While we are having our gorgeous spring weather, I usually try to make the best use of the days outside. We never know for sure how long we will have this weather and it can go from spring to heat of summer in the blink of an eye.
Of course, this also coincides with one of the most demanding yard seasons of the year. We get tons of leaves coming down from the huge oak trees and then lots of yellow pollen and "squiggly" things everywhere. I happen to be one of those weird people who can not sit out there and just enjoy when there is so much to be done around me...the "pretty" has to come first.
And so, with that in mind, I decided that I would start some of the tasks - others are best left until they are done making their messes for the year or I will just be doing them again next week. One of the most noticeable - at least to me - was the mold on my chaise cushions around the pool. I have four chaises and I bought new cushions for them early last spring. Two are at the shallow end of the pool where they are covered by large trees and get hit with irrigation water twice a week and the other two are at the deep end where there are NO trees or irrigation hitting them. The funniest thing is that the two "umbrella-ed" by trees and hit with water are fine. The other two are FULL of both mold and mildew.
I had noticed this months ago and actually bought some "Wet It-Forget It" (or something like that). The directions said to spray on liberally and leave it alone...and soon, it would be clean. Well, that never happened...not on the cushions or even on a few other places and surfaces I tried it on. The only thing that was gone was the almost $20 that I spent on it. Lol
I had pretty much given up and, to be honest, if I could have found the same cushions anywhere, I would have already bought new ones - at well over $200! But, I could not find them so I put it on a back burner...until today.
The cushions were my task on hand and I googled homemade solutions not using bleach. The fabric on the cushions is some outside fabric that is supposed to resist fading and mold (ha!) so I wasn't sure how it would react with bleach.
In any case, I found one calling for dish detergent, Borax and water - all of which I thought I had...until I remembered I used up my Borax making some concoction with my grand daughter. But, I did have Biz. I first learned about Biz way back in college when I got black ballpoint ink on a favorite white blouse. I thought it was a goner but that stuff got every bit of that ink out. And so, I used that instead.
I so wish I had taken a before picture of just how horrible those cushions looked. They truly looked like I hadn't thought about them in years. I just got down on the deck in the sun and used a pretty stiff bristled brush and went to town. I honestly could not believe how quickly the mold was gone!
Now, I am not making any kind of claims about this mixture other than it worked for me...and it was at no cost!
As soon as they're dry, I will be anxious to put them back. Maybe then I can enjoy sitting outside with a book for the rest of the afternoon...after I pull just a few weeds...and maybe blow the leaves off of the deck...and probably skim the top of the pool...Lol Well, at least I won't have to worry about running out of things to do to keep me busy for the next few weeks! Stay safe and stay tuned.
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