Everything You Need to Know About Outdoor Fabrics

What if your new outdoor fabrics were doomed from the beginning?

If you've never shopped for outdoor fabric, you might focus on the textiles you usually get for your home. However, when buying fabric for outdoors instead of indoors, you must consider a few different factors.

What are these factors? Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about fabrics for the outdoors.

Importance of UV and Water Resistance

Think about the most common outdoor fabric products you might purchase, such as outdoor pillows. At first, you might shop for these pillows as if they were typical home pillows—you'll focus on finding a cute and comfortable pillow.

However, that pillow won't be cute or comfortable for very long if it gets damaged by exposure to sun or water. Any outdoor fabrics you purchase must have the proper UV and water resistance.

With a bit of shopping around, you can find comfortable outdoor fabric that stands the test of time.

Fade Resistance

Earlier, we discussed the importance of finding outdoor fabric that can resist the sun. On a related note, you need to find materials that offer fade resistance and colorfastness.

When the fabric has both UV resistance and colorfastness, it is less likely to change its color after exposure to the sun. This is important unless you want to watch, say, your bright red outdoor fabric fade to a light pink color.

Think of your outdoor fabric as an investment. Your investment will stand the test of time when it is resistant enough to different things.

Stain Resistance

So far, we have focused on the physical appearance of your outdoor fabric. However, some of what you need to look for depends on how you'll be using the fabric. For example, if you're eating or drinking on it, the fabric must be stain resistant.

The whole idea of outdoor fabric is to keep it outdoors whenever possible. If your fabric stains easily, you'll need to keep bringing it inside to clean. And cleaning outdoor fabric can sometimes be a pain in the neck.

When your fabric is stain-resistant, you won't have to worry about cleaning it after each use!

Overall Cleanability

No matter how resistant your fabric is, you'll have to clean it sooner or later. Because of this, the last factor you need to watch out for is the overall cleanability of the fabric.

For example, if it's made of olefin or acrylic, you may be able just to spot clean messes. Most of the time, though, the manufacturer will provide suggested care instructions.

This means you can compare care instructions and choose whichever fabric seems easiest to clean.

Get the Best Outdoor Fabrics Today

Now you know how to shop for outdoor fabrics. But do you know where you can find the best outdoor pillows for all your needs?

Here at Our Pillow Studio, pillows are our specialty. To learn more about what we can do for you, browse our FAQs.