This weekend is the unofficial beginning of the summer season and if your outdoor furniture is still in storage—or has been sitting on your cold patio all winter long—you may want to take some time this week to give those pieces a quick clean. Regardless what kind of furniture you have (plastic, wicker, wood), we have a DIY cleaning solution that will work:
Plastic Furniture
Mix ½ cup of castile soap with 1 cup of vinegar and 2 gallons of warm water into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on your furniture (remove cushions first!) and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Wipe with a clean sponge and rinse with hose.
Teak or Wood Furniture
Add 1 tablespoon of castile soap to a gallon bucket filled with warm water. Using a scrub brush dampened with the mixture, gently scrub away dirt and debris. Hose down when finished to avoid residue build-up.
Wicker Furniture
Use a soft scrub brush or cloth dampened with warm water, a drop of dish soap and a sprinkle of baking soda. Scrub back and forth with the weave of the wicker and rinse with a hose.
Wrought-Iron or Aluminum Furniture
Hose down your pieces first and then wipe with a sponge that is dampened with warm water and a small amount of dish soap. Rinse with the hose. If you notice some areas of rust on your wrought-iron furniture, sand those spots with sandpaper and re-paint. Scuff marks on the aluminum pieces? Mix 1 cup of baking soda, 2 tablespoons of castile soap and ¼ cup of water in a squeeze bottle. Put a small amount of the mixture on a dampened cloth and scrub.
If you have cushions you need to clean, try this recipe from DIY Network:
1 teaspoon dishwashing detergent
1 quart warm water
1 tablespoon borax
Saturate a sponge and use it to wash the cushions or you can put it in a spray bottle and saturate cushions on both sides. Let the cushion sit for 15 minutes. Spray the solution off with a hose using a strong force of water. Stand each cushion on its edge out of the direct sun to dry.
Click here for more ideas on how to get your outdoor space ready for warm weather entertaining.
Talk to us: What is your favorite part of outdoor entertaining?
image courtesy of flickr CC/jebb