Caring For Outdoor Furniture: 3 Top Tips
Posted on: 1 August 2017
Outdoor furniture is designed to last for a very long time. However, even the hardiest types of tables and chairs will need a little love and care from time to time. By carrying out basic maintenance, you can make your outdoor furniture look great while also extending its lifespan. Below is a guide of steps you should take.
Clean the furniture
Because your outdoor furniture is subjected to wind and rain, it can slowly become covered in dust, debris and grime. This can make your outdoor furniture look terrible. You should regularly wipe down your outdoor furniture using a soft cloth. You should also periodically wash down your patio furniture using a pressure washer.
When using a power washer, you should set the pressure at its lowest level and then slowly increase pressure until the jet of water begins to remove the dirt and grime. If you start at the highest pressure, you could damage fabric or wooden furniture.
If you plan to use a detergent on your furniture, you should use household liquid soap. You should never use harsh detergents which contain bleach, as these can stain and discolour woods and fabrics. When first using a detergent, you should test it on an area of the furniture which isn't easily seen.
Paint the furniture
Once you have cleaned the dirt from your outdoor furniture, you should inspect it and check if it needs painting. Gently run your hand over the surface of the furniture and see if any of the paint flakes away or peels. If this occurs, you should use a piece of sandpaper to remove the old paint. You should then repaint the furniture using paint which has been developed for that particular type of outdoor furniture. You should always make sure that you are using the right type of paint. If you use wood paint on a PVC surface, it will not adhere to the surface as it should.
Check the connectors
Finally, you should check the connectors which hold the furniture together. Over time, the connectors which hold the legs and arms of chairs and tables together can become loose. If you do not check and tighten these connectors, the furniture could be at risk of sudden collapse, which could injure anyone who is using the furniture when the connector fails.
If you would like further advice about caring for your outdoor furniture, you should contact a furniture specialist.
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