POLYWOOD furniture

POLYWOOD UK’S TOP FIVE TIPS FOR SPRING CLEANING YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE

Easter is just around the corner and, while it’s still a little cold at night, warm days are surely not too far away. If you are looking forward to dashing outside at the very first sign of a sunny day off, then it is well worth setting aside a few hours over the weekend to prepare your patio or decking for use. That will allow you to be totally spontaneous and settle down to enjoy the first sun-baked hours of the year with a cool drink in hand, not carrying out chores. Here are the POLYWOOD team’s top five tips for spring cleaning your outdoor seating area, so that it’s in ship shape since the sun comes out to play:

1. What’s going on underfoot?

First up, take a look at your decking and patio to see if it needs any attention – sweep it and treat any moss so that it’s safe and not slippery in the rain. If it’s looking a little mucky you could use a hose and broom to give it a clean, for tougher stains then a session with a power washer might be needed to get it really clean. Some decking or patio materials need treating or resealing every year or two, if that sounds like yours then this is the time to do it.

2. Adding some colour and life

Do you have plants pots that need to be populated to give a colourful and bee-friendly backdrop to your outside space? April is a fantastic time to plant a wide range of seeds, including sweet peas which make the most beautiful, fragrant climbers come summer. Perhaps you’re keener on immediate results, in which case some hardy bedding plants such as pansies will do the job and they will easily cope with the occasional cool night through the spring.

3. Sprucing up your garden furniture

POLYWOOD is fully weather-resistant so you can leave it outside all year-round in the rain, frost, snow and bright sunshine – and it will stay looking in tip-top shape. The only maintenance you need to undertake is to wash off any mud that may have been splashed on it over the winter with a bucket of warm soapy water and a brush. How easy is that? It’s not hard to see why POLYWOOD is such a popular choice. If you have wooden garden furniture then to help it last as long as possible, you may need to stain or oil it before use, so bear that in mind when time-planning. If you’ve got metal or rattan furniture that has been stored away during the coldest months of the year why not get it out and check how well it’s over wintered in advance of using it?

4. The high-summer must-haves

When the weather truly warms up then barbeques will be at the forefront of everyone’s mind, so make sure you’ve checked what state you left your grill in at the end of last year’s glorious summer. Does it need a scrub, and do you have charcoal or gas canisters on hand for that first impromptu cookout? Do you have ice prepared in the freezer and a few of your favourite warm-weather drinks in the fridge cold and ready to go? It’s all worth thinking about as we edge closer to summer.

5. Keep it comfortable

Check any outdoor furniture cushions and umbrellas to see if they need cleaning or repairing before you use them – shade particularly important if you have a south-facing garden or a suntrap patio that can quickly become Mediterranean-hot on a summer afternoon.