Why do outdoor dog beds mold in deck boxes?
Deck boxes trap moisture and humidity around large outdoor cushions, causing them to turn moldy and mildewy within weeks. Because these bulky beds cannot easily fit indoors or in the garage, owners are forced to choose between damp storage spaces or losing valuable parking room.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Why do outdoor dog beds mold in deck boxes?
- 1Storing beds sliding under the couch instead of enclosed deck boxes to let them breatheDid this help you?
- 2Using elevated cot-style beds for better air circulationDid this help you?
- 3Buying beds with removable, machine-washable waterproof coversDid this help you?
- 4Storing cushions in outdoor deck boxesDid this help you?
- 5Wrapping cushions in heavy-duty plastic contractor bags with silica packs or dryer sheets inside deck boxesDid this help you?
- 6Hanging cushions from the garage ceilingDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I underestimated how large these cushions are and we do not really have space to store them indoors”source ↗
“Don’t really want to dump them in the garage and take up a third of a car parking space.”source ↗
“deck boxes have always gotten musty for me in the PNW, even the ones that claim they're waterproof.”source ↗
“We had an outdoor bed from Amazon, but after storing it in a deck box for about two weeks, it turned moldy/mildewy.”source ↗
“The bed we do/did have is difficult to wash, so storing when not in use seemed like the best option but it might just be trapping moisture/funk and encouraging mold...”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 2Affordable ways to store clothes without expensive airtight containers