The only area in the new house that looks the most put together is our screened in porch – which is kinda crazy because July & August are the hottest months in Charleston and you can’t spend too much time outside without sweating.

As everything was coming together, I decided that I wanted a navy & white pillow to add to the patio furniture.  I remembered that I had bought one from Etsy years ago for my first solo apartment, but it wasn’t made from an outdoor fabric.  After some research and knowing that the pillow would be somewhat protected from the elements being on a screened porch, I learned that I could water proof the pillow cover myself and use what I already had!

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Water Proofing Porch Pillows

What you’ll need:

• Scrap cardboard
• Scotchgard Outdoor Water Shield spray
• Indoor pillow cover
• Pillow insert

Make sure pillow cover is clean and ready to be water proofed.  In my case, this meant using a lint roller to remove excess cat hair.  Put down some scrap cardboard outside.  Luckily, we still have broken down moving boxes at the ready for spray projects!

Shake the Scotch Guard spray really well.  First, spray a little in a small area to check for color change.  The spray make make the fabric a little darker, so test it out first to make sure all is well.

Then spray about 6-8″ above the pillow cover in a slow, sweeping motion.  Make sure to cover the pillow completely, but don’t soak it – you can always do another coat if needed.

Allow that side to completely dry, then turn the pillow cover over and repeat on the other side.  Make sure that side is completely dry, then put the pillow insert in and the pillow is ready for the screened porch!You can reapply the water proof spray as needed to clean fabric to maintain the water repellency over time.

I’m finishing up a few more projects for the screened porch, but I can’t wait to show you the finished space soon!