cleaning outdoors

So spring is upon us and it's time to fluff up our patios and gardens and get ready for that brief time of year (in texas) where we can enjoy being outside without melting!  Joe and I found ourselves home on a Saturday with no place to be.  All day.  This is so rare so we celebrated the day by spending all of it outside!

We blew off the garage and back porch, we trimmed trees, well Joe did, we took out dead plants, made ready for potting new ones, pulled weeds, cleaned windows, the really high ones, and played with our sweet little bonnet baby in the grass!

It was so refreshing to be outside in the sunshine and cool breeze not to mention all the things we checked off of our list:)

I wanted to let you in on a little secret about cleaning outdoor cushions and pillows.  Ours spent the winter outside instead of packed away neatly in the garage hibernating like the norm.  The dirt build up was all but inviting to lounge so they needed a deep cleaning.

I mixed water, Dawn dish soap, white vinegar, and baking soda in an empty Oxy Clean spray bottle and soaked each pillow on both sides.  I literally used the whole bottle. I let them sit for 15 minutes and then gave them a mild scrubbing with a small brush.  Last, I simply sprayed off the dirt!  It was so satisfying to watch the dirt just fall off the pillows and they look as good as the day I brought them home:)  Try this technique on your outdoor furniture and let me know your results!