guests use sunscreen heavily and nobody brings cushions in when it rains.
We work to changeover deadlines and can handle a property while you're not there. For pool-house and poolside furniture there's an additional factor worth knowing: chlorine and salt-system water splash onto cushions constantly, and both leave residue that attracts soil and slowly degrades fabric finish. Poolside sets genuinely benefit from cleaning twice a season.
Outdoor furniture cleaning across Long Island
Every town in Nassau and Suffolk, from Long Beach and the Five Towns out through Huntington, the North Fork and the Hamptons — with no travel charge anywhere. Build your quote in the calculator above, add the indoor pieces at the same time, and take 10% off the lot.
Ready when you are
Build your job in the calculator on this page and you will see the exact total with 10% already taken off. Send it and we call the same day to confirm your arrival window.
Everything else we clean
Towns we serve across Long Island
Same prices in all 178 of them, with no travel charge — here are a few, or see the full A–Z list, Nassau County or Suffolk County.
Questions Long Island homeowners ask
How much does outdoor furniture cleaning cost on Long Island?
The same as indoor upholstery. An outdoor three-seat sofa is $125, a loveseat $99, and a sectional $150 or $220 depending on size. Patio dining chairs and chair pads are $20 each and ottomans $40. Back cushions and scatter pillows are included with the piece they belong to. There is a $99 minimum per visit and online quotes take 10% off.
Can I pressure wash my outdoor cushions?
Please don't. It is the most common way expensive outdoor fabric gets destroyed. High pressure breaks the fiber surface, strips the factory water-repellent finish and drives water deep into the foam, which then takes days to dry — that is how mildew grows inside a cushion that looks clean outside. It also frequently blows out seams.
Why do my white outdoor cushions look yellow?
Almost always sunscreen. It contains oils and titanium dioxide that bond into the fibers, oxidise and yellow. Timing is everything: a cushion with sunscreen on it in July that is cleaned in September comes back, while the same cushion left through the winter often does not fully recover.
Can you get mildew out of outdoor cushions?
Usually, yes. Mildew does not feed on acrylic fiber itself — it feeds on what is on the fabric: pollen, skin oil, sunscreen and organic debris. Removing that removes the food source. If mildew has grown deep inside the foam over a long period, results can be partial and we will tell you on inspection.
Is Sunbrella safe to steam clean?
Yes, and it responds very well. Sunbrella and similar solution-dyed acrylics have pigment running through the fiber rather than printed on top, so they tolerate proper hot-water extraction easily. What damages them is pressure washing, stiff brushing and household bleach, all of which degrade the water-repellent finish.
When is the best time to clean outdoor furniture?
End of season — September or October, before the furniture is covered or stored. That removes sunscreen, salt and organic soil before they have all winter to bond, and it means nothing goes into storage damp. A spring clean before opening is the second-best time. If you only do one, do the autumn one.
How much is it to clean a chaise lounger?
$65 each, the same as a recliner, and the same price whether it is indoors or on the deck. Sun loungers and poolside chaises are the pieces that take the heaviest sunscreen loading of anything we clean, so they are worth doing at the end of every season.
Do you clean the frames as well as the cushions?
Yes, as part of the job. Rope and cord-wrapped frames collect grime in every wrap, wicker traps debris between the weave, and teak greys as it weathers. All of it is included in the price of the piece.
How long do outdoor cushions take to dry?
Two to four hours on a dry breezy day. Outdoor foam holds more water than indoor foam, so we make heavy extraction passes to pull as much back out as possible. In humid weather it takes longer and we will give you an honest estimate rather than a hopeful one.