Clean To The Original Colour Or Paint
Now you have two choices: cutting down to the original colour and waxing — or painting. The cleaning and waxing method is still a lot of work to get a really “new” chair out of the effort and until I find a really effective chemical cleaner for resin furniture, I would suggest attacking the chair with a power sprayer — no elbow grease required! Painting is quicker, but paint wears off and sometimes peels. You can start to clean and then decide to paint — as long as you totally rinse off any cleaner. But you cannot start to paint and then clean.
With a high pressure water spray, adding soap to the spray is really not necessary, and a lot easier on the grass. What you want to do is to actually remove a bit of the plastic that has become discoloured. The strayer will leave a bit of a rough surface. You might want to give it a light hand sanding just to smooth it out, and/or apply a wax. There used to be waxes for resin furniture but if you can’t find them, use a car wax. The great advantage of all of this work is that you have a really nice feeling chair, the wax makes it silk like comfortable on bare skin, and you can repeat the process for years if you like. Don’t wax it if you decide to paint it to either get it whiter, or to change the colour. If it is waxed and you want to paint, they sell “wax wash” in the paint stores, designed to remove wax from floors before refinishing.
With this handle spray can painting is a joy, not a chore.
Removing Tough Stains From Plastic Lawn Furniture
For plastic lawn furniture that still has stains leftover after cleaning with a standard cleaner, use a Magic Eraser to lift away stubborn areas of grime.
- Dry towel
Begin by spraying all of the plastic furniture using a garden hose, and then moisten a Magic Eraser with warm water. Use the eraser to scrub at the stained areas using a circular motion, and continue until the stains are gone. Finish by rinsing the furniture clean of residue and dry with a towel.
A Magic Eraser also works to remove adhesive residue from plastic, like price or care stickers. Sometimes, a soap and water mixture is effective, too.
Keeping your plastic lawn furniture looking like new is an easy task once you know the right cleaners and techniques. Instead of getting out the spray paint to cover stains on your outdoor furniture, make a cleaner with a little dish soap and warm water.
Remove mildew stains with the power of white vinegar and baking soda and clean away tough stains by scrubbing gently with bleach. Choose the right cleaning solution and apply a little elbow grease to make your lawn furniture look like new.
How To Clean Wooden Chairs
- Also answered in this section:
- How To Clean Wood Chairs
A soft, dry cloth and regular wipe downs are your first line of defense against dirt and minor stains where wood and wicker furniture are concerned. Once a month, theres just no substitute for Murphy Oil Soap and warm water, but if you want to try a DIY recipe, this will work fairly well:
- 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
- ¼ cup of ammonia
- And 1 quart of warm water
Dampen a cloth in this solution and wipe the chair down, scrubbing stained spots away, then towel dry and let sit overnight before using the chair again.
If you have hardwood furniture, Murphy Oil soap and water will certainly help clean and preserve your furniture, but there are several other commercial products that will not only help keep it looking like new but will also provide a measure of protection against stains, dents, dings, and scratches.
Ultimately though, sanding and re-staining, then laying down a couple of fresh coats of polyurethane are your best bets to keep hardwood furniture looking like new for years or even decades. While some sites online recommend doing this on an annual basis, in our view, this is serious overkill. With reasonable care, you can probably get away with doing it every 8-12 years.
Clean Stained Plastic Patio Furniture With Baking Soda
Plastic tends to get scratches easily, so avoid using abrasive cleaners to remove tough stains. Baking soda is a mild abrasive that forms an alkaline solution when combined with water. It removes dirt and grime naturally without scratching the plastic.
- Soft cloth
To clean patio furniture, spray the surface of the plastic with a garden hose and sprinkle a layer of baking soda over the top, adding extra to heavily stained areas. Use a soft sponge to work the baking soda and water into the plastic, using circular motions to loosen up the grime.
Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes before rinsing away all of the residue with a hose. Use a soft cloth to dry the furniture or set them into the sun to dry.
How To Get Rid Of And Prevent Smells On Outdoor Furniture
Mold and mildew are common agents that cause unpleasant smells on outdoor furniture. For wood furniture, add vinegar as needed to a solution of warm water and Murphy Oil Soap. Furniture made from iron, other types of metal, plastic, or resin is less susceptible to bad smells since it’s constructed with less porous materials.
Your outdoor cushions may also be the source of musty smells. If the washing machine or mixture of dish soap and water isn’t enough to remove odor, try spritzing the cushions with an even blend of distilled white vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle. Let the cushions dry in the sun, then repeat if necessary.
Cushions And Fabric Care
Most garden furniture comes with many options for cushions nowadays to increase the varieties of style and color in your garden. However, such cushions can easily attract a lot of dirt and general wear whilst outdoors.
