Garden Furniture Treatment Guide




We are a family run collection of local garden centres in the Cambridge area. Gardening is our passion and we welcome keen and novice gardeners alike into our stores with a promise that you will always find the highest quality products, the happiest healthiest plants and passionate knowledgeable staff on hand to offer assistance no matter the question.

 

Garden furniture is designed to withstand a wide range of weather conditions, from scorching sun to ice and snow. However, from time to time, certain items will need a little extra care to get them through certain periods.

To help keep your furniture looking and feeling fresh, please follow our short and easy guide below.

 

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Resin Furniture

Firstly, remove the cushion covers from the cushion. Vacuum or brush down the cushion to remove any loose dirt or grit

Mix approx. 1 tablespoon of mild laundry detergent or dish soap in approx. 2 cups of warm water and stir until frothy. Using a dampened and soapy sponge, gently clean the cushion fabric. For particularly tough dirt stains, try to dislodge the grime with a soft-bristle brush, wipe clean and dry for 1 hour.

Cleaning your furniture, you will want to soak the furniture in water (don’t worry, its waterproof!). We recommend using a garden hose for this, as it is fast and effective. If you do not have a garden hose, a bucket of warm water will suffice.

Mix approx. ¼ cup of the detergent or dish soap with approximately 5L of warm water. Lightly scrub the dirt and grime from your resin wicker with the soft-bristle brush. Spray it down with the garden hose or a bucket of water until all the soapy residue is gone. Let your patio set dry in the sun for at least 2 hours.

TOP TIP: Don’t press too hard on the wicker slats, it’s an easy and very avoidable way to damage them.

Resin furniture
Artificial Christmas trees

Metal Furniture

Take the piece of furniture outside on a sunny, dry day. Remove any cushions or fabric covers.

Fill a bucket with warm water. Add 3 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap.

Dip a cloth into the warm, soapy water and scrub the entire surface of the piece of furniture. Dip an old toothbrush into the water and use it to scrub any grooves or corners that the cloth could not reach.

Rinse the piece of furniture with clean water from a garden hose or a bucket if you do not have one. If there are pieces of fabric on the furniture that you cannot remove, rinse out a sponge and run the damp sponge over the fabric to remove any dust or dirt – refer to Resin Furniture.

Wipe the furniture dry with a towel.

Remove any rust spots by scrubbing them with a wire brush until all of the rust flakes off.

Replace any cushions or fabric covers and cover to keep clean and tidy.

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Wooden Furniture

Weathering occurs over a period of time, and you can expect to see changes in the timber after a few weeks. Timber is a natural material, it absorbs moisture in wet conditions and is likely to expand. In dry conditions the timber dries and may shrink a small amount. As the material moves, surface cracks will appear in the timber.

You can maintain the appearance of your furniture by lightly sanding down the timber and applying a timber treatment or timber protector care product.

Always start with a light cleaning, sweeping surfaces as needed with a soft brush or cloth. Then assess if further care and cleaning is needed.

When it comes to cleaning products for outdoor furniture, non-detergent liquid soap (think dish soap) is best or a timber cleaner product. For tougher stains and mildew, use water and white vinegar.

Read the manual. Unless you inherit or purchase vintage pieces, outdoor furniture should come with instructions about care treating.

Sunscreens and bird droppings should be cleaned off your furniture as soon as possible. They can be particularly damaging and cause permanent stains and corrosion.

Consider covering your furniture when not in use for long periods of time (and during long durations of bad weather). Even if it can stand up to the elements, cleaning will extend its life and make maintenance easier after the outdoor season begins again. Use breathable covers to avoid creating a mould incubator.

wooden furniture

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