Patio furniture may be stored outside, but it needs some protection from the elements to increase its longevity and maintain its appearance. You may think you are doing the right thing by covering your patio furniture, only to discover that your furniture is still damp and has water stains from condensation. What can you do to prevent condensation under patio furniture covers?
The best way to deal with condensation under patio furniture covers is to prevent or limit the occurrence of condensation and to take steps to protect the furniture should it occur. Part of this process is selecting the right material for the cover and promoting airflow under the cover.
Condensation under patio furniture covers can result in damage to your patio furniture. If you do not notice it in time, the damage can be significant. It is not an option to leave your patio furniture unprotected, but there are steps you can take to minimize the risk of condensation.
What Causes Condensation Under Patio Furniture Covers?
Patio furniture covers are an important measure to protect your furniture from various forms of damage. Not covering the furniture will result in much faster degradation of the items than covering them.
Most people do not have the space to bring patio furniture indoors when it is not in use, which means it must remain outside.
Exposed to the elements, the patio furniture can be damaged in the following ways.
- Sun damage. The sun can cause colors to fade, material to become brittle, and begin to crack and break. This type of damage will be more prevalent in areas with hot summers. Still, it will eventually occur from extended sun exposure.
- Dust damage. Dust can settle on the furniture when it is brought in by the wind. When the dust is exposed to moisture, it can stain the patio furniture material.
- Water damage. Water damage from rain, dew, and condensation can result in water stains on any fabrics or stain-sensitive material. When combined with dust on the furniture, the damage and staining can be intensified.
- Pet damage. Patio furniture can be damaged by pets climbing onto it and using it as a convenient sleeping place or scratching post.
Patio furniture covers are intended to provide a measure of protection against these potential forms of damage and keep your patio furniture in good shape for longer.
If the patio furniture cover is intended to protect the furniture from water damage, how can condensation still be a problem?
Condensation can be a problem for several reasons, even with covers in place. We will discuss how the condensation occurs and what you can do to prevent it from becoming a problem for your outdoor furniture.
Condensation Settling On Top Of The Patio Furniture Cover
Condensation occurs when there is a high level of humidity in the air and the temperature drop to a certain level.
When moisture-laden air comes into contact with a cool enough surface, or the air temperature drops, the water vapor condenses and settles on cool surfaces as droplets of liquid water.
In humid conditions, condensation can occur at night, causing the droplets of water to form on the upper, exposed surface of the patio furniture cover. The condensation can seep through the cover material if the cover is permeable.
The moisture passing through the cover can cause damp conditions underneath the cover. This can cause direct water stains on the furniture, or the now moist conditions under the cover can promote mold or mildew growth.
While the initial condensation was not under the cover, it nonetheless creates a problem under the furniture cover.
This type of condensation is essentially dew, and there are some steps you can take to minimize dew settling on the cover.
- If you can move your patio furniture under the eaves of the roof over the patio, or you have a roof over your patio, the risk of dew settling is reduced.
- Arrange the cover so dew cannot pool anywhere on the cover but will runoff. This is especially necessary on plat parts of the furniture, such as the seats of chairs. Instead of having the cover flat on the seat of a patio chair, create a slope from the backrest of the chair to the front of the seat that encourages dew to run off.
Condensation Forming Under The Patio Furniture Cover
If the air trapped under the patio furniture has a high moisture level, condensation forming directly under the patio furniture cover can be a problem.
This can occur if you live in a humid climate near the coast, where the air has naturally high humidity, or if you put the cover over damp patio furniture.
If the patio furniture had a drink spilled on it, or it was washed and is not fully dry when the cover is fitted, the trapped air under the cover will become moisture-laden. At the cover and the patio furniture cools at night, the humid air under the cover will result in forming condensation on the inner side of the cover and even directly on the furniture.
The condensation can, once again, pose a water stain problem on the furniture, but an even greater concern is the formation of mold and mildew.
The condensation creates a micro-environment that provides the ideal conditions for mold and mildew to become established and thrive under the cover.
The biggest risk is that you do not notice the problem happening under the cover until it becomes out of hand and the mold has taken hold on the furniture.
Choice Of Patio Furniture Cover Material
Many people think that a waterproof material would be ideal for a patio furniture cover, but this can create more problems.
The main cause of condensation problems under patio furniture covers is trapped moist air under the cover. Waterproof material does not allow moisture in from the outside, but it does not allow moist air under the cover to escape.
Consequently, waterproof covers are not always a good solution to protect your outside furniture. A better choice of material would be a water-resistant material that will shed outside moisture and allow internal moist air to escape.
This will allow any dampness under the cover to evaporate and dry out without forming mold or mildew under the cover.
If you use a cover made from water-resistant material, it is of even greater importance that moisture from rain or dew is not allowed to pool on the material. Since the material is not waterproof, water left to pool on the outside will eventually seep through the material.
This will defeat the purpose of protecting the furniture. You will be back to square one with condensation occurring under the patio furniture cover.
