How do I clean and store garden furniture?

Garden furniture fails predictably by material: timber greys and cracks, metal rusts at chips and joints, rattan becomes brittle in UV, and cushions grow mould if stored damp. Matching the treatment to the material takes an afternoon annually and roughly doubles how long a set lasts.

What you'll need

• Warm soapy water and a soft brush
• Cloths
• Teak or hardwood oil (optional)
• Rust treatment and touch-up paint (optional)
• Furniture covers (optional)

Step by step

1. Clean everything with warm soapy water and a soft brush.Avoid pressure washers on timber and rattan — they raise the grain and damage the weave.
2. For hardwood, scrub along the grain and rinse.A specialist hardwood cleaner restores colour on wood that's already greyed.
3. Let timber dry completely, then apply hardwood oil if you want to keep the colour.Untreated hardwood weathers to silver-grey, which is a cosmetic change rather than damage — oiling is optional.
4. For metal, check for rust spots and treat them before they spread.Sand back to sound metal, apply a rust treatment, then touch-up paint. Rust spreads under paint if left.
5. For rattan and synthetic weave, brush out the weave and rinse.Debris trapped in the weave holds moisture. Natural rattan should not be left outdoors at all.
6. Wash cushion covers if removable, and dry them completely before storing.Completely. A cushion stored slightly damp will be mouldy by spring.
7. Store cushions indoors over winter, always.Even in a waterproof box outdoors, condensation causes mould. Indoors is the only reliable option.
8. Cover or store furniture, allowing ventilation.A sealed cover traps condensation. Breathable covers or storage in a ventilated space is better than airtight wrapping.

Tips

• Stack or store furniture off the ground over winter, even under cover — ground contact wicks moisture into legs and feet.
• Check and tighten bolts annually. Garden furniture loosens through seasonal expansion and contraction.
• Feet caps and glides protect both the furniture and the patio, and they're cheap to replace.
• If greyed teak bothers you, a hardwood cleaner restores the colour before oiling. If it doesn't, greying causes no harm at all.

Common mistakes

• Storing cushions damp — Mould within weeks, and it's very difficult to remove from foam.
• Pressure washing timber furniture — It raises the grain and leaves a rough surface that weathers faster.
• Ignoring small rust spots — Rust spreads under paint. Treating a spot is minutes; treating a frame is an afternoon.
• Sealing furniture in airtight covers — Trapped condensation causes more damage than the weather would have.

Questions people ask