So here we are in September, your garden is looking beautiful with your favourite furniture pieces and plants enjoying the last of the summer sun, but you know that Autumn is round the corner and you’ll have to put it all away and say goodbye to summer.
Your outdoor furniture has endured all kinds of weather this year, from unusually hot heat to heavy downfalls, sometimes even in the same week in Britain’s case.
And while all our furniture is built to last, it’ll need a spruce up from time to time. To help, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to cleaning your garden furniture, whatever the material, to keep it looking as good as new for next summer.
PE RATTAN
“Looking chic and adding a trending touch to your garden, PE rattan is also one of the easiest, low maintenance materials you can have, making it an ideal addition to your outdoor space. You can view a huge range of PE Rattan if you Click Here. Giving you the look as traditional rattan with the weaved design, PE rattan is weather resistant and far easier to care for. By nature, it shouldn’t need too much cleaning as the PE material isn’t prone to rotting or cracking, but giving it a regular tidy up will maintain the look and quality, especially when you’re getting it back out of storage ready for the summer.
HOW TO CLEAN PE RATTAN
Start off by giving your furniture a good dust to get rid of any dirt or use your vacuum cleaner to get into all the little corners. If there is any mud or grime that’s refusing the shift, use a brush to gently scrub it away. At this stage you should also remove the cushions, you can wash these covers as normal in a machine.
Make up a mixture of washing up liquid and warm water, and wash the furniture down with a soft cloth. Let the whole thing soak in the mixture for a little while to ensure it drips into all the cracks. Then rinse it off! Either using just water and a cloth again, or get your garden hose out and spray it down for ease. You might be tempted to use a pressure washer, but too much pressure on the furniture isn’t a good thing and can lead to cracking. Opt for a gentler setting on your hose to be kind to the furniture.
Avoid: Using products containing bleach. These can be too harsh on the PE material and lead to cracking. Your PE rattan furniture really only needs a soapy water bath to keep clean.
WOOD
It’s easy to overthink wood care with the various varnishes and treatments that promise the world. But as a natural material, it’s built to be durable and far more hardwearing than we give it credit for. There are a couple of things you can do to spruce it up and protect it though.
HOW TO CLEAN WOODEN FURNITURE
Avoid standing wood furniture on damp surfaces like grass to prevent rotting. Use furniture covers to protect it from harsh weather or heavy downfalls. Try not to let water sit on the furniture, if it was left out in the rain, go out and dry it off when you get the chance. Give it a wash over with soap and water, this really should be all you need along with regular dusting and polishing to keep wood furniture looking tidy. If you want to add an extra layer of protection, use treatments no more than once a year, but remember that wood naturally ages, we love this more mature look.
PLASTIC
Easy peasy for care and cleaning, weatherproof and durable plastic furniture really is fuss-free. For week to week cleaning, follow the same process as above by simply giving it a dust and washing it down with soapy water. But if you’ve got any stubborn stains, avoid using bleach as this will overtime erode the plastic. Instead, try this kitchen cupboard hack.
HOW TO DEEP CLEAN PLASTIC FURNITURE
Mix together a quarter cup of vinegar with a litre of warm water. Use a sponge to wash the furniture down with this mixture. Then wash it with water to get rid of the mixture for a deep clean. For really stubborn stains, try sprinkling some baking soda onto a wet sponge and scrubbing a little for a gentle abrasive without bleach. Overall, the best way to care for plastic furniture is to give it a once over with a cloth before you store it away.
TEXTOLINE
A comfy and breathable fabric perfect for sunloungers, the mesh-like textoline material is easy to care for and clean. Set on metal frames, you can simply wash the frame down with soapy water. For the fabric, it’s easy to give it a deep clean.
HOW TO CLEAN TEXTOLINE
For a quick and easy clean, simply wipe the fabric down with antibacterial wipes or soapy water. For a deeper clean, dilute bleach in a bucket of water and wipe it across the material. Let it drip through the fabric to get in all the cracks and rid of all the dirt. Make sure to give your furniture a thorough clean before storing it away, but make sure it is fully dry first.
GARDEN FURNITURE COVERS
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And last but not least, it’s important to buy the right cover for your garden furniture to keep it protected throughout the winter months. You can check out the VonHaus garden furniture cover range here.
