As
your lawn and garden reach their peak of color and vibrancy over the next few
weeks, it is certainly no time to put up with dreary patio furniture. With a little
attention to it now, each piece can claim its rightful place when brought from
winter storage and put back into the light.
Lawn, pool,
and patio furniture needs to be examined, cleaned thoroughly, and restored if
necessary – and since bacteria thrive in summer heat and humidity, it is always
a good idea to remove potential germs from the furniture on a regular basis. On
hard, non-porous surfaces, like plastic for example, a liquid, multi-purpose,
antibacterial cleaning aid is ideal for the first big wash-down in spring. The
furniture can then be maintained with the use of a handy, non-streaking, antibacterial
spray. Here are a few useful tips to make this job a breeze, courtesy of Mr. Clean:
Plastic Furniture
Wipe heavy
grime off first with a clean wet cloth. Follow by washing down with a germ-fighting
solution. Rinse thoroughly with water from your garden hose. Keep clean throughout
the season with an all-purpose spray, like Mr. Clean Antibacterial Multi-Surfaces
Spray. Its non-streaking formula is ideal for glass tabletops too. If scuffs and
stains are excessive, try spray painting the plastic in a matching color.
Wicker
Furniture
Scrub gently with a soft scrub brush dampened
with an oil-based soap solution. Rinse by hosing down. Maintain by hosing down
periodically to prevent dirt from lodging in the crevices. Prevent erosion from
rain with vinyl covers.
Wrought-Iron Furniture
Wash
with a clean cloth dampened with a mixture of water and a mild dishwashing detergent,
such as Ivory. Rinse thoroughly with a garden hose. To remove rust, lightly sand
the affected area, wipe with a clean cloth, and then apply matching wrought iron
paint.
Teak Furniture
As with
wicker, use a soft scrub brush dampened with water and a mild oil-based soap.
Rinse with a garden hose.
Aluminum Furniture
Wipe
initial grime away with a soft cloth (no abrasive brushes), then wash with Mr.
Clean Multi-Surfaces Liquid, as directed on the label and then rinse thoroughly
with clean water from your garden hose. As with plastic furniture, your aluminum
furniture can also be maintained with the Mr. Clean Antibacterial Multi-Surfaces
Spray, especially since this spray is formulated not to streak.