How to choose the best pillow to go outside?

There are days when staying outside the confines of the room becomes a necessity. It might be during the summer season, which is synonymous with heat and long days. When decorating the patio, furnishings such as tables, sofas and deck chairs are usually the major focus, without considering one of the things that bring out the beauty of your furniture design effort - pillows. Picking the right pillows for your outdoor use is as vital as picking the major furniture set. This post has been designed to guide you on why your indoor pillows shouldn’t be used outside and the things to consider when choosing an outdoor pillow that will suit your needs.

What is an outdoor pillow?

This category of pillows is specially designed with features that make them suitable for use in outside spaces. It adds beauty and serenity to the outdoor patio where family and friends can relax and spend quality time together. Pillows generally add to the aesthetic of where it is being used, and it also helps you and your guests to recline in a comfortable position.

What’s the difference between an outdoor pillow and an indoor pillow?

Indoor pillows are the traditional pillows that are used within the confines of the house. They are not meant to be carried outside the house because they lack the features required in an outdoor pillow.

1. Water repellent

Unlike a pillow that is designed to be used indoors, outdoor pillows are usually water repellent. They are treated with a surface coating that prevents water from penetrating or being difficult to penetrate. When you forget to take the pillow inside and it rains, or you mistakenly spill water on the pillow, this quality ensures that you won’t need to deal with a soaked pillow.

2. Easy to clean/stain repellent

3. Fade resistant

Due to the exposure of outdoor pillows to sunshine regularly, the colors of the pillow are at risk of fading with time. There are hardly any fabrics that can last indefinitely when expose to sunlight, rainfall, snow and other different weather condition. Fade resistant outdoor pillows are usually coated with materials that lessen the effect of the dyes in the fabric to ensure that the color of the fabric is protected for a long period.

4. Scratch resistant

A good outdoor pillow must be designed to be scratch resistant. This is very important if you have pets such as cats and dogs or you have little children who play in the patio or garden where you intend to use the pillow. Scratch resistant pillows can withstand minor scratches which could deface your pillow or expose it to greater risks of damage.  This is usually achieved by using a coating material that protects the pillow from damage. Indoor pillows are usually not coated with this substance.

5. Mold and rot resistant

Where you intend to protect your pillow from being affected by the growth of bacteria, fungus, mildew or mold, the use of mold and rot resistance becomes highly important. The use of mold and rot resistance is important for outdoor pillows because they are usually exposed to moisture, which could find its way on an outdoor pillow’s surface through several means. Allowing molds to grow unchecked on your pillow may weaken your immune system and lead to other health hazards. Pillows used in living rooms and bedrooms are usually at less risk of being exposed to moisture, unlike outdoor pillows.

6. UV resistant

Ultraviolet rays, which is discharged from sunlight, have the potential to destroy fabrics, especially where the fabric is placed in a location where it has direct contact with sunlight, just like most outdoor furniture, including outdoor pillows. UV resistant outdoor pillows are coated with tested and trusted treatments to inhibit the effects of UV. However, indoor pillows are hardly exposed to sunlight which makes it unnecessary to make them UV resistant.

7. Harder than indoor pillow fabric

One of the major qualities of a good outdoor pillow is its hardness. Unlike indoor pillows which are designed to be used inside the house, outdoor pillows are being exposed to all sorts of weather conditions and therefore need to be strong enough to withstand any adverse weather conditions.

Can you use indoor pillows outdoor?

Do you want to know if you can convert your indoor pillows for outdoor use? You probably have an indoor pillow you’ve grown attached to after using for a while, or you are yet to see colorful outdoor pillows to match your taste. Yes, you can use your indoor pillows outdoor. However, you must pay attention to certain factors to ensure that the pillow lasts for a long time without being affected by harsh weather conditions which it was not designed for.

One of the most important things to do to an indoor pillow before converting it to outdoor use is to waterproof the pillow. Waterproofing is the addition of certain high-quality treatments designed to ensure that water is unable to penetrate your outdoor pillow. This is important because outdoor pillows have higher chances of being exposed to water and other forms of liquid.

Also, ensure that you take the pillow inside immediately after use. Indoor pillows are not designed to withstand harsh weather conditions. Therefore, exposing them to harsh weather conditions for a long time will only damage the pillow very fast.

