How to store outdoor cushions for winter

Brie

We got a set of outdoor furniture when the end of summer sales started - it's lovely.  Table, L shaped seating.....very comfy.

What makes it so comfy are the big cushions.  And these now need to be stored somewhere.  I've tempted to haul them all indoors to put in the loft but that will make it impossible to use on a random warm day over the coming months to putting them in the garage is a easier option.  Two problems however.....there have in the past been mice in the garage - I think they are gone now but you know what they're like!  And it's a bit damp.  

So assuming the cushions are quite dry (been baking in the greenhouse for nearly a month now) how best to keep them safe in the garage?  I am looking at stacking them on a table that in there so no problem with the damp dirty floor.  I've got a couple of old towels and tablecloths that I think will do to wrap them in.  Is that sufficient?  There's much more attractive things in the garage for the mice (about a zillion books plus we'll be storing Christmas fodder soon) but I'm wondering about damp and mould.  

Thoughts??

subjecttocontract

We store ours in plastic bags, tied lightly just to keep the dust off of them. We then put them in our summer house during the winter. Done this for years.....never had any problems with dirt, vermin or damp.

Eldi_Dos

Can you fix some strapping or suspended wooden struts from roof of garage and store them up high, if garage has enough airflow mould should not be a problem but keep a eye on them over winter.

Brie

subjecttocontract said:

We store ours in plastic bags, tied lightly just to keep the dust off of them. We then put them in our summer house during the winter. Done this for years.....never had any problems with dirt, vermin or damp.

Not sure I'd trust them in the summer house.....that's where the OH stores the bird seed and the mice really love it there!!  Will see what we've got in the way of plastic bags - I was worried that that might make any damp even worse of an issue but I guess if they are lightly wrapped rather than sealed shut they could be ok.

chris_n

I keep mine in 240L black bin bags in outdoor storage boxes. The bags also contain large silica gell bags to absorb any dampness that may get in there.

RavingMad

We've kept our cushions in a couple of keter storage boxes outside and they've been fine

kazwookie

I vacuum pack mine and put on the spare bed.

subjecttocontract

By tvBrie said:

subjecttocontract said:

We store ours in plastic bags, tied lightly just to keep the dust off of them. We then put them in our summer house during the winter. Done this for years.....never had any problems with dirt, vermin or damp.

Not sure I'd trust them in the summer house.....that's where the OH stores the bird seed and the mice really love it there!!  Will see what we've got in the way of plastic bags - I was worried that that might make any damp even worse of an issue but I guess if they are lightly wrapped rather than sealed shut they could be ok.

It seems your problem is nothing to do with damp.....but everything to do with mice. Mice in the garage, mice in the summerhouse, mice everywhere. Perhaps you need to fix your mice problem first........a couple of rodent poison traps might help. Or I could lend you a cat !

silvercar

RavingMad said:

We've kept our cushions in a couple of keter storage boxes outside and they've been fine

Same. keter seems a good brand for outdoor storage units.

Brie

subjecttocontract said:

It seems your problem is nothing to do with damp.....but everything to do with mice. Mice in the garage, mice in the summerhouse, mice everywhere. Perhaps you need to fix your mice problem first........a couple of rodent poison traps might help. Or I could lend you a cat !

LOL!  We ended up with mice in the garage due to our cat's food being stored there.  And she was the epitome of the term scaredy-cat!  A mouse running towards the garage might as well have been a stampede of velociraptors!!  She was no good at all.  Now that her food (& her) are no longer around the garage is likely less of a problem. 

Don't want to put out any poison traps as there's loads of foxes and hedgehogs about and while I could do without the mice I don't want to poison the whole food chain!!!  

thediscountcodes

RavingMad said:

We've kept our cushions in a couple of keter storage boxes outside and they've been fine

We did the same thing. Keter's Marvel Plus is a good storage unit for outside.