Winterize Your Patio Cushions With An Affordable IKEA Find

Anyone who has visited their older family members' homes is likely familiar with the sight of plastic covers wrapped around couches and other furniture pieces. The covers, a now-iconic facet of 1960s and '70s Americana, are often made from plastic or clear vinyl, and follow the model set by aristocratic homes in the 17th century of trying to protect expensive furnishings from dust and color-fading sunlight. Of course, there are modern-day reasons to cover your furniture in plastic, be it storing items away in the event of a massive flood or packing away your patio cushions once snow begins to fall. In the latter case, an IKEA DIMPA storage bag may be just the helping hand you need to make your winter prep quick and convenient.

If you don't have a dedicated furniture bag, winterizing your patio cushions (or moving any household cushions into storage) will involve wrapping them tightly in a loose plastic material that you seal with tape, such as a garbage bag. Garbage bags won't protect your plants from frost, but they can reduce the risk of mold and mildew developing on upholstery when it's stored in non-climate controlled environments. IKEA's DIMPA bag is a formalized version of this idea. Each bag is a 25½-by-25½ inch square that's 8¾ inches deep, enough to store more than one couch cushion if they're thin enough. The transparent bag comes equipped with handles for ease of movement, and best of all, each one only costs $4.99 — that's a low barrier of entry for storage solutions you can reuse every winter for years to come.

An IKEA DIMPA storage bag will work for more than just the base components of your patio furniture. Textiles like blankets and pillows also need to be stored in airtight plastic containers, so if you're winterizing furniture accoutrements beyond just the cushions, it makes sense to pick up a handful of storage bags. To get your money's worth year-round, the bags can be used in the summer months to store heavy winter blankets or coats.  

Once your cushions and other textiles are properly winterized, it's time to turn your attention to the underlying skeleton. Choosing the best patio furniture covers will ensure your pieces last multiple cold seasons. Whether you need to cover the outdoor frame in a tarp depends on its material composition: plastic resin is weather-resistant on its own, but wood, metal, or wicker furniture should be brought indoors or covered. 

At the beginning of each spring, when you take your cushions out of their DIMPA bags and remove any tarps, you should wash the fabrics and your furniture frames in a solution of water and mild detergent. It's also important to tighten any loose screws before settling down to read under the cool, spring sunlight.