How To Protect Your Garden Furniture Throughout Summer

The Great British Summertime – temperamental at best, non-existent at worst, but us Brits know how to make the most of those moments of sunshine. We’re not afraid of a bit of drizzle and it certainly won’t spoil our barbecue plans. But how does our garden furniture fair with these unpredictable conditions? Discover our top tips to ensuring your outdoor furniture is ready to use all summer long.

Store Cushions Indoors

Most garden furniture cushions won’t be bothered by a light shower, but anything more and they might suffer lasting water damage. Even if they aren’t water-stained, it will certainly spoil that quick cup of tea you had planned to enjoy in the morning sunshine before work because they are too wet to sit on. To be on the safe side from a typical British downpour we recommend storing cushions indoors when not in use.

This doesn’t mean they need to take up space in your living room or pile up and block off access to your back door. With one of our handy storage bags, you can store all cushions neatly and then simply place this bag in a shed or garage for extra protection.

You should never leave your cushions under garden furniture covers unless they explicitly state that they are breathable covers. Otherwise, you could find that when you remove the cover your cushions have sweated and may be mouldy. Which leads us to our next point…

Covers Are For Winter

As long as you have bought high quality garden furniture made from HDPE rattan, weatherproof aluminium, or outdoor fabric, you do not need to cover your furniture in the summer. In fact, you’re better off not using a cover throughout these warmer months.

Made from the above materials your furniture is naturally weather resistant and can survive a downpour, high temperatures, wind and all of the other typical weather conditions of summer.

Garden furniture covers are designed for winter use. Their purpose is to add an extra layer of protection against dirt (such as falling leaves in autumn), frost and snow.

If you choose to place a cover on your furniture throughout the summer months you may find that the heat will melt the PVC backing which most garden furniture covers are lined with and this could transfer onto your furniture. This is less of a concern with rattan garden furniture but aluminium and polywood tabletops in particular could be stained as a result of this transfer.

Use A Coaster

If you have a glass table top it is imperative that you use a coaster or table mat for all glass tableware such as glasses or plates – especially if your table is made from rattan.

Even high-quality HDPE synthetic rattan is ultimately made from plastic. When too hot, plastic melts. Your rattan tabletop is designed to be safe from the heat under the tempered glass top. However, when you add a drinking glass or glass plate to the top without a coaster, this then magnifies the sun and causes the heat to increase which in turn may cause the rattan to melt.

So, our advice is to always use a coaster or a table mat to prevent this from happening.

Give Your Area Some Shade

Just as after too long in the sun you yourself require a break in the shade, the same can be said of your furniture.

A parasol or garden umbrella over your area will provide enough shade to keep the furniture cool and prevent shattered glass tops. A shattering glass tabletop is a rather rare phenomenon but has been known to happen when the glass exceeds a certain temperature for too long.

The glass appears to explode as it shatters into several pieces, and whilst this may look scary, this is actually a safety feature to prevent harm. The smaller pieces are less jagged and less sharp which means people are less likely to be cut or injured by these pieces, when compared to glass that breaks into larger pieces.

The British Contract Furnishing Association or BCFA released some great advice for consumers on why this glass shatters in high heat and how to care for the glass in order to prevent this as much as possible. To read the full article click here.

Our best recommendation for preventing this phenomenon is to ensure your area is well shaded in soaring summer temperatures, at least throughout the hottest part of the day from 12pm – 3pm.

These top tips should help protect your garden furniture throughout the warmer months and allow you to spend your summer enjoying your outdoor space. If you have any questions about any of the information in this article, do not hesitate to enquire with our customer care team at [email protected]