At Lazy Susan we’ve created a range of garden furniture that is designed to be left outside, on the patio, in all weather, with the minimum amount of maintenance.
We think you should be able to leave your garden furniture in situ and ready to enjoy. However, anything left outside will get mucky. Bit of wind, a bit of rain, a bit of sun, voilà.
So how do you protect our metal garden furniture? How do you keep it looking like new and ready to sit on?
Well, the Lazy Susan team have the answers, and we’ve compiled our top 10 tips for keeping it clean, maintained, protected from the elements and ready for your next garden soirée.
1. Keep our metal garden furniture clean
First things first, just keep it clean. Prevention is better than the cure as they say. Don’t leave it too long and let the dirt and grime build-up.
The great thing about our cast aluminium garden furniture is it has a durable painted finish to protect the metal and prevent it from corrosion. Dirt will sit on there without doing any damage but it just looks a little unsightly.
To keep it clean is super simple though. Take a bucket of warm water and a little car shampoo and wash it down with a soft sponge. Rinse with the garden hose (no need to pressure wash it) and leave it to dry.
Our can our outdoor furniture be left outside article from last summer goes into detail as to why we think our metal garden furniture is best suited for UK gardens and how best to clean and protect it.
2. Cover our metal garden furniture
To keep it clean and minimise the need to clean it then your two best options are:
- Store it in a shed, outdoor cupboard, garage or large storage box.
- Or, if you simply don’t have the space or inclination (many like to leave it outside all year as the patio looks bare without it), then the next best thing is to purchase some outdoor covers.
You can purchase good garden furniture covers off the shelf or there are a number of online companies that will make them to shape and size for a secure fit.
It is important that any garden furniture covers you buy are:
- Waterproof and dustproof to keep them clean and dry.
- Heavy-duty, durable, tear/abrasion resistant and designed for outdoor use.
- Breathable to let air circulate and prevent mould from forming.
- UV-resistant to protect the furniture from the sun.
- Can be secured in place with tie fastenings so they don’t blow off.
- A good fit that is on that is not so tight the covers become difficult to fit and not so loose that you are left with a pile of excess fabric.
- Individual covers for your table and each chair are better for staying on and if you need to move/stack.
The best quality garden furniture covers are generally made from a medium-weight PVC-coated polyester and that will tick all of the above.
In terms of purchasing the correct shape and size, dimensions for all our ranges can be found on our website in the dimensions section (as shown above for our popular June 6-seater set).
3. Protect our metal garden furniture from rain
Unfortunately, rain doesn’t give metal garden furniture a clean. When it falls, it collects all kinds of particles, such as dust, pollen, pollutants, etc. They all get trapped inside the droplets and then deposited on your garden furniture.
Once the rain dries up, all that muck that was contained inside it gets left behind, leaving your nice clean garden furniture covered in a film of dust and watermarks.
Of course, a quick wash a la step one and it is clean again. However, a great way to minimise this from happening and prolong that nice clean look is to apply a light coat of car wax.
We looked at the why and how in our recent how to apply car wax to metal garden furniture article but it will essentially give the paintwork a nice lustre, help raindrops to bead and run off, and keep it cleaner for a little longer.
4. Protect our metal garden furniture from wind
Whilst rain is probably the biggest patio nemesis, the wind can also be a problem, especially if your garden is open and exposed to sudden gusts.
The great thing about our metal garden furniture is it has enough weight to ensure it won’t blow over like rattan and resin pieces but it is not as heavy as some timber and cast iron furniture.
What that means is that if we do get a storm with gales, then you can easily pick it up and move it to a more sheltered part of the garden until it passes. That said, even heavier pieces are susceptible to 65mph plus winds so be proactive.
If you are concerned about your garden furniture blowing over, then the best solutions are:
- Create a windbreak with planting or a garden structure such as a Pergola.
- Stack your stackable Lazy Susan Garden Chairs in a safe corner.
