Cleaning Wood Patio Furniture

Consumers who care about value and economical living should seriously consider cleaning their wooden patio furniture rather than replacing it. Of course, if the cleaning job does not suffice, then perhaps you should consider buying new items. But be sure to try cleaning first, and you may find that you can save hundreds of dollars simply by doing a bit of scrubbing for a short period of time. If done properly, the cleaning job will have your old patio furniture looking fresh again.

1. Start the process with a dry brush, removing all the dust and dirt that has built up over the season. In addition, do not forget those cobwebs and scratches! If some of the dents or scrapes are deep, or especially disfiguring, take a bit of sandpaper and remove them.
2. Hose the furniture down. See to it that you remove any soil or grime that was left from the first step by using a good amount of water pressure.
3. Now you will need a clean cloth soaked in soapy water for the most important part of the cleaning regimen. Physically scrub off any remaining dirt, dust, or mold. In the case of mold, you might have to add a bit of bleach to some water and use a brush, making certain to rinse off the bleach solution after doing so.
4. Do a final rinse with the hose. You might want to use the pressure nozzle again, but don’t get too enthusiastic or you will damage the furniture. At this stage, you are both rinsing off the soap and blasting away any remaining dirt.
5. Wipe all surfaces down with a clean, dry, soft cloth. 
6. Put the furniture in the open air to finish drying. This last step also allows any bleach odor to evaporate.
7. Finally, you can add oil or a stain to the furniture to ready it for the next season.

For the future, patio furniture covers and patio chair covers are a good choice for those who care about the long-term health and durability of their garden furniture. Besides protecting them from the elements, the covers add a sense of style to your yard and can help reduce the amount of deep cleaning needed for your furniture.