It’s an annoyance for people who have cushions in their outdoor furniture. Especially when you live on the coast or well, in any breezy area. How do you keep cushions from blowing away? And if you’ve got a family crew like mine, you will question how to keep patio cushions from sliding when people move around or get up and down in the furniture.
Using cushions with ties, various cords, velcro, and non-slip material help keep cushions in place while they’re being used. Covering your outdoor furniture while it’s not in use can keep the cushions from being damaged or blowing away in high winds. You choose which methods work for you.
Since there have been several suggestions made, I’ll cover them all in more detail below for you. Maybe you’ll get some use out of these suggestions.
Keeping Patio Cushions in Place can save you money and headaches
One way to keep your cushions in place is by getting cushions with ties. Now, keep in mind this will only work if the frame you’re sitting those cushions on allows for tying. My wrought iron seats have small enough frames and plenty of room for ties to be used. My poly wicker furniture, on the other hand, is large and clunky and has no place for ties.
When you have furniture that is big and clunky with no easy place for ties, there is the possibility of adding small areas for ties to fit into and that can be the solution. I’ve had wooden chairs that did not have ties, so I bought some little screw-in loops for the back of the chair. The ties were long enough to reach these and I used them as the place to secure my cushions.
In any case, if your cushions have a loop on them you can use the tie-down method to keep them in place. Even if you have to use zip-ties to do it, you can secure your cushions to your furniture. Just remember that if you secure them well enough that it takes a while to get the cushions loose again, you may want to plan for covering your outdoor furniture to protect it and the covers from weather when it’s not in-use.
Bungee Cords or Straps Can Keep Cushions in Place
Another thing that I would consider a tie would be the use of flat bands across the cushion. Yes, it’s rather makeshift or as some people would say – “redneck” of me to do. But it worked! I had some old straps from moving (flat ratchet bungee cords) and an Adirondack chair that had a rough back to it. I bought a large cushion that had a seat portion and a back portion. I used the strap to go around the back portion and tied it on the back of the chair. It didn’t move and the cushion couldn’t fold over anymore.
Some people swear by bungee cords. You know, the actual cords used to tie things down while on the move? I don’t like most of these because they’re either rounded and hard or made of rubber and stinky. But that’s just my opinion. You may find some that work just fine. They come in different sizes these days, after all.
One last band should be mentioned! Some people use resistance bands or tension bands that are normally used in exercise to help keep cushions in place on their outdoor furniture. They come in all sorts of materials and they are flat, so maybe comfier. Or they can also be used to strap on the frame on each side of your cushion to kind of wedge it in place. You may have to cut and retie these things, though. So keep that in mind. Also, bands are notorious for fading into the material they are kept against.
Keep Cushions in Place with Velcro
Another method of keeping your cushions in place is by adding velcro to the seats and in a matching position, to the cushions. My current wicker set had this already done on it, so that was convenient! You’d be surprised how strong that stuff is, too. The velcro on my cushions is actually minimalistic. They are maybe half-inch by 6-inch strips. Yet, when I’ve left the cushions outside, they’ve never moved. And when I get up and down the cushions don’t slip.
What’s great about velcro is that you can pretty much glue it to anything and the cushions and you can get larger patches that could be even stronger. And you can forgo the glue and just buy the peel-and-stick type of velcro patches or rolls. It’s washable, so if you use it on the cushion covers, it won’t degrade when you wash them.
If you don’t mind leaving your cushions outside and you have furniture covers for when they’re not being used, you can always use fabric glue. You can apply it to the center and each corner and then settle the cushion on the glue and let it sit for the time the bottle suggests. My one issue with this is that I like to be able to move my cushions and wash the covers. So, gluing them down means I can’t do that. It also means to keep those things as clean and lasting as long as possible, I’ll need to break out the outdoor furniture covers more often.
Can Non-Slip Pads Be Used to Keep Cushions in Place?
From what I’ve seen, yes, non-slip pads work for keeping cushions in place. I was curious and I had some spare trimmings from a rug underlay that is made for keeping rugs in place on your floor. Well, it doesn’t work very well on the rug, in my opinion. However, when I used it under the seat cushion, it worked much better. When I got up, it remained in place better than it had before. Would these hold up to strong winds? Doubtful.
I usually take my cushions in when I’m not using them, anyway. So if there’s a day with harsh weather and strong wind, my cushions are already safe and sound inside my garage. If you leave them out all the time, they not only can be taken by the wind if they aren’t strapped down, but they can wind up not lasting as long as they should. They can get dry rot, sun-bleached, and moldy. Unless you use furniture covers.
Using Furniture Covers to Keep Your Cushions in Place
This is only helpful when the furniture isn’t in use. So just against the wind and not moving around while people sit down and get up. Some furniture comes with covers but most you’ll have to purchase on your own. I wrote an article about some of those and how to find the best bang for your buck.
They protect your furniture, not just your cushions. But they definitely can keep your cushions in place and protect them from fading, wear, mold, and mildew. You just have to uncover your furniture before each use and recover them after each use. Which, I suppose this is fair, considering the alternative is taking your cushions inside.
Using Weights to Keep Your Cushions in Place
A nifty DIY trick for keeping cushions in place (especially when there are high winds) is to let gravity work for you. Find some flat, weighted materials, discs for instance, and simply place them in the bottom of your cushion cover. This method will definitely stop most cushions from being blown around and can help with the sliding when you get up or move.
In Conclusion
When you spend a lot of money on your outdoor furniture and the cushions that go on them, you spend a lot of time researching how to keep outdoor cushions from sliding because you don’t want to see your cushions laying on the ground because they weren’t secured well enough. It’s also just really annoying to have the cushions constantly shifting when you move. I’ve covered the four easiest ways of keeping your patio cushions in place.
"Growing up a country-girl means you enjoy the outdoors as much as possible, and no matter where you go in life, the outdoors is always part of you. I began doing research on things I wanted to do to make my outdoor space my own, no matter where we moved. And that research led me to write this blog to share with you!"
