Having nice outdoor furniture will determine whether and how much time you actually spend outdoor. The problem is that some of the most aesthetic forms of outdoor furniture require quite a bit of maintenance.
So, how do you care for your outdoor furniture?
It all depends on the type of furniture, your home region and your plans for your backyard. There are also a couple of other considerations for you to make regarding your own storage capacities. With that in mind and without further ado, here are several tips to help you out.
1. Choose the right material
The first thing you should be aware of is the importance of picking the right outdoor furniture type. This will impact the level of care that you have to invest, the frequency of cleaning and whether the furniture needs some special conditions. Metal, wicker and plastic are your three most popular choices for outdoor furniture so choose wisely.
Another thing you need to keep in mind is that there are some options that will depend on the circumstances. For instance, if the patio flooring is concrete or a wooden deck, you have the option of buying an outdoor rug. However, this is not a smart move if you merely have pea pebbles there. Your region (temperatures, humidity, etc.) may also affect this.
In other words, if you’re going for durability, you should pick stainless steel. If you want to go for elegance, luxury and style, you can’t go wrong with teak.
2. Adjust cleaning process to the material
The next thing you need to do is find a way to adjust your cleaning process to the material in question. Outdoor furniture usually comes in form of wicker, wood, plastic, wrought iron and aluminum. Each of these materials is relatively easy to maintain, as long as you know how to do it the most efficiently.
Needless to say, these materials need to be cleaned separately from fabric and cushions. These should be removed and cleaned separately. Also, just because this is stationed outdoors, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to vacuum it. If anything, it is more exposed to dust particles and dirt of all sorts. Getting a bristled brush can also be quite effective.
3. Dealing with mold
The biggest problem that you’ll deal with is mold. These stains are nearly impossible to remove. They’re also unhealthy and are quite problematic over the course of time. Depending on the color of your cushioning, mold and mildew can be hard to notice. Still, aesthetics is not the only reason why this is such a problem.
The key thing is keeping your furniture dry, which is why you need to provide it with a suitable cover. According to experts, while shade sail can protect the outdoor seating area from heat, it is not as effective in protecting from the rain. Here, you might want to go for something like louvred roof. Constructing it would be a long-term investment in the protection of your property.
4. Adequate storage solution
One of the biggest issues you need to keep in mind is that your outdoor furniture doesn’t have to be outdoors all year round. In fact, it would be far better for its maintenance if it weren’t. The best course of action would be to move it indoors or at least move parts of it indoors. For instance, you can move all the furniture inside for the duration of the colder/wetter part of the year, while moving cushions inside overnight.
The biggest challenge here would be for you to find an adequate storage space. What you need is either a shed or a basement/attic on your property. Just keep in mind that storing it and moving it indoors doesn’t magically solve all your problems. The storage area needs to have proper ventilation and it’s a good idea if you could lift the furniture from the floor a bit. Wooden pallets or bricks are great for this.
5. Get some covers
There is one way to increase the level of protection that your furniture receives is to invest in some high-quality furniture covers. By keeping this furniture covered, you will keep it a bit safer overnight without having to carry it indoors. Also, keep in mind that this furniture can be covered even throughout the day (while you’re not using it).
These covers are a one-time investment that will come to pay itself off many times over. When folded, it doesn’t take that much room and can even be kept safe in a toolbox or a patio case.
Make sure that in order for it to stay safe, your furniture still needs air and keeping it under this cover 24/7 might have an adverse effect. So, it’s important that you use it sporadically. The key to caring for outdoor furniture lies in using it regularly, which will prevent you from forgetting all about it.
In conclusion
The last thing you need to understand is that your investment in your backyard needs to be proportional to the time you spend there. What does this mean? It means that creating a seating area that requires 2 cleaning sessions per week isn’t worth it if you barely spend any time outdoors. Therefore, going for something durable and low-maintenance may make the biggest difference. On the other hand, if you want to go for something more expensive, you should invest in storage solutions.
