Fall Patio Furniture Cleaning: How to Clean and Store Outdoor Furniture

Your patio furniture worked hard all summer. It survived barbecues, sunscreen, popsicle drips, pollen, bird commentary and at least one glass of red wine.

Now it's fall. Put it away dirty and you'll open the shed in April to mildewed cushions, rusty legs and a family of spiders who've redecorated. Fifteen minutes now saves you a miserable Saturday next spring.

Here's how to clean every kind of patio furniture, plus cushions, umbrellas and glass tables, and how to store it all for winter.

1. Check What the Furniture Is Made Of

Every material needs something different, and the wrong cleaner can ruin it. Bleach fades colored resin and cushions. Vinegar etches some finishes. Pressure washers splinter wood.

Before you start, check for a care tag or look up the manufacturer's cleaning instructions online. It takes two minutes, and it's considerably harder to un-bleach a chair.

2. Start With a Dry Cleanup

Pull off the cushions and pillows. Then brush or vacuum the frames to get rid of the leaves, dirt, pollen, cobwebs and dead bugs, and don't forget the underside of the seats and tables. This is where spiders have been conducting private business meetings all summer. Give them notice.

A stiff brush like the OXO Good Grips All Purpose Scrub Brush gets into the corners and weave without scratching.

3. Clean Plastic and Resin Furniture

Mix a squirt of dish soap into a bucket of warm water. Scrub with a soft brush or a nonabrasive sponge, and get into the crevices and the joints. Rinse with the hose and let it dry in the sun.

For stubborn stains and scuffs, make a paste of baking soda and water, rub it in with a damp sponge, and rinse. On white resin only, you can use a mild bleach solution: ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water, then rinse well.

Never use bleach on colored resin. It'll leave you with blotchy, faded furniture. Skip the abrasive scrubbers and powdered cleansers too. They leave scratches that hold dirt.

4. Clean Aluminum Patio Furniture

Wash it with the same mild dish soap and water, rinse it, and dry it with a towel.

Never use ammonia, TSP or other strongly alkaline cleaners on aluminum. They pit and discolor the metal. If unpainted aluminum looks chalky or dull (that's oxidation), wipe it with a 1-to-1 mix of white vinegar and water, then rinse.

Check for chipped paint, loose screws and wobbly legs while you're at it. A coat of car wax on painted aluminum frames helps them shed water and grime all winter.

5. Clean Steel and Wrought-Iron Furniture

Rust is the enemy here. Wash the furniture with dish soap and water, rinse it, and dry it completely with a towel. Pay extra attention to the joints, the welds and the feet, where water collects.

If you find rust, fix it now:

1. Scrub off the rust with a wire brush or medium sandpaper.
2. Wipe away the dust.
3. Spot-prime with a rust-inhibiting metal primer.
4. Touch up with exterior metal paint in a matching color.

Leaving rust untouched all winter is less of a storage plan and more of a long-term rust-development program.

6. Clean Teak Furniture Carefully

If your teak has turned silvery gray, that's not damage. It's teak's natural patina, and plenty of people pay extra for it.

To clean it, scrub with a soft brush and a mild solution of dish soap and water, working with the grain. Then rinse and let it air-dry. For mildew spots, use a cleaner made for teak.

If you want the golden color back, use a teak cleaner and then a teak sealer, following the label. Skip teak oil on outdoor furniture. It can feed mildew. And teak doesn't need an annual spa treatment simply because October arrived.

7. Clean Other Wood Patio Furniture

Cedar, eucalyptus, acacia, and painted or sealed wood all clean up with mild soap, warm water and a soft brush. Scrub with the grain, rinse lightly, and let the furniture dry for a full day or two in the sun before you cover or store it. Dry to the touch isn't the same as dry inside.

Check for cracks, splinters, peeling finish and loose joints. Sand rough spots smooth, and reseal or repaint any bare wood before winter. Bare wood soaks up water.

8. Know What Kind of Wicker You Have

Synthetic resin wicker (most outdoor wicker sold today) can take it. Brush or vacuum the weave, wash it with soapy water and a soft brush, rinse it with the hose, and let it dry completely. Tip the pieces on their sides so water drains out of the frames.

