Try these tips and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Spring is just around the corner! It’s time to go outside and enjoy being with your family and friends. But first, you need to clean your patio furniture. For sure, it looks dull and less appealing, mainly due to severe weather. Keeping your patio furniture clean regularly is important, but it’s never more important than after a long winter. Why not try these tips and suggestions when the weather finally settles and spring returns?
Cleaning Startup
Your furniture is most likely to gather dust, dirt, leaves, and some other loose fragments due to inactivity during the winter season. Start cleaning up by wiping away all loose materials using a dry cloth or brush. In order to remove lingering debris from your furniture’s surface, your plastic, fabric, metal and wood furniture can be sprayed with a garden hose connected to a spray nozzle.
Cleaning Plastic Furniture
Plastic furniture comes in various designs and is more inexpensive compared to other types. It is a popular choice for lawn and patio furniture. Plastic lawn furniture is also the easiest to maintain and clean. When cleaning plastic, merely spray using an all-purpose cleaner, soft rag to remove stains, rinse, and then wipe with a damp cloth or sponge to keep your furniture looking nice. Using a Magic Eraser sponge will get rid of most stubborn stains. Do not use abrasives as they can scrape the surface.
Cleaning Metal Furniture
Because of toughness and ease of maintenance, stainless steel, and wrought iron furniture are also popular choices among homeowners for their patios. Clean your metal furniture using a brush or a sponge with mild dish soap (quarter cup) and a gallon of warm water. Rust is the enemy of metal furniture and although it is coated or painted with an anti-rust finish, it will still corrode over time. If you notice rust on your metal furniture, use steel wool to get rid of oxidation. You may need to consider re-doing the paint of your furniture to counteract future problems.
Cleaning Wood Furniture
This type of furniture requires the use of mild oil soap or soapy water with the help of a sponge or brush to remove grime or grit. For your wicker furniture, use a toothbrush to clean the weaves. And, since this is time-consuming, you need to clean regularly to minimize dirt build-up.
For your hardwood furniture’s like ipe and teak, clean them with the use of a laundry detergent (weak solution) or other commercial cleaning products applicable for this type. Clean in small sections, then dry thoroughly to finish.
Cleaning Fabric Furniture
Fabric seat covers, hammocks, and other stretched fabric are attractive on your patio or lawn, and however, they can easily get dirty. Since they are made of a variety of natural and synthetic materials, cleaning them safely is done by using dish soap and warm water. There are cases where fabric can be cleaned in your washing machine, just make sure to set it to gentle and air dry to avoid any damage due to a hot dryer. After cleaning, apply a water repellent fabric protector to curtail future staining.
Mold Prevention
Rain and moisture often make your patio furniture prone to mold and mildew formation on surfaces. To prevent mold, see to it that your furniture is kept dry as much as possible. If mold or mildew does appear, scrub it by brushing to take away surface mold and finish it by rinsing using a hose. After scrubbing let it dry. Then apply white vinegar (full-strength), Use a hard brush to remove stubborn mold and mildew. Rinse well and rewash. For hard surfaces, use diluted bleach to effectively remove mold. Be careful as some materials may discolor, so work with caution.
Lawn furniture will usually last a long time if properly cared for. Keeping it clean and rust and mold free is important. During the time of year lawn furniture is not used outside, storing it inside in a covered area such as garage or shed will also help keep it cleaner and prolong its life.
