When to take out your Patio Furniture

 

If you are reading this, then it is probably already getting a bit warmer outside and the daylight lasts longer each and every day. If your spring cleaning is coming up you probably also want to prepare your garden and lawn for the season. But when is the right time to take out patio furniture? Did you know that taking it out too soon might do damage to it? Well in this article we are going to talk about when is the right time to take it out and what to be careful about.

When to take out your patio furniture?

The most accurate answer to this question is After the danger of frost is gone. Although the outside temperature might be warm, check the weather forecast for your region. If it says that during the night the temperature will drop below the freezing point, then you should just wait a bit longer.

You will definitely have to pay attention to the weather forecast if your outdoor furniture is made out of either wood or metal. Those two get affected the most by frost and should, therefore, be taken out only after the outside temperatures are above freezing. Frost can do significant damage to your garden furniture.

What should you do after you have taken your patio furniture out?

Well since you probably took it out as a part of your spring cleaning you should definitely clean the furniture as well. Only after it has been thoroughly cleaned you will see if there is any damage to it. You should keep in mind that not all materials can be washed with a pressure washer. If you won’t be careful you will most likely do more damage.

How to clean patio furniture?

If your furniture set is made out of either wood or wicker (either real or synthetic) you most certainly do not want to clean it with a pressure washer because it is too powerful for those materials. Instead, you should just fill a bucket up with warm water and drop a bit of dishwashing detergent inside.

For brushing, you can use either a sponge or a soft brush if you have tougher stains. Make sure to clean all the spots, even the ones that are a bit harder to reach. Only when your furniture is completely clean you will be able to see if there is any damage and then know how to take further action.

If your furniture set is made out of let’s say aluminum or any other material, then it can also be cleaned much faster with a pressure washer. The only thing that you have to be careful about is keeping your distance. The tip of your pressure washer should be at least 2 feet away from your furniture. You can use an all-purpose outside cleaner to mix with water. If some dirty spots still won’t come off it would then be time to switch to a soft brush.

Now that your furniture is clean you should let it dry first. Only when it is dry you will be able to see what kind of damage, if any, you are dealing with. So put it on a sunny spot and wait for it to dry. You can do other choirs while you wait for this to happen.

So if your furniture and cushions are now dry, you can check for damage. If there is none, then you can start to enjoy sitting outside and sipping on nice refreshing drinks, but if that is not the case for you, then you will have to do some renewing.

How to restore patio furniture?

Just like with washing, the biggest factor here is what is your furniture made from. The two materials that I think are most likely to get damaged are wood and iron. If you leave wooden furniture out during the winter without protecting it at all, you will have some work to do. You should always protect your furniture sets in order to keep them looking nice and strong for as long as you can.

Another thing that you might notice by wood is also that the colors will fade. Don’t worry about that. You can always repaint the whole thing. The thing to look out for the most are definitely cracks. With every rain, water will come into those cracks if you do not cover them and will eventually weaken or totally destroy your table and chairs. So to sum it up, if left unprotected, your wooden set might only be good for a year or two.

If your garden furniture’s color is faded, then you can repaint it first. If you can, then I would suggest that you use a color that is suitable for outdoors, since they last longer and do not fade. After you have repainted it, let it dry and then I would recommend that you apply 2 coats of furniture oil.

For those of you that are reading this because your iron pieces are damaged, you should first sand off all the rusted parts. If you do not, they will spread and eventually ruin your table/chair/bench/… So after you have removed all the rust it is time to repaint or if you don’t want/have to do that you can go straight to applying a protective coat on it just make sure that it is rustproof.

What to be careful about when you take your patio furniture out?

If you have renewed it, then there is not much to worry about except from strong wind and/or storms. I always recommend to anyone that asks me about that topic that they get a cover for their furniture set if they are going to leave it outside all the time and especially if they won’t store it indoors during the winter.

Why is frost so dangerous?

The main reason why frost is so dangerous for your outdoor furniture is that water expands once it turns into ice. This goes especially for wooden products. If you have any cracks what so ever, water will get into them, and as it turns into ice it will definitely do some damage. This is why I recommend that people either cover or in any other way protect the furniture and also why they should check for any possible cracks every year.

What to do if you can not wait until the danger of frost has passed?

Well for some of you this might be the case. I still recommend that you do all the steps that I have listed before, but it might be even better for you to get a cover that is big enough to cover the whole thing. Also, keep in mind to store your cushions. Not only are they vulnerable by the weather but they can get damaged or peed on by animals too. My favorite solution for this is definitely getting an outdoor cushion box. They have gotten really cheap and are perfect for the job.

How to brighten your patio furniture up?

Whenever it is time to put it outside again, you might notice that it looks kind of empty. The best way to brighten things up is to get a nice table cloth for your table and also a flower in a pot to put right in the center of it. This will definitely make it look much nicer and much more alive. This is just a suggestion and also what I have been doing for the past few years. Remember, this is your own garden and therefore can look however you want it to. Let your imagination run wild.

Another suggestion that I have is that you make a big deal out of it. Remember how we always make a big thing out of small bad things? Why not turn it around and make big things out of small good things? So once you are taking your patio furniture out, make sure to also take out your barbecue and grill some delicious food on it. Fill your cooler box with ice and refreshing drinks and take it outside. And last but not least, invite your friends, family, neighbors. Make a big deal out of small good things and turn this into a great social event!

Many times we forget about what is most important in life and also in our backyards. It is to relax and to have some fun with the people that we care about the most. So what are you waiting for? Go get some food and drinks and invite some people over. If your furniture needs some renewing you can also ask them to help you with that.

Thank you for reading this article and remember to enjoy your life. Have a nice day!   

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