CARING FOR YOUR
GARDEN FURNITURE
When caring for your garden furniture correctly, not only will your set look as good as new but will be enjoyed season after season – come rain or shine!
All products require a minimal amount of care and maintenance in order to keep your set in tip top shape. We recommend using suitable furniture covers to care for your set when it is not in use and use water-proof storage for your cushions for those wetter months.
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Rattan/Weave Furniture
All our Rattan/Weave furniture sets are of a high quality, weather-proof material which can be left outside all winter without protection. However, if you are looking to preserve the sets pristine appearance, then we recommend the use of a cover to keep it looking its best for longer.
We offer a range of furniture covers both in-store and online to fit most of our sets, we recommend when you purchase your new furniture set to also buy the cover suitable for your set. Our colleagues in store will always help you find the right one, so you can walk away confidently knowing you cover will fit your set and will be protected from the second you purchase it. Ensure you keep all sides of the furniture cover secure to avoid chafing, causing wear and tear in specific areas of the set, we recommend tying it down to the furniture legs. When covered, rattan/weave furniture sets should always be allowed to breath, by tying the cover to the sets legs, this allows air to flow freely through the set, avoiding condensation.
When covering your set, ideally you should be using a UV resistant cover to protect the rattan/weave from fading during the year, however with our high-quality sets, UV protection is certainly not an issue to be worrying about as our sets are UV resistant.
We do not recommend jet washing your furniture set unless it is suitable, many of our ranges are tight weave or wicker, jet washing this type of material will cause damage and may induce a quicker wear and tear look to the surface set.
You may find that with or without a cover, your set may need a little scrub! When cleaning your furniture sets it is suggested to use a non-abrasive sponge and lukewarm, detergent-free soapy water. Continue to clean where it is required and finish off by rinsing with fresh water and allow to dry prior to covering or storing indoors.
Cast Aluminium
Cast Aluminium is a highly desirable material for garden furniture for those looking for a set that requires little maintenance as well as light weight. Caring for your cast aluminium is simple and easy, cast aluminium is durable and rust free, making it perfect to leave in the garden during the winter months.
At the end of each season, cast aluminium will only need a wash down with mild soapy water, avoid using any abrasives or bleach to clean the set. Inspect furniture regularly for both light and deep scratches and see to these immediately to prevent weather getting beneath the powder coating on the frames, causing it to flake in the future. Touch-up paint kits are available, and some are included in your purchase of cast aluminium sets to fix these minor issues and prevent further damages, alternatively, clear nail-varnish is a temporary alternative to a quick repair on any scratches.
If you’re looking to breathe life back into your cast aluminium, rejuvenate it with a little car wax or baby oil, both perfectly safe to use on your cast aluminium, just ensure to rub in well to avoid transferring on to your clothing when using the set. Not only will it help brighten up your set, but it will also provide a barrier against dirt particles on the furniture.
Although furniture made from cast aluminium is very durable, it can also be brittle. Try to avoid leaving your furniture set unsecured during high winds, due to its light-weight nature, it may blow over causing it to crack on impact. We recommend securing your furniture set with the use of a cover or storing it in your shed or conservatory, ideal due to its ability to withstand mildew. If you do choose to use a furniture cover when storing your set for the winter month, fasten down any loose edges to avoid chafing against the set, chafing over time will gradually wear away the sets power coating, leaving the furniture exposed to the weather and causing further damage to the powder coating.
Cushions
With summer showers quite the common occurrence in the UK during the warmer months, most of our sets include water and stain-resistant cushions, as well as season-proof cushions. These cushions can withstand light and short showers, and will dry after several hours of warm, dry weather. If you find that the internal filling of these cushions become wet, always remove the cushion cover, and leave the dry for a day or two before resuming use.
Always be mindful when leaving your cushions in a sunny spot, darker cushions are more likely to fade when left in direct sunlight, so we recommend storing your cushions when not in use. Using furniture cushion boxes are the perfect solution to storing you cushions outside, with frost-proof protection, your cushions will remain intact for the years to follow. Always be sure to check that your cushions are dry before storing to avoid mould growing within the cushion.
When it comes to avoiding stains, ensure you clean and wipe away spillages with a damp clean cloth immediately as to avoid permanent marks and cosmetic damage to your cushions. Alternatively, we offer an all-purpose fabric cleaner, ideal for cleaning those light marks and stains, should they be stubborn.
Parasols
Ensure you keep your parasols closed and removed from its base at the end of each use, keep an eye on the weather too! Windy or gusty weather can cause damage to your parasol when it is kept up in these conditions
Parasols are essential when it comes to those hot, sunny days to keep the heat off. Our darker coloured parasols are more likely to fade over time when in direct sunlight, so to protect and extend the life in the colour of your parasol, try to close it up and cover it when not in use.
Glass Table Tops
Our furniture ranges that include glass table tops can feel confident in the fact that these will last as long as the furniture set itself, with toughened safety glass, the table tops in these sets will not crack or shatter with day to day use. Clear glass also gives you an easy to clean table top, leaving you streak free each time you wipe over your table top after a meal, simply use any suitable glass cleaner and a soft microfibre cloth.
When using for meals, we recommend using a trivet always when placing hot or extremely cold pans and dishes on to the table, never place these directly onto the tables surface.