An upside-down disposable cup can be placed under the cover on tables to encourage runoff of any outside moisture. On chairs, you can create a slope from the chair’s backrest to the front of the seat to prevent moisture pooling in this area.
Methods To Reduce Condensation Under Patio Furniture Covers
Besides making the correct choice of material for the patio furniture cover, there are other strategies you can employ to minimize condensation or protect the furniture from damage.
It is impossible to completely eliminate condensation or humidity under patio furniture covers in some climates. However, taking the following steps to reduce the moisture content or protect the furniture can be enough to prevent issues.
Encourage Air Flow Under The Patio Furniture Cover
Lack of airflow under the furniture covers can be a reason for condensation developing. One way to encourage airflow under the cover is to select a cover with vents stitched into the fabric to allow an air exchange under the cover.
Most quality covers will have these air vents in locations that promote airflow, but still prevent water from rainfall from entering the cover.
These vents assist in the breathability of the cover, and they allow any moisture under the cover to evaporate and escape from the air under the cover. This effectively reduced the chance of condensation developing under the cover.
Size The Patio Furniture Cover Correctly
Sizing the patio furniture covers correctly for each piece of furniture is an essential factor to help prevent condensation issues under the cover.
Furniture covers that fit too loose can allow folds to develop in the cover. These folds can trap small pockets of moisture-laden air. This air can result in condensation under the cover in the right conditions. It can cause water stains in that spot or mold development.
For this reason, it is better to avoid typical big box store one-size-fits-all patio furniture covers. Sourcing covers with a proper fit may be a little more costly, but the higher quality fabric and better fit will be worth the additional expense.
Use Silica Gel Packs Under Patio Furniture Covers
Reducing the humidity of the air under the patio furniture cover is a crucial aspect to minimize condensation under the cover.
An unorthodox way of achieving this is to use silica gel packs. Silica gel, or more correctly, silica xerogel, is a substance with an affinity for water molecules and absorbs moisture from the air.
Silica gel packs are frequently used to protect moisture-sensitive items when packaged. They are often found inside pill bottles to protect the medicine from humidity, inside food packaging, and even in shoe boxes when you buy new shoes.
These humidity absorbing packets of silica gel can be used under your patio furniture cover to give added protection against condensation under the cover.
Place 3 or 4 of the silica gel packets under the cover of each item of patio furniture. Ensure that the silica gel packet does not come into direct contact with the cover.
If the packet is in direct contact with the covet, it can absorb moisture from the outside of the cover in a rainstorm or from due, become waterlogged and transfer the water to your furniture.
Scotch Guard Your Patio Furniture
If you have material-covered cushions on your patio furniture, you may consider giving them a treatment that will limit their moisture absorption and increase stain resistance.
An excellent method to treat your furniture in this way is to Scotchgard your patio furniture cushions. Spray-on cans of Scotchgard Sun And Water Shield can be purchased and used to treat fabrics used outdoors.
This treatment provides dual protection for your patio furniture. It helps protect the fabric from UV damage from the sun and makes the fabric water repellant.
This reduces the water absorbant properties of the fabric, causing it to repel moisture rather than absorb it. This will reduce the humidity under the furniture covers, and if moisture does penetrate, the furniture will be less likely to absorb it.
Take Foam Or Fabric Items Off the Furniture
Manual intervention is another method to reduce the humidity under patio furniture covers and prevent condensation.
Foam and fabric cushions absorb moisture and can contribute to the condensation under the furniture cover. You can help to reduce the condensation by removing the cushions from the furniture before covering it.
The cushions can be stored indoors in a closet or stored in an appropriate container outdoors to protect them from the weather. This storage container can be a wood chest or similar container that can form part of your patio furniture décor when not used to store the cushions.
While this particular method can be a little more inconvenient since you have to get cushions from the storage container before using the furniture, it effectively protects the furniture.
Apply A Weather Protective Coating to The Furniture
We have discussed methods to protect the cushions and fabric components of the patio furniture from condensation under the cover, but what about the structural parts of the furniture?
Patio furniture most susceptible to damage from moisture, including condensation, is wicker furniture or wood patio furniture pieces.
Wicker and wood furniture can benefit from an appropriate sealing finish to protect them from the weather and increase water resistance. This will help these natural materials to shed water from condensation rather than absorb it.
Conclusion
Condensation under patio furniture covers can contribute to premature aging or damage to your outdoor furniture.
Good quality, breathable covers that promote air exchanges under the covers are a worthwhile investment to prevent condensation under the covers. In high humidity locations, other steps may be required to assist with moisture reduction or protection of the furniture.
Fortunately, many of these measures are easy and cost-effective to implement, making protecting your patio furniture from condensation a relatively simple affair.
References
https://www.builddirect.com/learning-center/outdoor/about-outdoor-patio-furniture/
https://www.gardenpatch.co.uk/how-to-stop-condensation-under-garden-furniture-covers/