With the long Summer nights fading earlier and the temperature beginning to drop, it is time to start preparing your beautiful garden for the Winter season. At Inside Out Living, we strongly advise you to take good care of your outdoor furniture during winter, if you wish to be using it for years to come. Well kept garden furniture can last for decades, but protection and care are key. Here is how you can protect your garden and patio furniture over Winter…
Protecting Patio Furniture
Depending on what material of patio furniture you have, determines how you can protect your furniture during Winter. If you have cast aluminium patio furniture, there are a few key points you should be aware of when it comes to cleaning and caring for it. When it comes to cleaning your cast aluminium patio furniture, it is really important to remember to avoid cleaning products that are alkaline-based, as this can cause oxidation (rusting) which we want to avoid at all cost. Before you pack your furniture away or over it for the winter, follow these simple steps for cleaning your cast aluminium patio furniture:
- Use a stiff wire brush to remove any loose debris from the surface. This will work perfectly for your: Aluminium Garden Table, Aluminium Garden Sofa and Aluminium Garden Bench. However for more intricate designs that could appear on Aluminum garden chairs consider using a smaller, toothbrush size stiff wire brush.
- Wearing rubber gloves, scrub around the frame with a non-abrasive scouring pad dipped in a marine aluminium cleaner, such as those available from 3M or Starbrite.
- Rinse the frame with warm water, and dry well with a towel.
- To help prevent corrosion and add a little extra shine, again you can apply a very light coat of car wax with a cloth. However, it is important not to do this too frequently as it can begin to damage the materials.
To prevent oxidation, it is essential to minimise washing your aluminium furniture. To properly care for cast aluminium garden furniture, we would recommend purchasing some decent garden furniture covers to help put your garden furniture in good stead for the upcoming years. You can find out more about the benefits of protective garden furniture covers on our website.
Protecting Garden Furniture
Beautiful garden furniture is more than worth the investment based on how many hours you can spend enjoying them over many Summers. But it is not necessarily a one size fits all approach to cleaning and caring for your outdoor furniture. Rattan garden furniture is one of our top picks here at Inside Out Living. The best techniques on how you can clean and care for your rattan garden furniture can vary on the particular set you have – here is a quick rundown on how you can clean your furniture, before popping it away for Winter.
- To approach the main structure of a natural rattan garden table, you should first loosen and remove mud or moss with a stiff brush or a vacuum cleaner.
- You can splash soapy water on the furniture, rinse with lots of clean water from the garden hose (don’t use any type of pressure-washer, it will damage the finish of your furniture) and leave it to dry in the sun.
- The best way to approach the glass top of your rattan garden table is to once again use trusty lukewarm soapy water and a soft cloth. However to avoid those pesky smudges, make sure you have a rag handy. Once you have completed cleaning the glass with a damp soapy cloth, you should also give the glass a once over with the rag, being sure to rub in circular motions.
Despite the rattan weave having an incredibly strong design whereby the very fibres of the material are, and remain, durable against the elements. The very resin structure of modern rattan wicker will repel and resist rain, frost, UV rays and wind to a high level for many years – however, we would strongly recommend covering your Rattan garden furniture, if you wish to keep it looking at its finest for many years to come.
Bring The Outside In
Another great way of protecting your furniture over Winter is to bring it inside and use our outdoor furniture as indoor furniture. If you are lucky enough to have a conservatory, both patio and garden furniture work great there. Patio furniture can easily be made to feel cosier by adding cushions and throws to the furniture set to give it a cosier feeling in the colder months. You can also take your favourite ornaments to dress the patio furniture and use them to tie the furniture in with the other pieces in your home. Changing cushions is also a great inexpensive way of freshening up your furniture and making it feel like new once again!
Wooden garden furniture is perfect for being able to use all over your home and garden. However, there is a special knack to properly preparing wooden furniture, especially if you would like to transform your wooden indoor furniture into garden furniture. The key steps of properly preparing wooden furniture are:
- Prepping – ensure all hardware is removed and the furniture is nice and clean.
- Sanding – Sand your wooden furniture until the gloss is completely gone.
- Priming – When you are on the hunt for a paint primer, keep an eye out for oil-based primers, they work great for wooden furniture.
- Sand again – Using fine-grit sandpaper, lightly sand your piece between each coat of paint, to give a professional-looking finish.
- Start painting – Choose a paint that’s made for exterior use and suitable for furniture, Your goal here is to coat every surface that would be exposed to the elements. Once you have completed this – we strongly recommend leaving your new masterpiece to cure properly before you start to use it.
- Maintenance – Like any other furniture, your newly upcycled furniture will need to be maintained and looked after in order to stand the test of time. We also recommend using a well fitted protective cover to protect your furniture throughout the winter months.
If these steps are followed closely, your wooden furniture will be looking at its best for many years to come. You can find more information on how to properly prepare and paint wooden furniture here.
