5 Tips for Extending the Life of Your Patio Furniture

Spring and summer are the times of the year when a lot of us tend to spend more of our hours outdoors. This means that it’s also when we pay more attention to our outdoor setting than usual. After all, when we’re outside, it is what we use to sit and enjoy a good book on or entertain some of our guests on our back deck.

And while patio furniture tends to be made in a way that can help to withstand the weather elements, that doesn’t mean that over time, it doesn’t become vulnerable to chipping, rusting, and even rotted wood. That’s why we wanted to provide you with five tips on how you can help to extend the life of your patio furniture below:

Buy a patio cover. Although some people feel like it’s a tedious thing to do, it’s always a good idea to cover your patio furniture whenever you’re not using it. During the fall and winter months, if you can, put it inside of your garage or shed. However, during the spring and summer seasons, you can order patio covers at Sears, My Tarp, and eBay (just to name a few).

Clean it on a regular basis. Everything that we own needs to be kept clean and our patio furniture is certainly no exception. Warm soapy water works well on plastic, vinyl or aluminum. But, if you happen to have wooden furniture, go with a cleanser that’s specifically made for that kind of material such as Murphy’s Oil Soap. Just wash it all down and then rinse it all off with a water hose, followed by drying it with a clean towel or cloth.

Apply some wax. Just about anything that spends a lot of time in wet or humid weather has the propensity to rust over time. One way to prevent this from happening with your patio pieces is to put a coat of high-quality paste wax on it after you wash the furniture clean. You can find some at your local hardware store although most car waxes qualify as being paste wax (so you might already have some at your house).

Get rid of mildew (quickly). One particular kind of patio furniture that tends to be the most vulnerable to mildew is outdoor patio umbrellas. Something that you can do to get rid of mildew is combined one gallon of warm water with ¾ of a cup of bleach (although make sure to test a small area to see if the bleach will stain the fabric before applying it everywhere). Then apply the solution and rinse it off completely with cold water.

Stay on top of repairs. If you happen to see something that needs repairing, don’t hesitate to fix it. If you see a bolt or screw that is loose, tighten it. If you notice a crack, apply a bit of super glue. If your cushions are appearing shabby or deflated, replace them as soon as you possibly can. By staying on top of these kinds of issues, you can add at least a couple of more years to the life of your patio furniture, which means more outdoor leisure time for you.