Outdoor Furniture: How to Choose & Maintain
Outdoor furniture matters. It can enhance your outdoor design by giving it more complete and beautiful look. Outdoor furniture needs a bit more maintenance than the indoor furniture since its often exposed to the direct sun, rains, and other environmental influence. It is as important to choose quality outdoor furniture as care for it. Merely moving it under the shed when it rains or snows or covering it with a plastic waterproof tarpaulin can save you some money the repair or new furniture can cost.
To maintain your outdoor furniture always have furniture covers at hand in case of rain. Be ready to move furniture back and forth when the weather changes in order to protect your furniture from sun heat, heavy rain, and snow. Check furniture thoroughly every couple of months to spot any damages and repair them, re-paint, oil, and wax if needed to prevent rot,rust, and further damage.
Iron and Other Metals
The outdoor furniture made of metals or featuring metal frames is prone to rust so you might want to look into rust-resistant metal furniture to keep maintenance down. But if you already have metal furniture non resistant to rust then you can wax it for protection. Clean the metal parts with a mild soap, use rust remover to get rid of any rust spots, dry it and finally apply wax or special coating to prevent rusting.
Wooden Furniture
Wood can be very sensitive when it comes to water and moisture so it absolutely must be treated with varnish. In cold weather wooden furniture must be stored indoors to prevent damage from moisture. Oiling wooden furniture might be a good idea if you want to protect it from water damage, since as opposed to cedar and teak other woods don’t contain natural oils that could protect them from the moisture. But you must only use special furniture oils to do that.
Fabric Furniture
Fabric from furniture can be very delicate so wash it carefully with mild soap or machine wash on a delicate cycle, don’t put into dryer to prevent shrinkage but rather let it air dry and fit it back to the furniture while it’s still a bit damp. Fabric is prone to fading and you can’t really wax or seal it so be sure to keep it away from excessive heat, rain, and snow.
Wicker Furniture
Wicker furniture is quite durable and low maintenance. It can be easily cleaned from dust and dirt with a pressure hose and air dried. But it’s better to wax it to protect from bad weather. It is also not a very space-conscious furniture so if you have little room you’ll have to find smaller designs or keep the number of items to a minimum.
Powder-coated aluminum and treated (sealed/waxed) steel can be quite durable and low-maintenance. Just be sure to renew anti-rust coating if needed. Plastic furniture isn’t expensive but you should opt for interesting designs that don’t look too plain. It is also mobile and can be easily moved in for storage.
The outdoor furniture designs are also very different. There are canopy beds, sets, benches, and beach beds of various forms and shapes that can add an interesting touch to your outdoor space and enhance the design of your swimming pool, patio, or garden.
Mona Liz
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