Garden furniture care guide
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Time to read 5 min
With Google searches for ‘How to clean teak garden furniture’ at a breakout in the last month alone, it’s clear we’re looking for ways to give our garden a spruce up - especially after the recent rainy weather.
But how best should you care for garden furniture to keep it in top condition throughout the summer months?
With our vast garden furniture range here at Holloways of Ludlow, we should know a thing or two!
Read on for our top tips and advice
Choose the right materials for garden furniture
Before buying, we advise the importance of choosing the right materials for garden furniture.
Sunlight can cause furniture and materials to fade over time, even degrading the strength and durability of your furniture, especially materials like wood, cane and rattan. To avoid this damage, we always recommend opting for high quality furniture that can withstand these changes to help ensure they last longer.
There are plenty of materials to choose from when buying garden furniture, each with its own benefits:
Wooden garden furniture is long-lasting and has a timeless appeal as the natural wooden shades are popular in garden design year after year.
Teak in particular is resistant to water, rot and sun damage thanks to its naturally oil-rich material, making it a great choice for your garden furniture.
One of our favourite collections is Case Furniture’s Tanso range, which is elegantly crafted from durable teak.
Metal is a good option for the garden as it is sturdy and weather resistant while being able to personalise easily with cushions to add a pop of colour and comfort.
An excellent choice would be HAY’s Palissade collection.
Plastic garden furniture is light and versatile, making it easy to move around your garden if you want to change up your dining spot.
We love the Mater Design’s Ocean collection because it is made from recycled plastics.
Rope, woven and cord-style chairs can give your garden a more elevated and modern feel. The material is flexible yet firm, making it a great choice for gardens.
Cane-line’s woven outdoor furniture is a perfect example of this.
Make sure to consider furniture with removable upholstery to allow for easy cleaning and to prevent the seat from becoming too hot in the sun.
2. Follow this rotation rule
Rotating garden furniture in the summer months helps to prevent fading and uneven wear, helping to extend the lifespan of your furniture.
Rotate garden furniture such as outdoor chairs, tables and benches every few months, depending on the type of furniture and how much time it spends in one position.
If your garden furniture is exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, rotate it more frequently to avoid excessive fading.
When not in use, store your garden furniture in a covered area or use a protective sheet in extreme hot weather to help protect it from the rays. This will help to keep your furniture in great condition for longer. Case Furniture and HAY both provide matching covers for their outdoor furniture collections.
Always stay on top of cleaning your garden furniture regularly to remove dirt, dust and debris as this can accelerate sun damage.
3. Stay on top of cleaning your garden furniture, especially after rain
While a thorough clean of garden furniture is required before the summer season, it’s important to stay on top of cleaning pieces over the summer months to keep them in great condition.
Wipe down furniture after each use to remove any spills and stains. After periods of heavy rain or wind, it’s recommended to take a more thorough approach to clean away any debris that may have accumulated in the grooves of your furniture. Removing these as soon as possible will help to avoid long-lasting damage.
While most materials such as wood, metal and plastic can stay outside in rainy weather, bring in more sensitive materials and soft furnishings to protect these from harsh conditions.
4. Adapt your cleaning approach for different materials
Caring for your garden furniture is key in helping it last longer but depending on the type of material you have, a different approach might be needed.
For wooden garden furniture sets, use an old washing up sponge and a solution of warm water and mild soap to gently lift and remove grime. Tackle stubborn stains with a solution of warm water, white vinegar and baking soda to lift any stains that have settled into the wood. Make sure all soap residue is rinsed away thoroughly to avoid any marks left on the wood.
Acts of Caring Wood Care Kit contains everything you need to ensure your wooden garden furniture keeps looking its best.
Soft bristle brushes or soft cloths can be used on metal garden furniture sets along with a paste of baking soda and water to remove any stains. Make sure to dry and apply a rust-resistant spray after cleaning to keep it protected from wet weather.
Be sure to touch up any scuffs or chips in coloured coatings on metal garden furniture. HAY provide touch up kits for their Palissade garden furniture range to maintain upkeep year after year.
For more sensitive materials such as rattan, cord or wicker, take a gentle approach with a soft cloth and warm, soapy water. A toothbrush can be used to get into the weaves of the material to lift any build-up of dirt out.
5. Tackle tree sap quickly
If your garden is surrounded by trees, there is one problem you might encounter in the summer months - tree sap. Tree sap can stain, discolour and even weaken materials such as wood, metal and fabrics.
Wooden furniture can absorb tree sap, which weakens the wood over time.
On metal furniture tree sap can leave stains or even damage the surface of the metal if it is left to harden. Plus, it leaves a sticky residue on surfaces making furniture sets uncomfortable to use.
Sap can also stain outdoor fabrics such as cushions and parasols.
To help minimise its damage, it’s important to clean sap quickly to prevent it from setting and causing more damage to the material. If you catch this quickly enough, warm, soapy water should lift it with a microfiber cloth. To prevent damage in the future, furniture covers are a great and easy way to help protect pieces against tree sap.
6. Take extra care of outdoor fabrics
Outdoor cushions, throws and seat covers are at most risk of sun damage as the rays can have a bleaching effect on the material.
Don’t forget to flip your cushions on your outdoor sofa to help them wear more evenly. The same goes for seat covers.
A lot of brands we carry provide cushions made with UV resistant fabric, such as HAY, Case Furniture, Fatboy and Cane-line, to minimise this issue.
During rainy weather, always bring fabrics and soft furnishings inside to prevent them from getting damaged or discolouring.
Throughout the summer hosting season, there’s no doubt there will be a few spills and stains. To remove chocolate, sunscreen or even ketchup stains, try to blot the stain as soon as it happens with a clean cloth before soaking the stain in soapy warm water.
After treating the stain, if possible, wash cushion covers on a hot wash to prevent the stain soaking into the fabric further.
With these 6 key tips, your garden furniture should stay clean, keeping it looking great season after season. For more garden inspiration, be sure to check out our blogs on Garden Patio Ideas, Modern small garden ideas and Modern Garden Lighting Ideas.
Written by Stephanie Keel:
A lover of good design and recently a new resident to Ludlow life, Stephanie is our in house copywriter, documenting everything from her favourite parts of the product to the beautiful interiors you’d find them in. You’ll often find her in a well-designed coffee shop, with laptop in hand.