Most patios lose their sheen after few years. That’s the time you need to think of either replacing or refurbishing your old patio furniture or any other patio item. Patio furniture in particular needs a lot of care and maintenance because they are exposed to sun, rain etc. Depending upon the type of the wood used for the furniture, you will have to do the necessary treatments. Different woods have different treatment methods. You must follow the right treatment method to enjoy continuous enjoyment from your patio furniture.

For hardwoods, you will have to feed it with good preservative oil, which is readily available in the market. If you don’t know how to apply the preservative oil, you can take the help of a professional carpenter to do it for you. The preservative oil needs to be of good quality and devoid of any adulterants. You may go for some branded preservative oil to be on the safer side. The application of the preservative oil does not only apply for old patio furniture, it is also applicable for newly bought patio furniture.

As soon as you buy the wood patio furniture, make sure to apply the preservative oil over the outer surface. For some types of preservative oils, you too can do the application your self. You may need a brush and some good cloth for the application of the preservative oil. When you are applying the preservative oil, make sure to apply the oil till the saturation point is reached. If there is any excess oil left on the surface, make sure to remove it with a clean dry cloth. Discard all the cloths that are soaked in the preservative oil.

The wicker outdoor furniture needs more attention than the wood patio furniture. The wicker outdoor furniture needs to be washed periodically to get rid of all the dust and mud. For the washing task of the wicker outdoor furniture, you may have to use a mild detergent and plenty of water. If there are stains on the wicker outdoor furniture, then it may take some more effort to get rid of the stains. For very tough stains, you may have to use a good bleach and water solution. Additional scrubbing may also be very helpful in removing the stains.

Regular washing and cleaning is good for the dust and the mud that gets accumulated on the wicker outdoor furniture. However, if you want long term protection for the wicker outdoor furniture, you will have to either coat the wicker outdoor furniture with wicker outdoor furniture oil or just paint the wicker outdoor furniture. If you don’t have the budget for the best quality preservative oil, you can use linseed oil, which is one of the best preservative oils. Linseed oil is available in any supermarket and you will not have a problem finding it.

If you are using deck cushions, you may want to inspect them regularly because they are the first to catch some mud and other stains. Before you start washing and cleaning the patio cushion, check the label and confirm that it is washable. To clean the patio cushion, you will need warm soap water, form type cleaner, and a damp sponge. For the cleaning procedure, you will have to rub on the cushions with the damp sponge, which is soaked in the warm soap water solution. After scrubbing, you will have to rinse the cushions and then wipe them dry.

A patio umbrella too gets dirty and needs a lot of care if it is kept in the outdoors for a very long time. Open the patio umbrella and do a thorough inspection of all the corners and exteriors. Spread the patio umbrella on the ground and then start the washing procedure. For a patio umbrella, you will need liquid bleach because the stains in the patio umbrella are often very difficult to remove.

Before you start the cleaning stuff, read the label on the patio umbrella and confirm that you can use bleaches for its cleaning purposes. After the confirmation, start the scrubbing with a scrubber and squirt of liquid dishwashing detergent. If there are acrylic prints on the patio umbrella, it is advised that you don’t use the bleach. During the washing procedure ensure that:

o    You use plenty of water

o    Good quality detergent

o    Chlorine bleach