8 Essential Tips for Winterizing Patios and Outdoor Furniture
Winterizing tips for the Shade Day Bed in Kubu Weave
As fall comes to a close, winter is right around the corner! Now is the time to start preparing your outdoor furniture for the cooler months. Read on to learn how to properly winterize your backyard — so your furniture is all set for next year!
1. How to Protect Outdoor Patio Cushions in the Winter Months
Peaks Outdoor Sofa in Spectrum Carbon Fabric
During the winter, we recommend storing your outdoor furniture cushions indoors, in a climate-controlled environment. Before bringing your cushions inside, ensure they are both clean and dry. Leave your cushions out to dry in direct sunlight. If your cushions require cleaning, spot clean with water and mild dish soap. For stubborn stains our Sunbrella Stain Chart has further solutions!
Pro tip: Keep your original cushion bags to use for storage. This is a great way to save space!
2. End of Season Cleaning Tips for Your Outdoor Furniture
Finish off the summer season with a quick clean of your outdoor furniture frames! Use a hose and mild dish soap, if needed, to remove any dirt or debris. Never use a power washer or harsh chemicals as this can damage your furniture and affect your finishes.
Hose down your outdoor furniture with mild dish soap before storing for the winter
For Stainless Steel furniture, also apply a thin layer of mineral oil and wipe off excess with a clean micro fiber cloth. This helps prevent surface level corrosion or rust from occurring.
Use bleach and water to remove mold from your outdoor teak furniture
As a natural material, your teak furniture is prone to mold or mildew growth. If you notice a build up, you can use a mixture of water and bleach to clean. Read more about this process in our All About Teak Blog.
3. Storing Aluminum Extension Tables for Winter
Before storing for the winter time, fully extend your Double Butterfly Dining Tables to allow water to drain from the weeping holes in the leaves. If moisture remains, your leaves are at risk of flash freezing, which ultimately can lead to the frames bursting.
For proper winter storage, fully extend and drain water from your extension table leaves
When drained, fully collapse your table and cover immediately. This prevents damage caused by the excess weight of snow on the table and keeps moisture out.
Collapsing your outdoor furniture is important to prevent snow damage in the winter months
4. Choosing Protective Covers for Your Outdoor and Patio Furniture
Casualife furniture is made to withstand the harsh winter months outside. However, by properly covering your aluminum, stainless steel or woven resin furniture you can increase the lifespan of your outdoor pieces!
Casualife offers a range of protective covers to keep your outdoor furniture safe all winter
We carry a wide selection of in stock and available vinyl protective covers to fit our furniture! Our covers are 100% waterproof and feature elastic or buckle fastenings for a secure fit. Before covering your furniture ensure the frames are fully dry.
Please use our stock cover spec sheets to help you select the appropriate sizing for your furniture:
Custom Covers for Your Outdoor Furniture
If your furniture does not fit our standard options, we’ve still got you covered! Our custom covers are available in either Charcoal or Birch vinyl, and can be made to any specifications. Our lead time for custom covers is only 2-3 weeks!
Birch Vinyl / Charcoal Vinyl
5. Storing Your Outdoor Teak Furniture in Winter
Leaving your outdoor teak furniture exposed during winter is best for its long-term care
We recommend leave your teak furniture exposed during the winter months. Though it might sound counter intuitive, this prevents moisture from getting trapped and accumulating under protective covers. This can leave your furniture at risk for further mold and mildew growth. If you do choose to cover your teak furniture, choose a material that allows air flow.
6. Storing your Outdoor Furniture Frames
To ensure structural integrity, leave all outdoor furniture in an upright position when storing
If you choose to store your furniture make sure your pieces remain upright, in their usual position! This is especially important to consider for our dining tables. Properly storing your furniture ensures its warranty protection and structural integrity for years to come!
7. Use of Fire Pits in the Winter Time
One of the main benefits of adding a fire feature is getting more use out of your backyard. With up to 65,000 BTUs, our concrete fire pits will keep you warm well into the colder months!
Fire pits extend the use of your outdoor areas in the colder months
When using your fire pit during the winter, make sure the unit is dry. Ensure any build up of snow and debris is removed before turning it on.
Our complimentary vinyl covers will protect your fire pit when not in use
All of our concrete fire pits come with a complementary vinyl protective cover for wintertime. When your fire pit is not in use, we recommend covering the unit to protect the burner. Before covering ensure the fire pit has had ample time to cool!
8. Protecting your Patio Umbrellas in Winter
If possible, we recommend storing your umbrella canopies inside during the winter time. For our market style umbrellas, you can either store the frame as well, or use a protective vinyl cover. Our AKZ Cantilever Umbrellas come with a complementary cover. Ensure your umbrellas are fully closed, before covering.
Casualife’s AKZ Cantilever Umbrellas come with a complimentary cover