Garden job for the weekend: spruce up your garden furniture now

Take advantage of any spare time in the spring sunshine over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend to give your garden furniture a thorough clean and refresh. Not only will you get your furniture summer ready but you’ll have plenty of time to repair or replace anything if you need to. None of these jobs is difficult and it's worth taking the time now to help your furniture last longer.

Give furniture a spring clean

Start by washing down any furniture that's been outside for winter. Dirt and algae always build up but this year it’s likely to be worse after so many weeks of rain. Either use a proprietary furniture cleaner or mild soapy water and a soft brush. But don’t use a pressure washer as the strong water jet is likely to cause damage.

Rejuvenate wooden furniture

Treat or repaint wooden tables and chairs. Once furniture is clean and thoroughly dry, certain materials benefit from treatment. Softwood furniture should be treated every two to three years using a suitable stain or wood preservative – there’s a wide range of colours to choose from. Good quality teak is unlikely to need treating unless you want a different finish from its natural silvery grey, in which case use teak oil or a wood stain designed for teak.

At the risk of stating the obvious, make sure any stained or painted furniture is completely dry before using. Lower air temperatures in spring means that drying times can take longer than stated on the product description.

Do a safety check

Inspect all your furniture thoroughly for stability, paying particular attention to chair and table legs, which means turning over your furniture to have a good look at where the legs join the seat or top. Check all joints on wooden furniture and tighten any loose screws.

Check plastic furniture for breakages. Be aware that plastic furniture gets brittle with age, especially when exposed to sun. If chairs have discoloured badly, they may be in danger of breaking. Replacing them rather than risking an injury is the safest bet.

Remove rust

Check metal furniture for rust and take special care to check the joints and structure are sound. If rust is only superficial, remove using a wire brush or sandpaper, and then paint if needed with a suitable paint.

Refresh your cushions

Bring cushions and parasols out of storage for a thorough airing. Do this job on a sunny day. Wash the cushions if necessary. Covers that are designed to zip or slip off can usually go in the washing machine on a gentle cycle with a short spin. Similarly, parasols may be able to be taken off their frames for washing. Old, stained, or faded fabric can be given a new lease of life by dyeing it a fresh colour.

Where cushion covers aren’t removable, use a sponge or microfibre cloth to clean with warm water and a detergent designed for hand washing. Take care to avoid saturating the cushions which could be difficult to dry.