During the summer, strong sunlight may cause these cushions to become prone to UV damage. Cotton and some yarn tends to hold its colour longer in the sunlight, so search for these materials if you want vibrant cushions throughout summer. Acrylic is also a notable material as it is mold-resistant, perfect for the outdoors.
Regular washing of outdoor cushions is necessary to keep them fresh. Dirt can become embedded in the fabric, so remember to always wash them on a high heat in order to remove all dirt and bacteria effectively . This should be done regularly, but especially before long term storage over the colder months.
How To Clean Chairs Conclusion
Ultimately, theres no such thing as a one size fits all, cookie-cutter solution that will keep your favorite chair looking great over the course of its life. It always comes down to what your chair is made of and upholstered with. If you try to mix and match, say, using the strategies to clean leather on some other type of upholstery, the results wont be pretty.
The good news is that no matter what your favorite chair is made of or upholstered with, there are ways to clean it and help keep it looking like new. This mostly comes down to taking the time to clean your furniture regularly and avoid letting stains build up or set in over an extended period.
A light cleaning once a week, followed by a more thorough monthly cleaning and then attending to spills and accidents as they happen, will put you miles ahead of the game when it comes to keeping your furniture looking like new for as long as you own it.
As we mentioned at the start, if you own a piece of furniture made from, or upholstered with some material not covered here, just leave us a comment below, and well add it to our list!
RELATED ARTICLES
Get The Grime Off First
The real starting point is a ScotchBright pad. Actually in this case although the real brand name ones last a bit longer, it is probably wise to go to the dollar store and buy a whole pile of the imitation nylon pads — they don’t last as long but we are going to throw them out rapidly anyway.
Surprisingly enough you should not start with any cleaners at all. Water down the furniture and attack it with wet nylon pads. At this first layer of work you are just wasting any of the special cleaning products. Much of that grey grime comes right off and in some cases, or some spots, it comes right down to clean. Keep rinsing and as soon as the pad isn’t having an effect, change the pad. When a fresh pad isn’t helping much, stop. If the chair still looks grey, that means that the resin itself has chemically changed on the surface, you are no longer trying to remove dirt but need to remove chemically discoloured resin.
Wooden Or Wicker Furniture
Wooden furniture is a beautiful addition to your garden, but it may need a little more work than your average plastic deck chair. Yearly treatment with stains may be necessary to maintain the beautiful appearance of the furniture. This regular treatment should mean that your wooden furniture is safe to keep outside all year round. However, its still best to keep it indoors or in a shed during the wetter and colder months.
Softwood furniture such as pine, which is a typical garden furniture material especially needs treatment to protect it from the elements. Typically, your furniture will have been treated prior to you taking it home from the store, but a wood preserver as an added coat is excellent to maintain the furniture. One can of this will last you a few years, so keep it in your shed for later.
When applying any wood treatment, make sure everything is clean, dry and free of debris. Theres nothing harder than trying to remove dirt that you have accidentally painted onto the surface of your furniture. This is especially true in the nooks and crannies of wicker furniture, so beware!
Browse Our News Catgories
16 September 2019 | | Posted by in Constructive Criticism
South African’s love spending time outdoors and I don’t mean hiking and braaiing I mean just sitting around and enjoying the amazing weather we have and just soaking it all in. This is why outdoor furniture is a table for many a South African home. People often leave the patio furniture outside during the whole year, subjecting the chairs and tables in the sun, the rain, the snow and sleet. Add to that the dirt and grime that attract outdoor furniture, chairs and soon will be dirty and unattractive.
This is especially true with white plastic patio chairs. The plastic patio chairs that are made are resin. These chairs have resin that traps dirt and grime which is highly visible in a white chair.
So how do you keep your white outdoor furniture in tip-top condition? Here are a few tips that might help
Step 1: Start With The Cushions
If your patio furniture has cushions with removable covers, you’re in luck. The washing machine will be your best bet for attacking seasons-long grime.
If your cushion covers aren’t removable or you’d rather avoid the wash, mix one teaspoon of dishwashing detergent with a quart of warm water. Pour the mixture into your spray bottle, then spray thoroughly across the entire cushion. Let it dry for about 10 minutes before hosing the cushions off and air-drying them in the sun.
Clean Patio Happy Gatherings
As you get your backyard ready to show off to your friends and family, dont forget to take care of your patio furniture. After a long winter out in the elements, it needs a little TLC. Whether your furniture is wood, metal, or plastic, Ive shown you how to clean and maintain it so you can use it for years to come.
In this article, you learned how to clean outdoor furniture. You learned about a variety of types, from how to clean wicker furniture to how to clean Teak furniture and evenhow to clean outdoor cushions.
I hope you find the information about cleaning outdoor furniture in this article helpful.
