How to maintain garden furniture

You’re buying some of our stunning outdoor furniture. So how to maintain garden furniture so it stays looking fabulous, remains supremely comfy, and keeps doing what it says on the tin for years to come? Here’s our in-depth guide to looking after your wooden, aluminium or resin garden furniture through rain and shine. May yours live long and prosper, as Mr Spock would say 🙂

How to care for wooden garden furniture

The basics of maintaining wooden outdoor furniture involve general care, cleaning the wood with warm soapy water or a special hardwood cleaning fluid at the start of the summer. If it’s filthy you can even lightly sand it down to remove the stains. You can clean teak garden furniture with a pressure washer, the wood can take it, but the water jets can life the grain on furniture made from eucalyptus wood.

Once it’s clean you can let the wood age naturally so it gets a lovely silvery patina over time, preserving the silvery look with clear hardwood oil for eucalyptus furniture and teak oil for teak furniture. Or use a special wood paint to refresh the furniture and add colour to your garden life.

How to care for aluminium garden furniture

Maintaining aluminium outdoor furniture and garden furniture made from other metals is just as straightforward. Most of the time a wash with warm soapy water will do the trick. A pressure washer can also do a top job on a low setting, avoiding fragile parts like glass table tops.

If it’s steel, you’ll want to treat any scratches so they don’t develop rust. Remove existing rust with steel wool then use an exterior metal paint to touch things up.

Aluminium garden furniture never rusts but the metal can oxidise, changing the colour over time. This makes the metal stronger but if you prefer the original colour, clean it frequently and keep it clean and dry through winter.

How to care for resin garden furniture

Maintaining resin outdoor furniture is really easy, again using warm soapy water to get rid of any dust or grime. Many good garden furniture sets come with a protective cover included, for other sets you can buy separate fitted covers to keep the metal frame and the resin rattan itself in the best condition.

Caring for outdoor furniture made from multiple materials

What if your furniture has an aluminium frame and a resin weave? Or real wood legs and arms with a resin weave? Or any other combination? Keep the different materials in good nick using the methods above and all should be well.

The main thing is to keep it covered in bad weather and when you’re not using it for long periods of time. This means it isn’t always wet, and isn’t always exposed to dirt and dust and bird poop. Keep it clean and dry and it’ll be ready to use whenever you are.

What about the cushions and seat pads?

Some garden furniture brands offer separate protective covers for garden furniture cushions. You can store yours somewhere dry indoors or covered in the garage or shed, or stash them inside a waterproof garden storage box. While it’s perfectly Ok for the cushions to be out in light showers, and they’re made to cope with outdoor life, they’ll stay in top condition for longer when you keep them dry and clean in the first place.

Can you buy special covers for garden furniture?

Yes, you can, and they’re great! They look smart, fit perfectly, won’t blow off and are a credit to the garden rather than an eyesore.