Mold and Mildew are fungi. Fungi prefer to make their home in organic substrates, but like other living things, will make do with what they've got. Sometimes this is is your patio furniture.
Patio furniture gets wet - it's very difficult to avoid this, unless you live in a desert, so you've got mitigate it's effect where you can.
The easiest is way to do this is to pay attention to the materials used in your furniture. Buy furniture that is made to live its whole life outdoors...especially the cushions.
Your cushions should be made from something called reticulated open-cell polyurethane foam. It is usually a light yellow in color and, compared with your indoor cushions, will have noticeably larger "cells"or bubbles making up its form. These large cells allow water and moisture to more freely flow through the foam and dry quicker, which is why it is also known as "Flow-thru" or "Dry Fast RTC" foam. In outdoor cushions, RTC is normally paired with an appropriate outdoor upholstery fabric (preferably acrylic) and a mesh bottom panel to allow moisture to naturally escape and provide greater airflow.
Traditional cushions act like sponges and will take days to dry out after being left out in a storm, whereas the same cushion made from a Dry-Fast RTC will dry in an hour or two in the same conditions. This contributes to making RTC inherently anti-fungal.
Obviously, we are going to tell you the the best way to keep your patio furniture clean and ready to use is by using a protective cover. But, it's important to start with getting the right furniture in the first place.
Once you have the right furniture, you want the right cover.
You could use a tarp. They're cheap. Multipurpose. Come in blue, brown, and rust brown. They might blow away, but you can just throw a brick on it and call it a day. Heck, you could even get a case of natty ice at the same place you get the tarp. Functional, but kind of embarrassing.
For the rest of us, something that doesn't detract from the aesthetic of the home we've worked so hard to build would be better. Something that fit. Something built to protect, and to last.
You have a lot of options. Unfortunately, they all say "custom." In reality, most of what you find will be cut-to-size covers. Technically custom, but still not much more than generic sacks sized to fit like a pair of jeans. I'm a 32x32 for the record.
And like jeans, you'll eventually find yourself wishing for something truly custom. Bespoke, even. For that, you would need to go to a tailor, right? A tailor would take detailed measurements, you try on a simple mock-up and you'd move around in it while the tailor made adjustments, and then you wait a month for you custom tailored fit to be finished.
Tailored custom covers exist. And why they are better than the generic sized to fit sacks goes well beyond the look.
When your covers are truly tailored to the object - whether that is a sectional sofa, a lounge chair, or BBQ island - they stay in place better, they are easier to put on and take off, and they can be designed to channel water flow much better than the cheap "custom" sacks you get elsewhere.
The problem with truly custom covers is that they used to be so difficult to get made - you either have to trace the profile and take all of the measurements yourself then send them away and hope to get a good fit, or hire a someone to come to you to make the template.
With CoverMetrix, all we need is a short video taken with your cell phone as you walk around the object. With this video, we are able to make a detailed 3d-model, It's like having your lounge chair or BBQ island in front of us! We use our proprietary process to expertly craft your cover to prevent water pooling while reflecting the shape of the piece the cover protects.
So, in short, the best way to protect your patio furniture is by selecting the right furniture for your environment and protecting it with a truly custom cover to ensure its longevity.