Natural wicker (rattan, willow, bamboo) can't. Vacuum it with the brush attachment, then wipe it with a cloth that's barely damp, never soaking wet. Dry it fast in a warm, breezy spot. Natural wicker doesn't belong outside in winter, so bring it in.

Not sure which you have? Look at a cut end or a worn spot. If it's plastic all the way through, it's synthetic. If it's woody and fibrous, it's natural.

9. Clean Outdoor Cushions

Vacuum both sides first, including the seams. Then check the care tag. Many outdoor covers have zippers and can go in the washer on cold with mild detergent. If a cover won't come off or can't be washed:

1. Mix 1 teaspoon of dish soap into 1 quart of lukewarm water.
2. Scrub with a soft brush, and work the solution into the fabric.
3. Rinse with the hose until no suds come out.
4. Squeeze out the excess water by pressing on the cushion. Don't wring it.

Treat sunscreen and body-oil stains with a drop of dish soap rubbed in before washing. Treat bird droppings once they've dried: scrape them off first, then wash.

10. Let Cushions Dry Completely

This is where most people go wrong. The fabric dries in an hour, but the foam inside can stay wet for days. Stand cushions on their edges in the sun, flip them every few hours, and give them two full sunny days if the foam got soaked.

Squeeze a corner hard. If you feel any dampness at all, it's not done. Never bag or store a damp cushion. "Probably dry" has produced many interesting smells.

11. Get Rid of Mold and Mildew

For most surfaces, scrub with 1 part white vinegar to 1 part water, let it sit 15 minutes, scrub again, and rinse.

For solution-dyed acrylic cushions (like Sunbrella), the manufacturer says you can use bleach for mildew: 1 cup bleach and ¼ cup mild dish soap per gallon of water. Let it soak in for 15 minutes, scrub, rinse thoroughly and air-dry. Check the tag first. On most other fabrics, bleach fades the color.

Wear rubber gloves and eye protection, and work outside. Never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia or any other cleaner. Bleach and vinegar make chlorine gas, and bleach and ammonia make toxic chloramine. Rinse completely before switching products.

If mildew keeps coming back on the same chair, the problem is moisture. Move the furniture where it gets more sun and air, or lift it off a damp spot.

12. Clean the Patio Umbrella

Open the umbrella and brush off the dirt, leaves and cobwebs. Spot-clean with the same dish soap solution you used on the cushions, scrub with a soft brush, and rinse with the hose. Use the vinegar or bleach mildew treatment from above if the fabric allows it.

Check the ribs, the crank and the tilt mechanism, and look for tears in the fabric. Let it dry completely while it's still open, then close it and store it in a cover, indoors.

13. Clean Glass Tabletops

Brush or rinse off the grit first. Wiping a gritty table is how glass gets scratched. Then clean the top, the underside and the edges with a 1-to-1 vinegar-and-water spray and a microfiber cloth.

Check for chips and cracks, especially around the edges and the umbrella hole. Make sure the rubber bumpers and supports are in place. Replace any cracked tabletop. Don't reuse it. Tempered glass is strong. It is not immortal.

14. Tighten Loose Hardware

Tighten every bolt and screw. Replace missing feet and glides, and fix any wobbly arms or saggy straps. It's a lot easier to fix a chair now than when guests are on their way over in May.

15. Clean Under the Furniture, Too

Move everything and sweep up the leaves, dirt and cobwebs underneath. Leaves trapped against the house or a wood deck hold moisture and stain. While it's all moved, check the patio or deck for cracks, loose boards and spots where water pools.

Should You Pressure-Wash Patio Furniture?

Usually not. A pressure washer can splinter wood, strip finishes, chip paint, shred natural wicker, force water into joints and tear cushion fabric. A garden hose and a scrub brush handle almost everything.

If the manufacturer says pressure washing is OK (some resin and metal furniture), use the lowest setting and the widest fan tip, and hold the nozzle at least 12 inches away. Never pressure-wash cushions, umbrellas or natural wicker. And never point it at a person or a pet. It can break skin.

Should You Cover Patio Furniture for Winter?

Yes, if it's staying outside. Covers protect against rain, snow, dirt, UV and droppings. The risk is trapped moisture, so:

• Clean and dry everything before you cover it.
• Choose covers that fit and have vents.
• Make sure the cover doesn't touch the ground, where it'll wick up water.
• Tip chairs or tables slightly so rain and snow slide off instead of pooling.
• Check under the covers once a month.

