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.