Everyone with a garden fills it with furniture. Think of the summer days, spent around the BBQ, relaxing with friends and family over an ice-cold beer. As with any piece of furniture though, regular maintenance is needed to ensure it always looks like it is straight out of the furniture showroom. So here are our tips on how to look after wooden or rattan garden furniture.
1: It is ideal, that when not in use, you have a designated storage space indoors to store your furniture. Most weather conditions including the sun place extra pressure on all furniture whether it is wooden or aluminium. If you do not have the space indoors or the pieces are particularly heavy, purchase extra-large covers to place over the furniture.
2: When you first purchase the furniture, apply some teak oil to help keep its original look and repeat this process, every six weeks. Of course, some garden experts highly recommend the weathered look for wooden garden furniture in which case the teak oil is not needed.
3: The furniture should be occasionally scrubbed down to prevent mildew. Simply use warm soapy water with a soft scrubbing brush. A hard brush will mark the wood.
4: Any good garden furniture manufacturer will also give you a set of guidelines when purchasing. Adhere to them strictly, especially if your furniture has been sold with a guarantee. There are two sets of guidelines, one for hardwood, and one for softwood.
5: Occasionally sap resin can appear especially during warm weather. It will be very sticky and a nuisance to anyone sitting down on it. Remove it with a knife and a small amount of white spirits.