Garden Furniture Care Guide

Keep your garden furniture looking good for longer with our easy-to-follow guide


Hardwood garden furniture care
Teak garden furniture is very durable and can be left outside, where it will gradually weather to an attractive silver colour. Hardwood garden furniture can be stored under cover if you have the space. If you bring your teak garden furniture into a heated area, such as a conservatory, it’s important to keep the humidity levels up while it acclimatises – positioning a small bowl of water somewhere in the room should do the trick. If you want to retain the original colour of your teak garden furniture, apply a teak oil every year or two. To clean it, use mild soapy water and a stiff brush. Treat Iroko wood garden furniture in the same way.

Softwood garden furniture care
Softwood garden furniture can be damaged by prolonged exposure to sun and rain, but it’s easy to protect it. First, clean your softwood garden furniture with soapy water and allow to dry. Use methylated spirits to remove any sticky residue from around the knots. Your softwood garden furniture can then be treated with furniture oil or a protective finish designed for outdoor wood. You can choose a coloured finish – either a wood colour or any of the wonderful colours now available – or a clear finish. Good-quality garden furniture covers will also protect your softwood garden furniture from the elements.

Wrought iron/metal garden furniture care
Wrought iron furniture is weatherproof, but if possible, store your wrought iron furniture in a shed or garage over the winter. If your wrought iron furniture has a coloured coating that gets damaged, use metal or car paint to touch it up.

Resin garden furniture care
It’s simple to keep resin garden furniture looking good. Just wash down with some soapy water. You may want to protect your resin garden furniture with garden furniture covers over the winter months.

Aluminium garden furniture care
Aluminium garden furniture is easy to keep looking as good as the day you bought it. A wash down with some hot soapy water is all your aluminium garden furniture needs. But keep an eye out for any chips or cracks in the coating, and touch them up quickly.

Cast aluminium garden furniture care
Aluminium garden furniture will not rust, but if it has a coloured coating that gets damaged, use a metal or car paint to touch up.

Garden parasol care
If your garden parasol gets wet, leave it open to dry out before storing. Remember to take down your garden parasol if it gets very windy, or it may end up next door!

Garden furniture cushions care
If your cushions have cotton covers, avoid leaving them out in the rain and store in a dry place. Sponge clean your garden cushion covers with an upholstery shampoo.
If you have garden cushion covers made from acrylic, they will withstand the rain, but the innards may not, so store in a dry place. Never store your garden cushions in plastic bags as they may develop mould.