We have been giving you all of the latest on outdoor furniture lately, but we haven’t given you the proper care and maintenance needed to make sure those pieces are lasting a long time! Outdoor furniture is different from indoor furniture mainly because of what it is made out of. The material is more weather resistant and usually (but not always) more stain resistant. But just like anything in this life, without the proper care, it will have a shorter life than intended. We are always going to insist that you start any care and cleaning of your furniture by first approaching the manufactures care guide. Everything is made differently and may have sensitivities to certain products or techniques.

I am here to give you everything you need to make that gorgeous furniture last! Outdoor furniture is made out of a lot of different materials, so before using any of these tips, make sure to research that it will work for the exact material on yours.

Soap & Water

Most furniture can be cleaned of the basic everyday dirt and grime with just a little soap and water. A wash cloth that you don’t care about is usually best for this.

Winter weather storage

When it’s not nice out year round, you will want to keep your furniture protected, especially if it has any fabrics. A cool and dry place is a necessity for storage. If you have room for it inside, great! If not try a shed, or last resort under a covered deck.

Wood Furniture

Depending on what type & color of wood finish your furniture is, you should use an according sealer. A layer of extra protection with a sealer is ideal for wood that is outdoors in all weather. Without it, the sun or cold can start to show signs of aging pretty quickly.

Metal Furniture

There are a lot of different types of metals used on outdoor furniture so be sure, again, that whichever product you are using goes well with the type of metal you have. Rust is usually the big problem for this type of furniture. Whenever it rains or it gets wet, try to dry it as best as you can. What causes the rust is left over water drying in places that it shouldn’t.

Side notes:

-Never power wash your outdoor furniture.

-Don’t store cushions in plastic, it won’t breath and can grow mildew.

-Always test a new cleaning solution on a hidden part of the furniture first just in case it reacts badly.

-Avoid having wet (or dry) clothing that is heavily died a bright color.They tend to leave stains that you probably won’t be able to get out.

-If you don’t have a dry place to store your furniture, look in to proper furniture covers to help protect them.

-When possible, remove tree and plant debris from furniture because sap and other natural materials from plants might be tough to get out.

-Know that direct sunlight can cause color to fade. Unfortunately this is just unavoidable.

Happy Cleaning 🙂