Autumn is almost here – how to winterise your garden furniture and garden tools

With Autumn almost here, the summer heats and droughts are behind us, and the weather is finally normalising. This means it’s also the ideal time to prepare your garden furniture and tools, so they can be safely stored until you need them next spring when the warm weather returns.

Prepare your garden

Getting your garden ready is the first thing you must do to prepare for winter.

To ensure nothing gets in the way, put away equipment, tools, and supplies.

Next, you want to eliminate sickly plants and slimy leaves. Don’t be tempted to put them in your compost file, for they will only spread disease and attract various pests. Instead, you should burn them.

Next, move all cold-sensitive plants inside to protect them. You also want to eliminate weeds, so they don’t sprout and endanger next year’s crop. Add a thick layer of mulch which will aid the soil’s temperature and moisture.

Don’t forget to top up garden beds with some compost to amend deficient soil. This will free up space for a new batch, which is easily rebuilt with autumn leaves, straw, and sawdust layered with kitchen leftovers or other green active matter.

What to do with your garden furniture

The next item on the list is to winterise your garden furniture. Preparing them properly by cleaning, refreshing and storing them will not only protect them from the harsh winter temperatures but will also ensure that they’ll last longer and require fewer repairs and replacements throughout the years, saving you quite a bit of money.

Clean & refresh

During the summer months, your outdoor furniture will likely have accumulated stains, dirt and grime, so the first thing you should do is to make sure you thoroughly clean them. In order not to damage the material, make sure you never use abrasive cleaners.

It’s best to use mild cleaning soap to scrub your furniture with a sponge or a brush. The latter should be used on tougher stains in particular. Wicker furniture should be cleaned with a soft-bristled brush. Any iron-wrought should be dried immediately after cleaning, otherwise, the wetness will likely cause them to rust.

After you finish cleaning your furniture, ensure that you thoroughly dry them with a towel. It’s best to leave them to air dry completely, just to be safe.

Restoring any piece you own can begin only once you’ve thoroughly cleaned it and when it’s completely dry. The best time to do that is also before autumn begins because any shabby-looking furniture, once restored, is a great way to start the next spring.

The best bit is that once you restore something, it can look almost brand new, which is going to save quite a bit of money over time.

Here are a few ideas on how to refresh outdoor furniture:

• To get an oiled look out of natural wicker, your best bet is to apply tung oil. This will not only provide for a great visual but also ensure its protection from the elements; 
• Use spray paint to make an old piece of furniture look brand new. If you’re unhappy with the results, you can easily repaint, for spray paint is inexpensive and easy to use;
• Old styles that feel a little tired can be easily refreshed if you replace your faded set of pillows every couple of years;
• Refresh teak furniture every couple of years using a teak cleanser, followed by some light sanding and then seal it with a protective sealer.

Store

Outdoor furniture must be stored in a dry, well-maintained and waterproof environment. That’s why if you’re using a shed to store them over winter, it’s important for that space to be well insulated. Stuff like bubble wrap, Rockwool, and Celotex can help a lot to ensure all your stuff is safe and well protected from the elements.

Any furniture left outside over the course of the winter will be exposed to the harsh effects of the cold weather and is not recommended. However, should you decide to leave them there, your best course of action is to use furniture covers or tarps. Both of these protectors are really efficient at mitigating the effects of prolonged moisture exposure, and those of UV rays.

Any outdoor cushions can be stored inside, ensuring longer shelf life and that you can use them as soon as the warm weather returns next year.

What to do with your gardening tools

Going that extra mile to ensure that you clean and refresh, and properly store your tools before winterising them is of utmost importance. Not only will they be ready at your disposal when next spring arrives, but they will also have a much longer shelf life, saving lots of money in the long run.

Clean & refresh

If you have lots of gardening to do in the warmer months of the year, you probably know how hard it is always to have to keep clean tools. By the time autumn is almost nigh, the ideal time to clean and refresh all of your gardening tools and equipment has arrived.

List:

• First, wash or hose off any clinging dirt from your tools thoroughly. Use a putty knife if needed;
• Use rubbing alcohol to clean the pivot points of bladed tools and steel wool to remove any dried sap;
• Apply light machine oil to seal the metal from oxygen after you’re done cleaning;
• Disconnect all hoses from the sprinkler system and drain all water from them; If there are any holes, seal them, after which you can loop them neatly and store them;
• Lawnmowers that run on petrol should run until their fuel runs out, otherwise, you risk damaging their components; remove and clean the blades, then sharpen and oil them. If you use a battery, remove it to prevent the lawnmower from accidentally starting in the winter./

Store

Tools are best stored in a shed or a garage. Whichever place you usually store them over in the winter, it’s mandatory that it is dry, so nothing gets damaged.

To keep things neat and orderly, it’s best to store them on a rack. To eliminate the risk of rot, ensure that any wooden handles are not resting against cement or soil. To prevent shovels’ blades from getting dull, either store them upside down or hanging from a hook.

Sometimes, if you don’t have enough space or sufficient insulation, it’s best to hire additional storage space. That way, your tools, and equipment will be safely stored over the colder seasons while you use the additional space afforded any way you see fit.

Conclusion

Any well-organized gardener knows the importance of properly winterising their garden. Having carried out that task thoroughly will ensure that everything will be stored properly and be ready to use immediately when the warm weather returns next spring.