Your outdoor garden furniture is very much exposed to all the elements, so it makes sense to take extra efforts to keep them looking new. With correct maintenance, you can prolong the life of any type of outdoor furniture and get the most value for your money. Read on to find out how.

Go easy on the cleaning solution. Most outdoor garden furniture, especially made of vinyl, cannot stand harsh solutions like chlorine, bleach, and solvents. You may think that you are cleaning your furniture with these chemicals, but truth is, you are just accelerating staining and fading. Use cleaning solutions often enough and your outdoor furniture will lose color in no time.

Instead, use plain water for vinyl outdoor furniture. Commercial patio furniture can be easily cleaned with plain water and a pressure washer set low. You can also use mild detergents with mild disinfectants, but make sure that they do not have chlorine or other harsh cleaning solutions in them. If you do not have a pressurized cleaner, use a soft brush as an alternative. Try dipping the brush in a solution of warm water and mild soap, and then gently clean the furniture in even strokes. Do this twice a week if you use the furniture often.

Use special wood cleaners for hardwood outdoor furniture. They will keep the surfaces clean and dust-resistant, and at the same time make the furniture stronger. This is especially true for woods, which need oils to protect their pores and keep them looking new.

Avoid stains by keeping your furniture away from harmful elements. The culprits include unfiltered well water (which can come from sprinkler systems), pods and tropical tree barks, and tannic acid. Ground water contains harmful sulfur, oxides and iron that cause major stains on outdoor furniture exposed to them for a long time. Pods and tree elements leave unsightly and difficult-to-remove stains, and so do tannic acids that are present in common backyard trees (such as oak).