Maintenance Task: Take in (or cover) and put out outdoor patio furniture

When outdoor patio furniture is brought out (or uncovered) for the season, the following care should be provided:

• Plastic furniture: Apply mild detergent to plastic, allow to soak in for a while.  Use a stiff scrub brush and a hose to wash clean.  For hinges add a few drops of oil or silicon spray.

• Wrought Iron Furniture: A protective coat of wax (either liquid or can paste wax) will make cleaning easier and will help retard rusting.

• Redwood furniture: Though redwood furniture theoretically needs no finish, furniture made from redwood will look better and last longer if it is coated annually with a pigmented redwood sealer.  The sealer will help the wood to shed water and keeps stains from soaking in.  The underside of the furniture should be included, and to keep the wooden legs from soaking up moisture, several coats of sealer should be applied to the bottom ends.  Before applying the sealer, be sure to clean and scrub the surfaces as necessary.

• Aluminum furniture: Tubular aluminum furniture generally needs no painting or finishing.  However, an annual coat of paste wax will help to prevent pitting and to make it easier to keep clean.

• Rattan furniture: Furniture made of woven peel or rattan is supposed to be immune to damage by the weather.  However, like redwood furniture, peel and rattan will look better and last longer is it is coated regularly with a protective finish such as a spar varnish or weatherproof plastic coating.

Outdoor furniture is an investment that will last many years if maintained properly.