When the summer season approaches many people will require the use of their outdoor furniture. Therefore, in order to keep it looking at its best you may need to take steps to care for it and prolong your furniture’s useful life. Anything that someone should know about their furnishings should be found on the brochure when purchasing the furniture. However, there are certainly some home made remedies that one can always implement to keep their furniture fresh and clean.
When deciding how to clean your outdoor furniture it is very important to understand its material. Today a wide variety of furniture is available on the market made of all different types of materials. Wood, bamboo, light metals, plastic, vinyl, canvas and wicker are some of the few varieties that you can find on the market. Cleaning and maintaining all these materials require different methods and techniques.
Cleaning Wood or Bamboo Furniture
When cleaning wood or bamboo furniture, you must be very careful about mildew formation, as bare wood can easily be ruined by it. It can collect in tiny gaps and openings and it is advisable to use water and a mild soap when cleaning this furniture, in addition to this furniture of this kind must also be protected, so linseed oil or soft wax when rubbed on it provides the perfect form of protection. This however must be done regularly if you wish to keep your outdoor furniture fresh to be used the next time.
Caring for Metal Outdoor Furniture
Metal like wood, also can get degraded gradually so you must always check it for weak areas and like wood and wicker this type of material must also be protected. However, instead of oil, fresh paint can be used to keep ones metal furniture in good shape and condition. For regular cleaning a mild soap with water with good force is the best form of cleaning. But after cleaning it, it’s essential that the furniture be dried properly in the sun or that can lead to the rotting of the furniture. Henceforth, summer seasons are always preferred for cleaning this type of outdoor furniture.
Plastic and Vinyl Furniture
The easiest outdoor material to handle is plastic and vinyl. Available in beautiful designs and varieties, this furniture is cheap and inexpensive and also does not require a lot of cleaning, that’s why it’s preferred by a majority of people. Since there is no problem of rot or mildew, a simple wash with soap and water is excellent to maintain this type of furniture. However care should be taken that strong bleaches don’t get used as it may lead to the fading of the color. Dish washing fluids have a very mild quantity of bleach so this is excellent for getting rid of all the stains.
Whichever type of outdoor furniture you possess it’s important to understand that you should take good care of it. A thorough cleaning of the furniture at least twice per month is very essential if you wish to use the furniture for a long time. Other than that, home remedies like using borax, sodium carbonate, or washing powder as a cleaning agent is one very good way to keep furniture fresh all season long. If your furniture is exposed completely without any cover you must also take care to remove the bird droppings. This must be done regularly as bird droppings are acidic in nature and if allowed to dry and then accidentally inhaled it can lead to many health problems. So it is always better to wipe your furniture clean once every day.
If all these adequate steps are taken it can be guaranteed that your furniture will stay fresh throughout the season and you can easily use it to host all those amazing barbecues and parties.