Maintaining and Cleaning Garden Furniture
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At some point, your garden furniture will need cleaning to maintain a smart appearance, in addition, cleaning normally precedes treatment for wooden items of garden furniture. If you have the space, it’s worthwhile storing garden furniture in a garage or shed during the winter months to help prevent the build-up of grime and algae. Alternatively, invest in a set of garden furniture covers.
Cleaning wooden garden furniture.
There are a number of chemical products on the market specifically design to clean wooden garden furniture but in reality most are just mild detergents with a bigger price tag! In addition to removing dirt, mould and algae, the most important part of keeping your timber garden furniture looking good is regular oiling.
Using a pressure washer to clean teak garden furniture.
It is possible to give your teak or hardwood furniture a clean using a pressure washer, but care must be taken otherwise you can end up doing more damage than anything else. Most pressure washer will allow you to adjust the pressure produced. Always adjust the pressure to the minimum before beginning to clean; this is important when cleaning teak and hardwood garden furniture to prevent damage to the fibres of the wood or removal of the painted finish on metal furniture items.
The type of nozzle used is equally important when cleaning garden furniture. The rotary ‘Turbo’ type nozzles are designed for cleaning hard surfaces such as paving and concrete and will damage your furniture very quickly. Use a fan nozzle and hold the lance a couple of feet away from the item to start with. Gradually bring the lance closer to the furniture until the grime or algae start to shift. Very stubborn areas of dirt can be tackled with wire wool.
After cleaning teak garden furniture, you’ll need to apply teak oil to maintain the natural colour of the timber. This is best carried out using a paint brush with the furniture on a large sheet of plastic or tarpaulin. Make sure you work the oil thoroughly into all the crevices, paying particular attention to horizontal surfaces where rain water collects. Don’t forget to apply oil to the bottoms of legs and feet as these areas are most often in contact with moisture.
Cleaning Plastic garden furniture
White and pale items of plastic garden furniture will need cleaning more frequently than darker items and a weekly wipe over with some mild detergent will do the trick. For stubborn dirt, you can use a pressure washer with a fan type nozzle. Try and store plastic garden furniture out of the sun when not in use as UV light can make certain types of plastic brittle.
Cleaning metal garden furniture.
Both painted and un-painted metal items of garden furniture can be cleaned gently with a pressure washer. If you notice any rust starting to appear, treat it with a rust inhibitor to prevent it spreading.
