Garden furniture is a whole different world in comparison to even a few decades ago. Nowadays, there’s plenty of clever details and functions to swoon over, with one of the most fantastic developments being climate-resistant materials. These fantastic materials allow garden furniture to become usable for many more months a year and they’ll also last for years on end when properly looked after. However, to really get the most out of your garden furniture and ensure it lasts as long as possible, garden table and chair covers are an absolute must-have.
Today, we break down why this is the case and what specific features these heavy-duty polyester protective coverings offer. We’ll also touch on the best outdoor furniture covers for winter, or indeed any season, and how best to find these on Inside Out Living.
If garden furniture is climate-resistant, why use protective covers?
As we know all too well in this part of the world, unpredictable weather is a fact of life. It helps to be prepared, especially in Spring when cold snaps can bite or torrential deluges suddenly begin, followed days later by unannounced mini heatwaves! Because of this, your current furniture, whether rattan or aluminium, is likely going to have a good level of climate resistance in-built. However, what garden furniture covers offer is quite literally an extra layer of protection, and not just against the weather. Let us explain:
Tree Debris
If your garden has trees, or nearby trees protrude over your outdoor space, you’ll know how this can mean maintenance in and of itself. Windy conditions will often dislodge or break small branches, leaves, pine cones etc., and then they fall and collect underneath. If your garden furniture is in the line of fire then this can cause tree parts to lodge themselves within the furniture, especially weave designs. In a worst-case scenario, a larger branch could fall and strike it, potentially leaving unsightly marks or even significant damage. All the more reason why rattan sofa covers are especially worth consideration, the seat of a sofa or chair can serve as a kind of tray for all these unwanted bits of debris.
Tree sap can also contribute to unwanted staining, so a large garden furniture cover shielding your sofa or table may be an ideal measure to put into place against tree-related damage. Secure toggles and tightening systems found at the corners of garden table and chair covers alike, help keep the surfaces taut. This in turn deflects debris whilst also tightly and snugly secures against wind interference.
Droppings Cause Staining
Bird and animal droppings pose another threat to your furniture. Perhaps there’s no choice but to have your arrangements placed beneath a tree for example, or you live somewhere with a notable bird or squirrel presence. The resultant mess will dry on if left too long and, in some circumstances, leave a lasting stain. The use of garden table and chair covers is a fantastic way to ensure that outdoor furniture is preserved, adding that extra layer of protection from such things outside of your control. Less time scrubbing, more time lounging!
Tidy & Clean Appearance
There’s definitely an aspect of neatness and order to using these. Come winter when the garden is inevitably used less frequently, if at all, your garden furniture may best be stored safely and neatly beneath a protective cover. Ensuring garden furniture is kept pristine during prolonged periods of disuse is a fantastic idea, but you might worry about how these covers might affect the look of your overall garden. Fortunately, garden table and chair covers are monotone and come in complementary greys, khakis or taupes depending on the brand, so fitting them into your surroundings shouldn’t be a concern.
Longevity of Use
This last point is possibly the most important but also the most obvious; the use of durable polyester covers will simply increase the life of your furniture. It will create another layer of repellency against the elements and therefore you will see your furniture go further because of this.
How To Pick The Best Garden Table & Chair Covers
Selecting the right cover shouldn’t be an ordeal but it could certainly seem like one with all manner of different combinations and shapes to negotiate. Luckily, with the selections found on Inside Out Living, each outdoor brand handily has a corresponding cover for many of their designs. All of our covers are made from high-quality durable polyester, with all of them benefitting from corner toggles or ties. If you’d like to have a look, we’ve organised these into one handy protective cover section.
What’s more, below every product description you’ll find a link to the specific cover or cover set where applicable. Within each cover listing, you will also find a link to the corresponding furniture. 2021 sees our widest range of garden table and chair covers for our Bramblecrest, Hartman, and Kettler garden furniture collections. These range from considerably large covers for full garden furniture sets to small stool and cocoon coverings, however, Bramblecrest has sets of rattan sofa covers and outdoor chair covers that come as part of set packages. These correspond exactly to the particular furniture set, making it all the easier and less of a faff.
On a related note, any time you think your garden furniture would be better off covered, we also strongly recommend bringing the cushions indoors or keeping them in a purpose-built storage box. While many garden furniture cushions – such as Hartman Weatherready® permeable cushions – are made from resilient, weather-resistant materials, it’s still considered best practice to keep them stored safely away if they are not going to be used for a while. After all, as we’ve already, discussed, wind and rain are not the only hazards out there.
Whether or not you decide to add a cover or cover set to your outdoor furniture arrangements, we hope this mini delve into the benefits of garden table and chair covers have fueled some food for thought on the subject. We’re certainly hoping there won’t be a need to use them for the next while! ☀️
