We bring ours in for the winter for our furniture that's exposed. The cushions on our screened porch stay out all year.

We leave them out when we expect to have several days of no rain. If there's rain in the forecast or we know we won't be sitting outside for a while we put them in our shed. They're about 7 years old now and still look good.

My main objection to them getting wet is that they take forever to dry. They'll look/feel dry and then you sit on them and after a while you realize your butt is wet.

Your husband is nuts.

We use the patio furniture covers that came with our set.

We bring ours in. They still get wet and moldy if you leave them out. Who wants to sit on that?

Your husband is right, they won't last long and they'll become disgusting but you're right too because hauling them in and out all the time is a pain and takes the joy out of having an outdoor space. Just get furniture covers and/or a deck box and you both win.

Anonymous wrote:Cushions should come in every time. They make deck boxes that are specifically for this purpose! No need to store them in the garage.

I've left them out before, but they're dirty then for guests to sit on, they mold/mildew and they don't last more than a year.

+1 Get a deck box.

If this were a dryer area like it is in California or the south west, I think you could leave them out more. But, around here it is wet even if it hasn't been raining. Everything gets moldy. Get one of those Rubbermaid deck boxes and store your cushions in there. Spray some bug spray inside the box once a year to keep out the spiders.

we are having this debate too. i like the deck box idea.

Ours still look new after being out all summer in the full sun. We will take them in and store them off season and also cover the furniture.

Cushions should come in every time. They make deck boxes that are specifically for this purpose! No need to store them in the garage.

I've left them out before, but they're dirty then for guests to sit on, they mold/mildew and they don't last more than a year.

We always stacked ours under the veranda just to keep them from getting faded, wet and pooped on. Not that big a deal to take the cushion with you when you head inside.

If it's that important to him, have him do it.

I wondered about this too. Am looking for outdoor furniture for new patio but we have tons of birds, deer, falling leaves, etc in our yard.... Since there is no way I'll haul cushions in/out everytime I want to hang outside, maybe a compromise it to keep all the furniture (with cushions) covered with furniture covers and then just uncover them when in use? I figure maybe I could keep a storage ottoman or something outside to keep the covers when not in use? And then in winter, I could store the cushions in the garage 'til spring. Anyone do this? Or will even doing the covers be too much of a pain?

The cushions will last a lot longer if you baby them. They are likely coated with a material to resist mold and sunlight, but will get moldy and fade if left outside all of the time. If you don't mind changing the cushions occasionally, you can leave them out.

Personally, I leave them out in the summer and take them inside the other three seasons. I also power wash them every spring.

We have an outdoor seating area with removable cushions. Presumably, the cushions are made from material that can get wet and dry without too much damage. My DH insists that we remove the cushions after each use to prevent them from getting damaged. I think it's a pain in the ass and don't want to have to carry a bunch of cushions in and out of the garage every time I want to sit outside. So unless it's predicted to rain heavily - what's the big deal with leaving the cushions outside? Do you leave your cushions outside?