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Make Your Outdoor Furniture an Antique
Most good quality outdoor furniture is made from wood that has good
moisture tolerant properties and can withstand the rigors of outdoor life, but
we still need to take extra care to be sure that it will last the lifetime that
it's capable of lasting.
Good Old Soap and Water
A mild soap and water bath once a week is a good inexpensive way to start your
outdoor furniture care program.
No matter what material your furniture is made of it will get a layer of
whatever we've put into the air on it. If you don't keep the illbegotten
elements cleaned off they can start a chemical reaction with furniture
finishes, paint or other materials. Your nice shiney resin furniture will
start getting a less than good appearance, wicker can start looking dingy and
other materials will be effected too.
Just use a pan of warm sudsy water and a cloth or paper towels. Follow up with
a pan of clear water and rinse the soap off so that you don't end up with a
soapy film on your outdoor furniture. Dry, dry, dry. Be sure that the surface
is dry after washing. It's not a good idea to wash bare wood. The water will
raise the grain and make the wood fuzzy feeling. We'll cover more on bare wood
later.
Teak is used in boat building, but it's not a good idea to let the sprinkler go
on it. If your outdoor furniture isn't under a covered area you should wipe it
dry after it rains or gets wet by any other means.
Wax and UV Protection
A good coat of automotive wax is a good idea for outdoor furniture care.
Automotive wax has UV protection which will help your furniture last longer and
look better. Read the container label, some products that claim to give UV
protection don't give as much protection as other products do. Treat sunscreen
for your outdoor furniture the same as you would for your skin.
When choosing an automotive wax you can get wax only or a wax/cleaner. The
wax/cleaner could have chemicals or abrasive as the cleaner. Chemicals can be
harsh on a furniture finish and should be avoided, but if the label says that
it has pumice or rottenstone in it they're both abrasive, but very mild and
are used to to build up a sheen or shine on a finish.
Pumice is more coarse and is also used in rubbing compound, which is used to
rub out blemishes. Rottenstone is used in polishing compound and is used to
rub a finish to a glass smooth surface. Care should be taken as you're
rubbing to not get carried away, especially with a product with pumice. Too
much rubbing can rub right through the finish or paint. Always be sure to test
any products in an inconspicuous place to be sure that the finish and the wax
product are compatible.
If your outdoor furniture has mineral deposits from standing water, the
deposits can be rubbed off with either rubbing compound or polishing compound.
You will have to give the same rubbing to the whole connected area rather than
just the deposit spot, so it could use up a lot of elbow grease.
More Outdoor Furniture Care
It's a good idea to clean your lawn chairs, picnic tables and other outdoor
furniture at least every couple of weeks.
We'll cover more on wood outdoor furniture care, plastic and resin, metal and
all other types of outdoor furniture on following pages.
Return to Outdoor Furniture Care Contents
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