Removing Oxidation From Plastic Outdoor Furniture
No matter how good your plastic outdoor furniture looks when you buy it, it can become oxidized and chalky looking over time. When that happens, your options are to live with it, fix it, or replace it. If youre willing to do a little work, you can try out some of the techniques detailed below to make your plastic outdoor furniture look new again. Theres no reason to replace the furniture that you still like; instead, you can save some money by simply removing the oxidation.
How To Clean Patio Furniture Cushions
Now that youve committed to revamping your patio for the summertime, your outdoor furniture cushions are a great place to start. After all, thats likely where your guests and you will be spending a considerable amount of time. Because most cushions cannot be washed in a washing machine, you will have to do this part by hand. Here is one way to clean your cushions:
Combine 1-quart warm water, 1 teaspoon dishwashing detergent, and 1 tablespoon of sodium borate in a bucket. Using a sponge, dip into the solution and scrub the cushions on all sides. Let the solution soak into the cushion for 15 minutes, then rinse it off with a hose. Keep cushions standing on an edge until completely dry.
Step 3: Choose Your Cleaner
The best cleaner for your outdoor furniture depends on the material it’s made from. Wood furniture can be more difficult to maintain, as this natural, porous material requires additional steps to stay in tip-top shape. Iron and metal materials are easierthough you’ll want to watch for signs of oxidationwhile plastic and resin furniture is the most low-maintenance. Below, find specific steps for deep cleaning your furniture by material:
How To Clean Dingy Dirty White Chairs
What follows are 5 simple tricks to getting dingy chairs gleaming again like new. All use simple items and ingredients that you will probably have or can get easily.
1. Oxygen Bleach + Water:
How to use this method: First, add approx 1/4 cup household bleach to a bucket of hot water . Put on rubber gloves to protect your skin. Using a scrub brush, scrub at the dirt and grime on the chairs with the bleach-water solution, paying special attention to the seams. Let the solution soak into the furniture for a few minutes after youre done scrubbing, and then rinse it down with clean water. Let it air dry or towel dry if youre in a hurry.
2. Clean With Liquid Dishwashing Soap
If youre uncomfortable for one reason or another using bleach, another option you can try is good old dishwashing soap & water!
3. Use Vinegar!
Youd be amazed what simple household vinegar can do to spruce up your white plastic furniture! Clean using the same method as before, adding approx 1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar to a bucket of hot water, and then scrub at the stains, rinsing when finished!
4. Get Out Your Liquid Laundry Detergent
Liquid laundry detergent also has some pretty serious stain removers in it! Mix approx 1/2 cup with water, and get out your sponge or soft bristle scrub brush and attack the gunge! Dont forget to let the solution sit on your furniture for about 10 minutes before rinsing it off.
5. Good old Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!
How To Clean Rattan Patio Furniture
Rattan is an eco-friendly material that is durable, attractive, and lightweight and often mistaken for bamboo. It is a trailing, vine-like palm that is found in the jungles of China, Malaysia, and Asia and has been used to make furniture since the mid-twentieth century.
While you can use rattan furniture outdoors, if left outside in the elements for too long the material will break down. To keep your rattan patio furniture looking great, here are some simple steps for cleaning it.
Place water in a bowl and add a few drops of dish soap, stirring it vigorously, so bubbles form on the surface of the water. Using a soft cloth, dip it into the bubbles, avoiding making direct contact with the water. Wipe down all the surfaces of the furniture with the cloth.
Avoid over wetting the rattan as it can result in damaging the material. Clean the cracks and crevices of the furniture using a soft brush or toothbrush. Use the suds-only method to accomplish this.
To clean the furniture more thoroughly, or if you need to remove stains from the furniture, apply detergent to a soft brush and scrub with a bit more water than you used for the routine cleaning.
Once done, place the furniture in the sun, or use a hair dryer to dry the furniture completely. For added protection, when the furniture is completely dry, use a paintbrush to apply a thin coat of lacquer.
How Can Plastic Oxidation Be Prevented
You can help prevent a lot of oxidation to your plastic when you leave it outside. One method is to make sure to bring your plastic inside as much as possible. This prevents a lot of damage from the sun. But that may not always be possible, especially if you have several large pieces of plastic patio furniture.
Many people have good luck using a quality plastic protectant to prevent UV damage from the sun to their plastic items. Some examples of these are:
Star Brite Patio & Outdoor Furniture Protectant
Metals General Guidelines To Clean Metal Patio Furniture Frames
Metallic patio furniture looks amazing when new, but can become a point of embarrassment if neglected and allowed to rust or stain. Most frames are easily cleaned in a similar fashion, but each metal has its own characteristics and nuanced care.
