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.

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.

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.

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.

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