Several years ago, I made a Sunbrella cage cover for my cat. I also made a matching Sunbrella cushion for the top of the cage. It stays outside year round, inside of a large dog kennel on our porch. Over the years, it had become embedded with dirt, debris, and had several black stains, which probably were mildew. Mildew will grow on the soil in the fabric, exposed to moist conditions. So under the cushion is where it was the worst. I decided it was time to clean it up, so I documented what I tried with pictures. Don't be afraid to clean your Sunbrella awning, because the acrylic fabric comes out looking new again. Follow the formula on the Sunbrella website for great results.
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| Sunbrella Cat Cage Cover when it was new. |
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| Matching Sunbrella Cushion, for the top of the cage, when it was new. |
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| My indoor rescue kitty named Sam. |
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| Sam modeling with his new cage cover. |
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| After using a mild dish liquid and water mixture, you can still see more dirt in the fabric of the cushion. |
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| The stain on the top of the cage cover was solid black, but has lightened some from the liquid dish detergent plus using Clorox Laundry Stain Remover |
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| The door flap also had a large black stain, where it was tucked under the cushion. It also lightened some from the first treatment. |
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| Once I followed Sunbrella's instructions from their website, using regular Clorox bleach diluted in water, I really started to see results quickly. |
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| After just a few minutes, with light scrubbing with a soft scrub brush, the dark stains were gone! |
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| The cushion looks new again. |
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If you look closely, you can see the little covered cat cage inside the big dog kennel.
Yes, he always goes camping with us.
Animal lovers: Sam's version of going outside, is to go onto the porch into the dog kennel. He loves to watch the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and occasionally other cats that come into the yard. We have a bird bath, and a bird feeder, next to the porch, which keeps him entertained. We also have a family of house wrens that made a nest with 5 babies in a basket on the porch. Most of the day, he has the run of our big house. He is loved and spoiled and even goes camping with us. Just wanted to make sure no one thought he was kept in a cage all day! |