You should also note that before deciding to take an indoor pillow outside, you need to consider the peculiarities of the location and the time of the year. The location factor primarily requires considering where you live and the weather condition in the area. Some parts of the United States experience more sunshine than others during summer. If you live in Arizona, which is reputed for having extreme sunshine during summer, it might not be advisable to take your indoor pillows outside. Also, which part of your compound do you intend to take the pillow? An indoor pillow in the garden has a lesser risk of being exposed to harsh weather conditions than if you place it directly under the sun.

A vital point to note when using indoor pillows outside is that you must do everything possible to protect them from stain and dirt since it lacks the stain repellant quality that comes with outdoor pillows. Lastly, have a regular schedule of when and how you want to maintain the pillow for it to last longer.

How to choose the best outdoor pillow?

You’ve absorbed sufficient information on outdoor pillows and you are already contemplating buying one? Before you make that decision, there are certain things you should consider to make an informed decision on the best outdoor pillow that would meet your needs such as the filling, the fabrics, the price and the color prints of outdoor pillows.

The best filling for outdoor pillows

The filling or stuffing of a pillow, in most cases, is what determines the nature of the pillow. How hard or soft it is and, in most cases, the durability of a pillow is determined by the filling. There are several types of filling which are used for pillows across the world. These include polyester fiberfill also known as polyfill stuffing, compressed polyester, polyurethane foam, open and closed cell foams, down pillow

One of the best outdoor pillow fillings you should look out for when choosing an outdoor pillow is a polyester fiberfill. This is due to its durability, fluffy nature and relative softness. It can be washed, cleaned and maintained easily and it is also very affordable.

The best fabric for outdoor pillows

After the choice of filling, one of the most important to also consider when buying an outdoor pillow is the fabric it is made of. Based on the qualities required of an outdoor pillow listed above, the fabric you should select must be water repellent, easily washable, mold and mildew resistant among others.

There are several fabrics available for making pillows which include polyester fabrics, PVC mesh fabric, polypropylene fabric, acrylic fabric, cotton etc. All these fabrics have their benefits and areas where they are considered important. However, polypropylene fabric is popularly regarded as the best fabric for outdoor pillows. This is due to its ability to dry quickly when exposed to water and it is stain repellent that is it has no dye site. More importantly, polypropylene fabrics have high Ultraviolet ray resistance which is an important consideration for any fabric that would be used outside the four walls of the home.

The different color prints

Generally, pillows serve multiple functions which include providing comfort for the user and a means of adding to the aesthetics of their surroundings. This makes it important to consider colorful outdoor pillows when choosing a pillow to get for outdoor use. To choose a decorative pillow for outdoor use, several factors should be considered which include the following.

• Always go for color combinations that are not only relevant for a particular season. If you do, you will have to keep changing it once the season is over. If you decide to pick Green and Red for your outdoor pillow just to celebrate the Christmas season, it is apparent that you might be tempted to change it once Christmas is over.
• It is also important to consider the colors that were used for other furniture items and the surrounding generally. This will ensure that the color of the pillow will complement the other items in the patio or any other outdoor setting the pillow is to be used.
• Also, the colors used should be flexible and easily blend with other colors if there is a need to change other furniture items in the patio or surrounding. Where this is done, you won’t need to spend on pillows every time you change furniture items, except you are not bothered about the aesthetics which I believe you do.
• In case you want to print on your pillow, it's advisable to use neutral colors such as black, white, gray, cream, brown and taupe.

Outdoor pillow covers

Pillow covers are one of the most important parts of a pillow. The use of a pillow cover often prevents stains from getting into the pillow. This will therefore hinder the growth of germs and bacteria substances on the pillow. More so, pillow covers are easy to remove and wash, which makes them easier to maintain than pillows without a cover. Pillow covers also add to the aesthetics of the surrounding if properly selected. Before you choose a cover for your outdoor pillow, these are some of the factors you should consider.

• The size of the pillow. Using an oversize cover for a pillow wouldn’t fit the pillow properly and this will have a negative impact on the ease of using the pillow and the decoration it gives the surrounding.
• Fabrics of the pillow covers are also important factors to consider as they would affect the durability and convenience of the user. The major fabrics used for pillow covers include cotton, linen and silk fabrics.
• It has been said severally that pillows are used for both decoration and comfort purposes. Therefore, you should consider what a pillow majorly means to you before selecting a cover. If it’s for decoration, then you might want to go for a colorful cover, but if it’s just for comfort and convenience, you may have to go for something else.

The best price for outdoor pillows

We have high-quality and affordable outdoor pillows for as low as $13.99 to $39.99. Find the best outdoor pillows that suit all your needs on LVTXIII