Although it is not hard to maintain your outdoor furniture, knowing how to care for and clean the furniture significantly helps in extending its lifespan. This will help you to enjoy the furniture items for years. In this article, we will present some general tips and some useful tips to apply when it comes to caring for your outdoor furnishings like outdoor dining chairs Melbourne. This will ensure optimum protection for the furniture items. However, if you have any doubts, it is better to consult the manufacturer’s manuals to know about the best care for your specific furniture.
How to care for different types of outdoor furniture items?
- Caring for powder-coated stainless steel and aluminum furniture: Powder coating offers protection and color to metal surfaces. Besides, powder coating ensures an easy-to-clean surface. Therefore, you only need fresh lukewarm water or a little alkaline or pH-neutral cleaning agent to clean the surfaces and frames of these furniture items. After that, rinse them with fresh water. On the other hand, use isopropyl alcohol or turpentine for cleaning the heavily soiled parts. Never use any high-pressure cleaners, abrasive cleaning agents, or chemical cleaning agents to clean these furniture items.
- Caring for polyrattan furniture: Polyrattan furniture successfully imitates the look and feel of rattan furniture. While rattan furniture is meant for indoor use, the weather-resistant fiber of poly rattan can perfectly withstand the outdoor weather effects. All you need is a gentle cleanser, warm water, and a soft cloth to clean this type of furniture. There is no need to use alcohol or any other solvents as they can discolor or damage the surface.
- Caring for teak furniture: Teak is known for its durability and beauty. However, when kept outdoors for a long time, the unique “silver patina” of teak quickly develops. So, if you have teak outdoor furniture like outdoor sofa sets Melbourne, you can take care of these furniture items by dusting them regularly and wiping them with a damp, clean cotton cloth. Besides, you can remove dirt and stains from these furniture pieces by washing them with fresh water and mild solvents. Never use any acid-based chemicals or solvents for cleaning them.
- Caring for stone furniture: Being highly durable, stone furniture is very low maintenance and suitable for different climate conditions. So, if you have stone furniture in your garden area, use a water-soaked cloth to clean it properly. Never use any solvents, minerals, oil, or alcohol-based products for the same.
- Caring for galvanized metal furniture: This type of furniture is coated in long-lasting and durable zinc oxide. This increases the longevity of these furniture items while making them low maintenance even when they are exposed to the outer environment for years. You can use soapy warm water to properly clean this furniture. It will remove all the stains without affecting the structural durability of the furniture. Never use any chemicals like any cleaning agents using solvents for cleaning these furniture items.
- Reduce direct exposure to the sun: Although the best quality outdoor furniture pieces are made of UV-resistant materials, which can easily withstand the harsh effects of the Australian sun, reducing sunlight exposure can make the dining suite or lounge long. So, if you are going to travel for several weeks or not going to use the furniture during winter, always use a cover to protect your outdoor furniture from the effects of sun and other weather elements like rain and wind. Besides, bring your ottomans and cushions indoors while covering the furniture, or shift the suite undercover to limit weather exposure.
- Be gentle while cleaning: Always read the furniture care instructions thoroughly and understand them before cleaning. If you are not sure and have questions, you can also call the store from where you have purchased them. Never use any harsh cleaning agents to clean the furniture items as they can damage the furniture by wearing away the protective layer. Besides, brush off all the dirt and leaves and wipe away the spills as early as possible to protect your outdoor furniture from getting stained. Although the majority of outdoor furniture pieces are designed to prevent mold and mildew, still you must keep them dry to keep them new for years.
- Stain or oil the furniture: One of the easiest ways to protect your teak or other wooden furniture and to enhance their appearance for years is to sand back them lightly. The next step is to apply a stain or oil to protect them from the harsh weather effects. To do this, you can select from a range of colors and finishes. And it will not take a long time to do this.
- Wash cushions: Remove all your cushion covers and toss them into the washing machine. You can also clean them with your hands using a mild detergent and a soft brush. This will brush off all the dirt, debris, and leaves from the cushions. The next step is to air dry the cushions to reduce the effects of general wear and tear.
- Clean the wicker: The best quality wicker materials used for manufacturing outdoor furniture are easy to clean. Using these materials also keeps the furniture protected from the harsh effects of Australian weather. So, brush off the dirt and sand with a soft brush and then hose down the wicker. After that, wipe it gently with a damp cloth. Once the wicker gets air-dried, wipe it again with a lint-free, dry cloth. On the other hand, you can remove tougher stains like bird droppings using a soft brush and a mild detergent. Then rinse it with cold water. However, never use a lot of water while cleaning the wicker or never clean it regularly. Otherwise, it will degrade the quality of the material.
Nick Daniel’s Heating, BBQ, and Outdoor Mega Centre is a well-known furniture store in Australia, which has a wonderful collection of different types of outdoor furniture. Besides, the experts of this store can also guide you with the ways to take the best care of your outdoor furniture.
