Everyone likes to have a beautiful front porch and impressive patio furniture. However, maintaining furniture in such outdoor, open-air areas is quite tricky. We are here to share some different ways and methods you can use on various types of outdoor furniture materials.

Caring tips for outdoor furniture

  • Avoiding pressure washers

It is quite satisfying to see the pressure washer cleaning away all the dirt in one strike. But the damage it does to the furniture might go unnoticed. Various materials of outdoor furniture can chip, fade, and their finish can get ruined with a pressure washer. This is particularly true for wooden furniture. Try using gentler water sprays, and for detailed cleaning use wet cleaning cloth. A regular garden hose is also more than enough to clean your patio furniture.

  • Getting rid of rust

Perhaps the ugliest and most unsightly thing to see on your furniture is rust. It not only makes the appearance unpleasant but also makes your furniture weak and impacts its life. if you really wish your expensive outdoor furniture lasts for a longer period of time, there are many ways to get rid of rust.

If you just bought metal furniture, make sure to rust-proof it so that you don’t have to face rust later on. You can do this by applying a rust-proof sealant to your metal furniture. You can find a bunch of good quality sealants on Amazon.

If rust is already eating up your furniture and its condition is bad, then here is a solution. Use a rust reformer spray paint. When you apply spray paint to a rusty surface, it transforms rust into a protective layering on the metal and gives it a new look. Amazon has a great selection of rust transforming sprays that are not very expensive as well.

Before cleaning your metal furniture, make sure to use a wire brush or a sandpaper to scrape rust and then apply anything else on the surface.

  • Cleaning agents

A cleaning agent that looks promising with its ads and packaging does not mean that it will do well for your furniture as well. Furniture items are usually made with a mix of materials, such as metal and plastic together or wood and glass together. Make sure that you know exactly what your furniture is made of. Use your AT&T new service fast speed internet to learn about different materials and what cleaning agent work best for them. You can also search for your furniture type on the internet and find out which cleaning agent is recommended by the  manufacturer. Do not use the one-size-fits-all approach with cleaning agents because wrong chemical mixtures can do more damage than good.

  • Cleaning cushions

All those cushions and fabric based décor on your patio requires the most maintenance and cleaning. They are more prone to catching dust, stains and they even fade quickly from all the harsh weather. If you have seat covers, cushions, pillow and upholstery with fabric covers, you must clean them regularly. Sometimes, if not maintained properly, these cushions can also become home to pests and bugs due to extensive moisture around them.

One simple method to clean fabric is to zip off cushion or pillow covers and clean them in a washing machine. Outdoor cushion cleaning takes extra effort as it can accumulate more dust and dirt compared to furnitures that are indoors so you can try machine washing it twice until the water used from it is clearer. If fabric covers are sewn and don’t have a zipper, there is a quick fix for that too.

Take cushions and pillows and roughly clean them with your vacuum’s brush attachment. Once done, take a bucket of water, preferably warm and add regular dish soap in it. Use a soft fabric cleaning brush to scrub your fabric covers. Leave them out to air dry. This is a more tiring process, so you can set a schedule and do it every once in a while. For regular cleaning, a vacuum brush attachment is more than enough.

  • Furniture covers

If you don’t want to go through all the trouble of cleaning and buying cleaning products, or you are not home a lot to take so much care of furniture, cover it up! When not in use, you can cover up furniture with large sized extra fabric sheets. You can use your old bedsheets as well. The only drawback is that they  are not waterproof and can’t help your furniture during rain. You can use large plastic sheets and covers, or have them specially made too. Covering up furniture is the best way to keep it protected from sun and other weather hazards when not in use.

If you are covering it with an extra sheet, place concrete blocks on the edge of the sheet to keep it in place even if there is wind. This will also make it easier to take off covers quickly without much hassle, compared to tying edges to the furniture.

  • Maintenance routine

All the caring and maintenance tips are going to go to waste if you don’t set a routine. You should clean your furniture with a set schedule. Set a routine in a manner that does not allow a lot of dirt to build up on furniture, so you won’t have to do extensive cleaning. The routine will help you remember all tasks and will help you avoid procrastination as well.

Cleaning tips for different materials

For wood

  • Bleach-based cleaners for mold

Beach-based cleaners are often recommended for cleaning wood and getting rid of mold, mildew and even fungi. However, be mindful to use limited amounts with larger gaps in between so you don’t damage wood.

  • Getting rid of standing water

In a rainy season, try to get rid of any standing rain water as soon as possible.

For metal

  • Use light water sprays

Spraying water through a garden hose is more than enough to clean metals. Avoid harsh water sprays.

  • Microfiber cleaning clothes

Microfiber cloth has little to no abrasion, ensuring that metal’s original finish is not affected by cleaning motions.

For stainless steel

  • Baking soda for rust

Use a soft bristle brush with a paste-like mixture of baking soda and warm water to clean rust and stains.

  • White vinegar for stain-free cleaning

White vinegar and water mixture can help fight greasy stains and bring back steel’s finish. Use a spray bottle and a soft piece of cleaning cloth.

Wrap up

It is essential to take extra care of your outdoor furniture, so it can last for a longer period of time and doesn’t look ugly on your house’s front area. You can make use of home remedies and a huge variety of cleaners on the market to clean your furniture like a pro.