Advice and guidance on how to keep your outdoor garden furniture clean, safe, and free from potential damage this winter.

With the weather constantly changing and being so unpredictable, as well as generally worse seasons like winter becoming more severe, this could offer a potential danger to your garden furniture. Here are a few tips and guidance to ensure both your garden furniture and the garden itself stay maintained and to your liking.

General Cleaning and Maintenance

Before the cold weather can take effect, general wear and ageing to your garden furniture should be considered. All metal garden products should be maintained and cleaned thoroughly once a year. Ideally, this will be done before storage for the winter. Most of our outdoor items contain a primer coat and should be maintained throughout the year to keep in a like-new condition. However, during the harsh winter months, this becomes essential to do so more regularly.
For this, all you would need to do is wash the furniture with soap and water, with the assistance of a brush or cloth to clear any loose rust or dirt. After this step is completed, rinse off the piece of furniture with clean water.
For more information about cleaning and maintaining your outdoor bench, table, or general furniture, click here.

Different Methods of Storage

Once the cleaning process has been completed, there are variety of methods for you to do to ensure your garden furniture is safely stored for the winter months.

Storage inside a garage or shed

Preferably, all metal garden furniture should be stored inside, out of the elements if possible. It is recommended to store the furniture in a garage or a shed, placing your clean and dry furniture away during the chilly winter months.

Protective Covers

If for any reason, you are unable to safely store your metal furniture indoors, you can still protect your garden furniture in the colder months by investing in some protective covers that can be found at your local hardware store.

Before covering your garden furniture, make sure both the furniture and protective cover is clean and dry as well as ensuring you have allowed for acceptable ventilation. This means, should any moisture appear during the period of coverage, it will be able to evaporate during a dry day.

Using a sheltered area of your garden:

If you are unable to cover your garden furniture by any of the above methods, this third option will still allow for essential coverage.

By moving said furniture into a sheltered area of your garden, this will provide adequate protection from damage from wind or rain. This would be under any attached part of your house, such as an extended roof or balcony, or other examples such as a veranda or gazebo if you choose to keep those up during winter.

Lighter furniture is prone to damage, especially from heavy winds, which can occur all year round. Moving it to a sheltered, or covered area will prevent this from happening, causing damage to your garden and ultimately to the furniture itself.

By following these simple steps, it will provide much-needed protection and preservation to your metal outdoor garden furniture. To achieve maximum results, a combination of the above segments would be advisable.

Of course, if you are unsure of the process of any of the recommended treatments, please seek help or assistance from a professional craftsman or tradesman.

For more information on this topic, take a look at our care and maintenance guides.