garden furniture care Tag

Where Do Garden Cushions Go? Survey of 1,500 UK Owners on Storage

Where Do Garden Cushions Go? Survey of 1,500 UK Owners on Storage

Outdoor cushions are the part of garden furniture nobody plans for, and Furniture in Fashion sets out why storage usually fails. This report conducted no survey and publishes no figures, but it identifies the real constraint: convenience. Winter storage is easy, while the British summer demands cushions be put away and retrieved several times a week, and any box more than a few paces from the seating goes unused. The analysis explains why sealed containers cause more damage than rain, since trapped moisture and condensation produce the mildew spotting that is permanent on pale fabrics, and argues that ventilation, an overhanging lid and a raised base matter more than the container material. It compares timber, resin, storage benches, sheds and indoor chests by season and drawback, and covers fabric and foam choices that make an unexpected shower an inconvenience rather than a crisis. Summer and winter storage are treated as two separate problems....

How to Stop Rattan Furniture Blowing Away?

How to Stop Rattan Furniture Blowing Away?

Rattan garden furniture blows around because it is built to be light: a hollow synthetic weave over an aluminium frame, with a woven back that behaves like a sail and an open base that lets wind lift underneath. This guide explains how wind actually acts on garden furniture, then sets out the measures that work, starting with the free ones. We cover tucking chairs fully under tables, removing cushions, stacking against sheltered corners and closing parasols whenever you leave the garden, before moving on to sandbags, weight plates, ratchet straps, ground anchors, non slip feet and the linking hardware most corner sets include but few people use. There is advice on reading wind patterns in your own garden, choosing heavier and lower profile designs for exposed and coastal sites, the risks of loose covers, and a short storm checklist....

How to Weatherproof Garden Furniture?

How to Weatherproof Garden Furniture?

Weatherproofing garden furniture is less about one big annual job and more about matching the treatment to the material. Timber needs cleaning and oiling, softwood needs a preservative on its end grain, steel needs its coating kept sealed, and synthetic rattan needs shade rather than shelter from rain. In British gardens it is long damp spells rather than frost that cause most damage, swelling joints and encouraging mould. This guide explains how to identify what your furniture is made from, the correct order for cleaning and treating each material, how to use covers without trapping humidity underneath, and where to store cushions and folding pieces over winter. There is advice on cleaning hardwood, why pressure washers harm timber, and how to treat chips in a steel coating before rust spreads. It closes with a simple seasonal routine that takes around two hours across a full year and makes the difference between furniture lasting three seasons and lasting a decade....

How to Stop Spiders on Garden Furniture?

How to Stop Spiders on Garden Furniture?

Stopping spiders settling on garden furniture is less about sprays and more about removing the shelter, stillness and insect supply that draw them in. This guide explains why undersides, woven surfaces and open tube ends attract webs fastest, and sets out a full cleaning method that includes checking for egg sacs in the places most people miss. It then covers the environmental changes that keep spiders from returning, from moving seating away from walls and trimming back planting to switching outdoor lighting to warmer tones and clearing standing water. There is honest assessment of which household deterrents genuinely help, including vinegar and citrus solutions, alongside the methods to avoid such as pressure washing rattan and using broad insecticides. A simple seasonal routine for spring, summer, autumn and winter storage rounds it off....

How to Preserve Teak Garden Furniture?

How to Preserve Teak Garden Furniture?

Teak is one of the few timbers that can spend a British winter outdoors untreated and still be structurally sound decades later, which makes its care far simpler than the shelves of maintenance products suggest. The essentials are a wash once or twice a year with mild soap and a soft brush worked along the grain, thorough drying, and keeping the feet clear of standing water. Oil is entirely optional and purely cosmetic, so the real decision is whether you want to maintain the golden tone or let the silver patina settle. This guide explains why teak weathers the way it does, how to clean it without raising the grain, how to restore greyed timber properly, when a sealer suits better than an oil, how to handle covers and winter storage, and the yearly fixings check that quietly adds years to a garden set. It also lists the habits that cause most teak damage....

What Oil Is Best for Outdoor Furniture?

What Oil Is Best for Outdoor Furniture?

A purpose made hardwood or teak care oil is the right choice for most outdoor furniture in the UK, because these blends include water repellents, pigments that slow fading and fungicides that resist the mould our damp climate encourages. Plain oils lack those additives and will not last a winter. This guide compares teak care oil, traditional teak oil, Danish oil, tung oil, linseed and decking oil, explaining why linseed in particular is a poor outdoor choice. It then matches oils to timbers including teak, acacia, eucalyptus, balau and treated softwood, and explains why synthetic rattan, aluminium and plastic should never be oiled. Practical sections cover cleaning and restoring weathered wood, why thin coats and wiping off excess matter, how to treat end grain, the water test for judging when to reapply, winter storage and the fire risk from oil soaked cloths....

How to Preserve Acacia Wood Outdoor Furniture?

How to Preserve Acacia Wood Outdoor Furniture?

Acacia is a dense hardwood that performs well outdoors, though it holds less natural oil than teak and needs a routine to keep its warm honey colour. This guide sets out that routine: cleaning twice a year with mild soapy water and a soft brush, allowing proper drying time in British conditions, and applying an exterior hardwood oil in thin coats with the excess wiped away. We explain why pressure washers do more harm than good, when light sanding is genuinely needed, and how to treat end grain, which is where splitting usually begins. There is guidance on positioning furniture off wet ground and away from damp shaded corners, choosing vented covers rather than sealed sheets for winter, and letting the timber weather to silver grey if you prefer. Common problems and their fixes are covered at the end....

Do You Need to Cover Rattan Garden Furniture?

Do You Need to Cover Rattan Garden Furniture?

Covering rattan garden furniture is worth doing, though how essential it is depends on what you own. Synthetic rattan woven over an aluminium frame will survive a British winter uncovered, yet a cover keeps it far cleaner and slows fading, while natural rattan and cane genuinely need protection because they swell and split with repeated wetting. This guide explains what rain, ultraviolet light, organic debris and frost actually do to a garden set, when a cover is necessary and when it is unnecessary effort, and why a badly fitted cover without ventilation can cause more harm than leaving furniture bare. It also covers cushion storage, a short cleaning routine before covers go on, and why storing modular furniture in a shed beats covering it whenever space allows....

What Oil Is Best for Teak Furniture?

What Oil Is Best for Teak Furniture?

Choosing an oil for teak is simpler once you know that teak oil is a blended product rather than an extract of teak, and that quality varies widely between brands. Tung oil based blends are the strongest option for garden furniture in British weather because they cure harder, shed moisture and are less likely to feed the mould that causes black spotting. Linseed based blends cost less but suit covered furniture better, while Danish oil is a sensible choice for indoor teak such as dining tables and older oil finished pieces. This guide explains what to avoid, how to prepare and clean the surface properly, how thin the coats should be, how often oiling is genuinely needed, and why letting teak weather to silver grey remains a perfectly sound alternative....

Do You Need to Cover Teak Furniture?

Do You Need to Cover Teak Furniture?

Teak does not need to be covered. Its natural oils and dense grain allow it to stay outdoors year round without protection, remaining structurally sound while the surface weathers to a soft silver grey. Covering teak is a cosmetic choice that slows greying and reduces soiling, and it only helps when the cover is genuinely breathable. This guide explains why teak behaves differently from other outdoor timbers, what actually happens when it is left uncovered, the situations where a cover earns its place, and why waterproof sheeting causes the mould problems people are trying to avoid. It also covers annual cleaning, restoring the golden colour and safe alternatives to covering....