- Move it to a safe sheltered spot such as a corner or against a wall.
- Stake it and anchor it to the ground or a wall.
- Secure it with deck anchors.
- Secure it together with bungee cords.
- Bring your garden furniture inside until the high winds pass.
- Use water or sand-filled outdoor furniture weights.
5. Protect our metal garden furniture from the sun
Whilst our metal furniture will not fade in the sun like other materials thanks to that protective finish, the flip side of that is that it can get hot to the touch. Unfortunately, the materials that stay cooler in the direct sun are the ones that fade, so it's a bit of a catch-22.
At the end of the day, all garden furniture materials benefit from being in the shade, as much for our protection as anything else. And the best way to protect our metal garden furniture from the sun is shade, be that one of our large water resistant Parasols or a garden structure such as a pergola or patio awning.
6. Maintain our metal garden furniture
Our garden furniture is designed to be easy to assemble, durable and low maintenance. The metal and component parts are designed specifically for the UK climate and to be left outside.
The only real maintenance problem our customers encounter is scratches and chips, with things such as cutlery being dropped on tabletops being one common example.
Repairing is easy with our Touch Up Kits and our how-to-touch-up paint chips and scratches on metal garden furniture article has all the info you need with an easy-to-follow step-by-step photo and video guide to application.
Other common smaller maintenance issues include tree sap and bird poo (especially if you live near the coast such as many of the Lazy Susan team). Our how to remove tree sap and bird poo from outdoor furniture articles have you covered there with some great tips and advice.
7. Store your garden cushions correctly
Our garden chair range is designed to be comfortable without cushions but they definitely up the comfort, especially when the weather is hot.
However, whilst our chairs are safe to leave outside in all weather, and even though the fabric is water resistant, we would not advise you to leave your cushions outside. When not in use, store them inside your home, garage, shed or outdoor storage chest, etc.
Never put them away damp and if you need a little more advice on how to best store and protect them, then our recent can garden furniture cushions be left outside has all the info, tips and advice you need.
8. Store your garden parasol correctly
Just like our outdoor cushions, our Parasols are best stored correctly when not in use.
They are constructed from a fast-drying waterproof acrylic so they too are also water and UV-fade resistant, however, we would also not advise you to leave them out in all weather. A summer shower is fine, wintertime is a definite no-no.
Again, as with our cushions, never put them away damp as mould could form. Store them somewhere dry when not in use and use a protective cover if you want to leave them out in the summertime.
9. Protect outdoor fabrics
If you want to further protect outdoor fabrics such as on our covers and parasols, then our advice is to again, keep them clean with a regular wash, and then spray them with a spray-on sun and water shield such as Scotchgard.
Lazy Susan garden cushion covers can be removed and washed on a 30-degree cycle in the washing machine and our pair your chairs with our outdoor furniture cushions article has a breakdown of the care label and how best to wash, dry and store.
Our why pair your outdoor furniture with a parasol article on the other hand has all you need to know about parasol care and maintenance.
10. Protect our metal garden furniture from thieves
Last but by no means least is to also protect our metal garden furniture from thieves as well as mother nature. It is a high-value item, easy for the unscrupulous to resell and gardens are open making them an easy target.
The best way to protect is:
- Make access to your garden difficult
- Use security lighting
- Use home security cameras
- Use an outdoor alarm system
- Secure your garden furniture with anchors and locks
- Mark and tag your garden furniture
- Make sure your garden furniture is covered by your insurance policy or take out cover
Our keep it safe with our garden furniture security tips article has some great advice on how you can tackle all of the above and some helpful videos to make your garden safer and more secure.
If you have any photos of your Lazy Susan Garden Furniture all clean, maintained and protected in your garden, then we’d love to see a few snaps for our Do Some Good charity campaign. You can tag us @LazySusanFurniture on Instagram or Facebook or email them to us at [email protected].