Cleaning Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor furniture has come a long way from the cold and harsh wrought iron material with boring designs to the modern materials that provide more comfort and look equally great. If you are also looking for good quality outdoor furniture, then you would find many options like metal, hardwood, plastic, vinyl, wicker, cane and more. Buying furniture for your patio or garden is still easy, but maintain them is very difficult task. This is so because outdoor furniture is more prone to weathering which may depreciate both its looks and its value within a very short span of time. Hence, you need to be extremely careful in cleaning and caring for your outdoor furniture. We are sharing ideas to clean 4 different kinds of outdoor furniture so that they last long and look as good as new.

• Hardwood- the outdoor conditions are generally too harsh for the natural wood to bear. Therefore, most of the varieties, no matter how strong, are not able to withstand the environment for long. Your best choice for outdoor wood would be teak. This oily wood does not need maintenance and lasts longer than others. If you have used anything other than redwood for your outdoor furniture then you should depend upon oxygen bleach. Simply dilute it with water and apply on the furniture with a soft brush. Once the furniture is dry, do some light sanding and reseal the furniture.
• Plastic- plastic furniture is one of the best options for outdoor furniture as it comes in different designs and colors at a very cheap cost. However, you must always be very careful while cleaning outdoor plastic furniture. You cannot use bleach to clean this furniture. In fact, if anything has harsh chemicals or detergents, it must be kept at a distance from the plastic furniture. Simply use a very mild detergent diluted in water and scrub the surface gently with a soft brush. You can also use a sponge instead of a brush in order to avoid harming the surface. There are chances where mildew grows on the furniture. In such a case, dab a cotton ball in ammonia and use it at the affected place.
• Metal- the process of cleaning metal outdoor furniture is simple, but a little longer than the others. First, wash the furniture with clean water. You can use a garden hose for this purpose. Mix detergent with water and use a soft brush to lightly scrub off any dirt on the outdoor furniture. Rinse with clean lukewarm water and let it dry. If your furniture is made of iron, you might want to apply some car wax or a topcoat in order to make it look perfect after cleaning.
• Wicker- if the furniture is made of wicker, you must always use a vacuum cleaner or a plain dry brush to remove the dirt off the furniture. Then use a very mild liquid detergent and mix it with water. Scrub the furniture with a sponge. Now, wash the soap off with another sponge dipped in clean water. Use a towel to absorb the excess water.