Everybody loves a beautiful garden with a comfortable seating area where you can have meals, parties, and entertain your family and friends. If you’re lucky enough to have that, or even just a small patio off your living room then you must possess outdoor furniture.
Even if you just love your garden so much that you want to keep it all for yourself after a full day of work and running errands, you need to learn how to clean outdoor furniture so that you can enjoy the serenity and peace in a clean, well maintained, and comfy environment.
Everybody loves a beautiful garden with a comfortable seating area where you can have meals, parties, and entertain your family and friends. If you’re lucky enough to have that, or even just a small patio off your living room then you must possess outdoor furniture.
Even if you just love your garden so much that you want to keep it all for yourself after a full day of work and running errands, you need to learn how to clean outdoor furniture so that you can enjoy the serenity and peace in a clean, well maintained, and comfy environment.
How to choose outdoor furniture
Your sacred place of relaxation is not only made beautiful by flowers, greenery, birds, and butterflies all around but also the furniture you buy. When you choose it, you have to keep in mind things like cushion fabrics, frame materials, design, budget, but especially the climate you live in.
Another important factor is what you’re going to use it for. If it’s for family gatherings or parties, then you need more sturdy pieces that can resist to frequent use as well as a large amount of people.
Alternatively, if you just want to enjoy your morning breakfast and coffee in your quite corner in the garden then you can choose pieces that are a little less sturdy and maybe more sophisticated.
Types of outdoor furniture
- Wood outdoor furniture
This material is the most recommended because of its durability as well as elegance. It outstands any type of weather if treated correctly, and it doesn’t absorb heat or water. Also, it can be used with any type of design from modern to rustic to classic therefore its versatility is well-sought for.
- Plastic outdoor furniture
If you live in a humid, damp environment like next to a beach, a lake, or the rainy mountains, then maybe plastic furniture is made for you. It’s obviously water resistant and being so simple to fabricate it comes in cheap prices.
You have to make certain that, if you want it to last, you buy pieces that are of higher quality as usually plastic furniture colors tend to fade away quickly or break easily under pressure.
- Metal outdoor furniture
Cast iron outdoor furniture is very stylish but also a little hard to maintain because it forms rust very easily. Besides cleaning it, you may have to use a special spray that protects it from humidity which is the main factor in rust occurrence.
Tip: there are so many materials you can choose from when getting your outdoor furniture but besides the design, purpose, climate, and budget, we recommend you always look for furniture that is easy to clean and well-treated for the outdoors. The main reason is that no matter what you think, you’ll forget that it needs cleaning too, so the easiest to clean the better.
Also, when it comes to budget, remember that the more sophisticated and harder to obtain the material (like bamboo for example) the more expensive it will be to buy it.
Before you buy expensive furniture think twice about what you’ll use it for and if it’s worth it. Nobody wants to pay hundreds on things that will fall apart in a month.
Cleaning tips
Before using any water or liquid cleaners, clear the patio and outdoor furniture of dust and debris. This can be done quickly with a leaf blower.
The best tip you can get about cleaning your outdoor furniture is to avoid spills or stains whenever possible. We know how difficult that can be so even if it happens make certain you wipe everything clean quickly before the liquid or food dries and the stain sets.
Use a dry paper towel to absorb everything first and then a foamy soap and a damp cloth to make the spot disappear. If you don’t get the chance to remove the spill on time, try a cleaning solution or a stain removal solution and let it soak in before you attempt to get it off.
How to clean wood furniture
It’s important to make sure that your wood is coated with a water-resistant solution. This is not only for rain or humidity, but it usually blocks stains from getting into your furniture, which will happen very quickly as wood is an absorbent material.
Not only that, but wooden eating bugs can get into your furniture and destroy it, so the coating is a very important factor to keep an eye out for.
For maintenance, try wiping your wooden furniture twice a month with a mixture of water and apple vinegar to kill harmful fungi and bacteria, and to repel unwanted bugs. Don’t forget to wipe or rinse any excess solution off.
How to clean plastic furniture
Plastic furniture is probably the easiest to clean. You only need a wet wipe or a water hose, and you can clean it quickly and without effort. Nevertheless, you have to pay attention to it more closely during summer as powerful sun rays will spoil its shape and color if exposed directly and for too long. For intricated designs and hard to reach places you could use an old toothbrush to get the extra dirt off easily.
How to clean cast-iron furniture
The most important thing to remember is that cast-iron furniture, as beautiful and elegant as it may be, it rusts in a heartbeat, especially in humid climates.
After you cleaned it with an absorbent piece of fabric, make certain you let it air-out in order to dry. Then, apply a very light film of oil treatment to keep it from forming rust.
How to clean cushions and beddings
Let’s not forget about our colorful cushions! They need to be cleaned the most because they are touched the most. Put them in the washing machine after every 2-3 uses or whenever dirty and make sure they are in hot water for disinfection purposes and removal of dirt and stains.
Tip: always choose high quality fabrics that are resistant to UV light, mold, and rain/water. Your furniture will be beautiful and your guests in awe.
Last thoughts
To not get to a point where you have to spend hours on end to clean your outdoor furniture, we recommend keeping it under some sort of weatherproof cover when not it use, away from rain, snow, and even sun, as too much of it can be damaging as well.
Also, try to make necessary repairs whenever you see fit to keep your furniture in its best shape for longer.
Follow all these tips and you will be guaranteed to enjoy your free time alone or with family and friend in your perfect garden setting.