September 16, 2026

Can You Leave Sunbrella Cushions Out in the Rain?

Yes, you can leave Sunbrella cushions out through a light shower if the fill drains. The fabric sheds water. The foam is what soaks. Bring them in for a long storm, and if you live where freeze-thaw winters are normal, store them dry before the first hard frost.

Sunbrella sheds rain. It is not a tarp.

Every cover we sew is solution-dyed Sunbrella acrylic. The pigment is in the fiber, not printed on top, which is why the color holds in sun. The mill also puts a finish on the cloth that makes water bead. That finish is water-resistant. It is not waterproof.

A shower beads and runs off. A long storm, wind-driven rain, or water sitting in the seat well will work through the weave and the seams. Once the finish wears, water soaks in sooner. Our care page puts that at two to three seasons of use and washing. You can re-treat with a fabric guard made for outdoor acrylic after the cushion is clean and dry. We do not sew a sealed waterproof cloth.

The foam is the part that soaks

The three fills on a custom cushion are the same ones in the FAQ. Choose by how wet the piece actually lives, not by the fabric name.

Polyurethane outdoor foam for almost every patio seat. It is open-cell, so water drains through instead of sitting in a closed core.
Reticulated foam drains faster. It is the right answer for anything that lives uncovered in the rain, beside a pool, or on a boat.
Polyester fiber is softer, and it flattens sooner. It suits backs and pillows more than seats, and it holds water instead of draining it.

A Deep Seat Cushion Set and a Chaise Lounge Cushion ship with polyurethane foam wrapped in batting. That is the right call for a covered or partly covered patio. A chaise that lives uncovered by a pool, or deep seating on an open deck, is the case for reticulated foam on a custom order. Covered porch dining pads usually do not need it.

The 18in throw pillow and the 20x12 lumbar pillow are also polyurethane foam, knife-edge, with no ties. They drain like a seat. Pull them in for a long storm anyway.

After rain, stand them on edge

Do not stack wet pads in a deck box. Trapped water in a closed box is how you get mildew, even on acrylic. Sunbrella does not feed mildew. What mildew grows on is pollen, dust and whatever sits on a damp cushion.

Stand each cushion on edge so water leaves the foam. Leave air around it until the core is dry, not just the cover. If you press the center and it feels cool or heavy, it is not dry yet.

Winter storage, dry and not in plastic

Late September through the first hard frost is when most freeze-thaw climates should stop leaving cushions out overnight. Wet foam does not like freeze and thaw. A mild-winter patio can keep them out longer, but they still need to dry between rains.

From the off-season notes on the cleaning page:

Clean the cushions and let them dry completely. Completely.
Store somewhere dry with some air movement. A garage shelf, not a sealed bin.
If you use a storage bag, it has to breathe. Sealed plastic traps moisture and grows mildew on a cushion that went in clean.
Store flat or on edge. Do not stack heavy things on top. Compressed foam takes weeks to recover.

If the foam already smells

A cushion that stays soggy or smells after it dries is not going to recover over winter. Mildew in the foam core does not come out with a surface wash. Replace the whole cushion rather than wrapping a sour pad and hoping spring air fixes it. Measure the frame, pick the fill for how the piece actually lives, and start next season with something that drains.