Be sure to pay attention to the underside as well as any joints. Avoid using any acid, solvent or alcohol-based cleansers or abrasive brushes or pads that may scratch the surface.
Stainless Steel
Hairline brushed steel frames give outdoor tables and seating a sleek upscale look. However, the slightest spot or discoloration can detract from the sophisticated appeal. Greasy hands and rainfall can result in dirty and spotted metal. While furniture made from 316 marine grade stainless steel will not rust, 304 and lesser grades that are not electrostatically polished are susceptible . Fortunately, there are simple remedies for all of these issues to keep your stainless steel outdoor furniture in good shape.
Cleaning hard water stains off steel
How To Clean Vinyl Chairs
Vinyl may look like leather, but definitely dont try to clean it using the same strategies youd use to clean leather!
Again, your trusty hand vac is your first line of defense in terms of picking up loose debris, and all you really need to clean most stains from vinyl is a damp washcloth.
If you need more cleaning power, mix a small amount of dish soap with warm water, dampen your rag and rub in a gentle, circular pattern on the stained area.
Its important to remember that vinyl isnt nearly as rugged or durable as leather, so youve got to take it easy on the material when cleaning. Go slow and be gentle. Yes, it will take longer to get deeper stains out, but better that it takes a bit more time than ruining the upholstery!
To get mildew off of soft vinyl furniture, mix one-part ammonia with four parts of water and dampen your cloth in that mixture, again, rubbing in a gentle circular motion. Never use anything abrasive on soft vinyl!
If you have a piece of furniture made from hard vinyl, you can treat it to the same cleaning strategies above, but you can also use baking soda to give yourself a bit of abrasion. Unlike soft vinyl, hard vinyl furniture can stand up to modest amounts of abrasion, so baking soda is fine for these purposes. Just sprinkle some on, dampen a cloth and rub gently. Hard vinyl can also be further protected by applying a coat of automobile wax once cleaning has been completed.
How To Clean Oxidized Plastic Patio Chairs
Theres nothing that can ruin the look of yourperfectly polished and landscaped backyard as oxidized patio chairs. Theyreugly, unappealing, and just bad to look at. But what can you do?
Well, if you want to learn how to get rid of the oxidization and bring some life back intoyour chairs youve come to the right place. Lets take a look at what some ofthe best commercial and home remedies to fix this problem are.
» NAVIGATION «
How To Clean Wicker Furniture
Wicker furniture is made from a tropical climbing plant known as rattan and has been the go-to choice for decks, patios, and porches for hundreds of years.
The weaving technique that is used to create the wicker furniture makes it an excellent choice for your patio furniture and doesnt require much care, and is easy to clean. The following are some simple steps for how to clean wicker furniture to ensure you can use it for years to come.
- 1 quart of warm water
From time to time, use a vacuum to get out the dust, dirt, and even spiders out that tend to settle in the crevices of the furniture throughout the year. To prevent the excessive buildup of dirt in the crevices, use a low-pressure hose every few weeks to clean the furniture.
After you hose off the furniture, inspect the weave to make sure that it hasnt moved from its place. You can use your finger to set it back if you find that it has moved.
If you determine that the vacuum didnt remove enough of the dirt, or if your wicker is heavily soiled, use a sponge and a mild oil-based soap, like , and some warm water to remove the stubborn dirt. Rinse it off and allow it to dry.
To avoid unnecessary damage, avoid using foam cleansers because the foam can get into the woven strands and begin to collect, causing it to deteriorate. Never sit on damp wicker furniture, as you might cause the wicker to sag.
Keep Your Durable Outdoor Dining Chairs And Tables Looking Top
Unlike your living room set, patio furniture cant just sit around looking good and feeling comfy. It has to stand up to the elements, from torrential downpours to bird deposits. Though materials can range from durable exotic hardwoods to delicate wickers, all patio furniture requires routine cleaning. Using the wrong products or techniques, however, could damage your outdoor tables, chairs, and lounges. Follow these guidelines to get the job done quickly and correctly.
Plastic Furniture Cleaner Made With White Vinegar
Plain vinegar works wonders as a plastic furniture cleaner. The acidity breaks up the build-up of dried food, bird droppings, and other sticky residue, making clean-up quick and easy.
Use vinegar on plastic furniture or for cleaning teak patio furniture. Tough stains may require additional treatment with this solution or one with harsher ingredients.
- Dry cloth
To make the best cleaner for outdoor furniture, fill a bucket with water, add the white vinegar, and stir the solution to mix well. Dip a soft brush into the cleaner and clean the patio furniture by scrubbing at the most hardened stains first.
Proceed to clean the rest of the piece of furniture. Rinse the chairs and table with clean water and place them into the sun to dry or wipe down with a dry cloth. Stubborn stains may require repeat treatment or use another cleaning solution.