Cleaning your garden furniture

Now that the slightly improved warmer weather is here you are probably wanting to spend a little more time in your garden.  However, after mowing your lawn and sorting out the beds I expect you would like a break and a sit down on your garden furniture which is probably looking rather shabby if it’s been left out during the cold winter months.

Plastic and metal garden furniture

If you have plastic or metal garden furniture, the easiest way to clean the furniture is to use a pressure washer and let them dry in the sun (if you manage to get any) otherwise dry them off with a clean dry cloth.

Wooden garden furniture

If you have wooden garden furniture you need to spend a little time cleaning and protecting them. Firstly clean using a jet washer or use a bucket of of soapy water followed by water and then dry off.

Check the condition of the furniture, for any rotting seat slats, which may need to be replaced.  The last thing you want is the mother-in-law to come round for a barbecue and have an accident when sitting on your rotten chair.

Once any repairs have been carried out you can then protect the furniture, if you have stained wood give it a light rub down with sandpaper before painting it, if the furniture is painted a colour, with a gloss for example, you should treat this the same way as you would with any wood on your house. Give it a rub down, an undercoat and then use a topcoat.

If you have furniture that is oiled rather than stained or painted, wash with soapy water and rinse then leave to dry.  Make sure the furniture is free of garden bits and then paint with an oil such as teak oil.  Leave to soak in and then apply more coats as required.  Allow 24 hrs before using your furniture, making sure it is dry before doing so.

All done, now you can invite some friends round for a few glasses of wine and a tasty barbecue……..just need a bit of sun to complete the afternoon.

 

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