A cover is protection. It is not a magical force field.

Should You Bring Patio Furniture Inside?

f you have room, bring in these first:

• Cushions and anything made of fabric
• Umbrellas
• Natural wicker
• Glass tabletops (in freezing climates)
• Anything delicate or not made for winter weather

A garage, shed or basement works. Keep it dry, and raise everything off the concrete floor on pallets or blocks. Don't stuff the garage so full that you can't get to the car or the snow shovel. If the patio set now gets the good spot and the car sits in the driveway, you may need to review your storage hierarchy.

How to Store Outdoor Cushions

• Store only cushions that are completely clean and dry.
• Use breathable cushion storage bags or cotton sheets. Plastic bins and garbage bags trap moisture and lead to mildew.
• Stand them on their edges, or stack them loosely. Don't pile heavy things on top, or they'll flatten.
• Keep them off the garage floor, and away from mice. A mouse sees a cushion as a ready-made winter apartment.
• Label the bags. There is no prize in April for correctly guessing which giant opaque bin contains the patio cushions.

More help: How to Organize Storage.

What If You Live in a Mild Climate?

If your winters are mild, you may not need to put anything away. Your fall patio care is a deep clean, a cushion wash, a hardware check, and a plan for the rainy season. Bring cushions in before storms, and tie down or stack anything that blows around.

"Winter storage" in Southern California may mean moving a cushion twelve feet.

Don't Forget the Grill

Clean the grates and burn off grease (see How to Clean a Grill). Wipe grease splatters off the patio and nearby furniture, and cover the grill once it's cool.

Propane tanks stay outside. Turn off the valve, disconnect the tank, and store it upright, outdoors, in a spot with fresh air, away from the house and dryer vents. Never store a propane tank in the garage, a shed, the basement or the house, even in winter.

Fall Patio Furniture Cleaning Checklist

• Check what each piece is made of, and look up the care instructions
• Pull off the cushions, and brush and vacuum the debris
• Wash plastic and resin with dish soap and water
• Wash aluminum, and skip the ammonia
• Clean steel and iron, and treat any rust
• Clean teak gently, with no pressure washer
• Clean other wood, and reseal any bare spots
• Clean synthetic wicker. Bring natural wicker inside.
• Wash the cushions
• Dry the cushions all the way through
• Treat mold and mildew, and never mix bleach with anything
• Clean and dry the umbrella
• Clean the glass tabletops, and check for chips
• Tighten the hardware
• Sweep under the furniture, and check the patio or deck
• Cover outdoor furniture with vented, fitted covers
• Bring cushions, umbrellas and natural wicker inside
• Store cushions in breathable bags, off the floor
• Clean the grill, and leave the propane tank outside
• Check under the covers once a month

The Bottom Line

Clean by material, start with the gentlest cleaner, deal with rust and mildew now, dry the cushions all the way through, and store or cover everything for the winter you actually have.

Then go inside. And when spring arrives and you just pull off the covers and sit down, congratulations. You have expanded the property.

Get the Garage Ready for Its Winter Guests

If there's no room in the garage for the patio set, it's time for a cleanout. My book Room by Room is a no-guilt plan to declutter every space, one room at a time. Yes, that includes the garage.

And The Daily Home Reset keeps the inside of the house in shape all winter with a 15-minute daily routine.

Keep Going

The patio's tucked in for winter. Finish getting the house and yard ready for the season with these related guides:

• Backyard and Family Living: My complete guide to patios, gardens and outdoor family fun.
• 10 Fall Gardening Tips: Put the garden to bed for a healthier yard next spring.
• The Easy Fall Cleaning Checklist: 25 jobs to get the inside of the house ready for winter.
• 10 Fall Organizing Tips: Put summer away and get the whole house set up for the season.
• How to Clean a Grill: Gas and charcoal, step by step, before the grill goes under its cover.
• How to Organize Storage: Make room for cushions, umbrellas and everything else coming in for winter.
• Garage: Fit the patio set and the car in the garage at the same time.
• Green Clean & Save: Vinegar, baking soda and other cheap, low-fume ways to clean.