Restoring the patio furniture.

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How's That Patio Furniture Holding Up?
My gardens have no shortage of patio furniture. I have a wrought iron table with four chairs, a wrought-iron lounge and a wrought iron glider in the front. Under the ramada is a hammock with stand, two aluminum tables and an aluminum sofa and loveseat. There's more outdoor furniture on the back porch. All with padded cushions of some kind or another. And they get left in place unless a rainstorm threatens the front patio furniture. Needless to say I spend a lot of time outside, sitting or reclining.

Some of the furniture is 30 years old. It doesn't look new but it doesn't look all that bad either. The cushions have been replaced a few times, as have the plastic glides that go on the bottom of the chairs and table legs. You can't beat wrought iron for durability if it's going to sit in the sun.

I also have five years old aluminum furniture. It had become faded and lost the original shine to oxidation. The cushions began to lose their padding as they broke down from use. I usually cleaned the off white cushions three or four times during the summer because of the birds that parked in the shade under the ramada above the furniture. You'd be amazed how even small birds can leave behind unpleasant stains. Especially if they've dined on purple prickly pear fruit.

After several years of usage it was time for a makeover.
New cushions, an added outdoor area rug and an application of FeronGARD outdoor furniture restore gave new life to the outdoor space.

As fall crept closer and knowing with the cooling weather the ramada would get used on a near daily basis I decided to invest in new furniture cushions and see if I could bring back some of the furniture's original luster. Cleaning the aluminum and wrought iron with warm sudsy water removed dirt and cobwebs, but didn't improve the overall appearance. So I asked at a local outdoor furniture store if they had anyway to improve my furniture's appearance. They did. They handed me a bottle of FeronGARD for patio furniture. The 16 oz. bottle cost me a little over $10 with tax.

Painted wrought iron furniture also looked better after an application of the spray.

The label claimed the silicone product was good for vinyl straps, vinyl cushions, resin, fiberglass, PVC, acrylic table tops and metal. All I had to do was spray it on, allow to sit five minutes and then buff dry.

I took the aluminum coffee table and put it up on saw horses under the shade of a mesquite tree. I cleaned the table thoroughly with soap and water using a sponge, rinsed with the hose then let it dry. Next I sprayed with the FeronGARD, getting into all the nooks and crannies. When that was dry, I buffed with a soft clean cloth. Wow! Restored aluminum. Not exactly like new, but darn close. I couldn't wait to get my new cushions to go with the restored aluminum. I also tried the spray on a piece of green painted wrought-iron. That looked better too. The rest of my outdoor furniture would get a cleaning and a shot of FeronGARD once I purchased another bottle or two. I don't know how long the new appearance will last. But it sure looks better than it did. The highly used tables will get a regular application to help maintain their like new appearance. You can find FeronGARD on-line (costly if you include postage) or check with local outdoor furniture retailers.(2007)