How to Clean Patio Furniture

     The hot summer days and harsh weather takes its toll on patio furniture. Let's take a look at safe ways to clean this furniture.

This post deals with fabric furniture. My next post will teach you some shortcuts for plastic and wood furniture. 

Cleaning Chair Cushions

1.       Remove the cushions and lay them on a clean flat surface with a piece of plastic under the cushion for protection.
2.      Grab a soft brush and give grit and dirt the brush off. 
3.      Pre-treat stains by squeezing juice from a lemon onto the stain and sprinkle with salt. Work in the cool hours of the day so the lemon juice has time to work on the stain. Allow to dry.
4.      Grab an ice cube and freeze any tree sap or other sticky residue that has taken up residence on these chairs. Gently scrap off the residue with a plastic spatula.
5.      Next mix a capfull of CleanEz in a quart of warm water.
6.      Dampen a clean cloth in the mixture and wipe down both sides paying extra attention to the stains. Wait a few minutes and gently scrub. Warning! This fabric can be damaged by aggressive scrubbing. It is better to saturate the fabric let it set a few minutes than scrub too hard.  
7.      Should any stains remain, retreat with the lemon juice.
8.      Rinse with plain water and let it dry in the sun, which also lightens stains.   

How to Care for the Patio Furniture Frames
1.      First clean powder coated, aluminum or plastic frames with a 1 to 1 solution of vinegar to water. Just like aluminum wheels, furniture frames tarnish. Vinegar does a fair job cleaning aluminum. Use a good aluminum polish to remove oxidation. Use caution when working around the fabric seats and back with aluminum polishes as the fabric discolors.
2.      To help retard the discoloration of aluminum frames and make them a snap to clean, apply two thin coats of Advantage a petroleum distillate free, polymer based car, boat, RV and truck protectant. Spray the protectant on a cloth away from the fabric to avoid staining the fabric then wipe on the frame. Protectants leave a nice shine on aluminum and powder coated frames making future cleaning a snap.
*Caution: Never use ammonia, alkaline cleaners, baking soda, TSP or other harsh cleaners to clean aluminum as these cleaners discolor it, which is difficult to remove.  

Clean the Umbrellas

1.      Remove the umbrella then open and prop it on the ground. Use a soft brush to remove debris.

2.      Freeze any tree sap and scrape to remove.

3.      Clean as you would the fabric chairs only saturate soiled areas and let them set a bit before scrubbing.
4.      Clean and polish the rods as you do frames of chairs.

This article may only be used giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. All rights reserved worldwide.