Cleaning and storing patio furniture before snow: metal, resin, and cushions
Clean it, dry it all the way through, then put each material where a Canadian winter can do it the least harm — that is the whole job, and the order matters. Outdoor furniture fails mostly from water that freezes inside cushions, joints, and hollow frames, not from age. A dirty piece grows mildew in storage; a damp piece splits or rusts. Difficulty: easy, no special skills. Time: an afternoon, plus drying time the cushions dictate. The hire-a-pro line: there isn't one for this job — the only outsourcing decision is renting storage space if the garage genuinely has none.
Tools and materials
- Bucket, warm water, mild dish soap
- Soft brush and a nonabrasive sponge
- Baking soda (resin stains), white vinegar (aluminum oxidation, mildew)
- Wire brush or medium sandpaper, rust-inhibiting metal primer, exterior metal paint (steel and iron only)
- Vacuum with a wand attachment (cushions)
- Breathable cushion storage bags, fitted vented covers, straps or clips
Check the care tag or the manufacturer's instructions before cleaning anything. The wrong cleaner does real damage here: bleach fades coloured resin, and strongly alkaline cleaners pit aluminum.
Clean by material
Resin and molded plastic. Wash with dish soap in warm water using a soft brush or nonabrasive sponge, getting into crevices and joints, then rinse and let it dry in the sun. Work stubborn stains and scuffs with a paste of baking soda and water. On white resin only, a mild bleach solution — ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water — handles bad stains; never use bleach on coloured resin, which fades blotchy. Skip abrasive scrubbers and powdered cleansers: the scratches they leave hold dirt.
Aluminum. The same mild dish soap and water, then rinse and dry with a towel. Never use ammonia, TSP, or other strongly alkaline cleaners — they pit and discolour the metal. If unpainted aluminum looks chalky or dull, that is oxidation: wipe it with a 1-to-1 mix of white vinegar and water, then rinse. A coat of car wax on painted aluminum frames helps them shed water and grime all winter, and a light buffing of paste wax or metal polish gives any metal frame a barrier against further oxidation and corrosion.
Steel and cast iron. Wash, rinse, and dry completely with a towel, paying extra attention to joints, welds, and feet, where water collects. Then hunt for rust spots and paint chips, because winter moisture spreads rust fast from any bare spot. Fix what you find now, in this order: scrub the rust off with a wire brush or medium sandpaper, wipe away the dust, spot-prime with a rust-inhibiting metal primer, and touch up with exterior metal paint. Cast iron is the one frame material that should be stored away from cold and damp entirely if you have the choice.
Cushions: wash, then dry all the way through
Vacuum the cushions first, working the wand into creases, seams, and piped edges. Check the care tag: many covers zip off and can go in the washer on cold with mild detergent. For covers that stay on, mix 1 teaspoon of dish soap into 1 quart of lukewarm water, scrub with a soft brush, and rinse until no suds come out. Mildewed spots get scrubbed with a mild solution of vinegar and water, or a mixture of water, dish soap, and Borax. Squeeze out the excess water by pressing — do not wring.
Drying is where this job is won or lost. Cushion fabric dries in about an hour, but the foam inside can stay wet for days, and storing even slightly damp foam is how mildew starts. Stand the cushions on edge in the sun, flip them every few hours, and give soaked foam two full sunny days. The check is physical: squeeze a corner hard, and if any dampness reaches your hand, the cushion is not done. A full day of drying is the minimum expectation, not the worst case.
The cushion storage argument, settled
Guides disagree about the container. One retailer source recommends airtight containers for cushions — then concedes that in humid areas those containers collect moisture and breathable fabric bags are better. Every other source lands on breathable storage, for one reason: plastic bins with tight lids and garbage bags trap whatever moisture remains, and trapped moisture becomes mildew. In an unheated Canadian garage or shed, where temperatures swing all winter, breathable bags or cotton sheets are the safer default. Whichever container wins, the rule underneath it does not change: only a cushion that passed the squeeze test goes in. Stand cushions on their edges or stack them loosely, keep them off the garage floor, and store them separately from the frames — cushions crushed under heavy frames come out in spring with pressure marks and tears.
Store inside or cover outside: the per-material call
| Material | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Cushions and fabric | Inside, always | Foam holds water; freezing and mildew work on it all winter |
| Cast iron | Inside if possible | Best stored away from cold and damp to prevent rust |
| Steel | Inside, or covered with rust touched up | Bare spots and chips spread rust under winter moisture |
| Aluminum | Outside under a breathable cover is fine | It shrugs off cold; the cover is for dirt and droppings, not survival |
| Resin | Outside under a breathable cover is fine | Cold-tolerant once clean and dry; store upright so water drains |
| Glass tabletops | Under a roof | A heavy snow load can crack glass and bend thin metal frames |
For the pieces staying out: choose covers made for outdoor furniture, with vents that let moisture escape, and strap or clip them so wind cannot balloon them off. Keep the cover off the ground so it cannot wick up water, tip pieces slightly so snow and rain slide off instead of pooling, and store frames upright to facilitate drainage. Check the covers after big storms — and once a month through the winter.
Before anything is covered or carried in, tighten every bolt and screw and replace missing feet and glides. A wobbly chair is a five-minute fix in October and an annoyance with guests arriving in May.
The procedure
- Strip the set. Pull all cushions off the frames and brush or vacuum debris off frames and cushions, including seat undersides. Check: no leaves or dirt remain trapped in joints or seams.
- Wash the frames by material. Resin, aluminum, and steel each get their cleaner from the sections above. Check: rinse water runs clear and no soap film remains.
- Treat the damage. Rust on steel or iron gets the wire-brush, primer, and paint sequence; aluminum oxidation gets the vinegar wipe. Check: no bare metal or active rust goes into storage.
- Wash the cushions. Machine wash removable covers cold, or scrub fixed covers with the soap solution. Check: mildew spots are treated, rinse runs suds-free.
- Dry everything, then prove it. Frames towel-dried or sun-dried; cushions on edge in the sun, flipped, for at least a full day. Check: the hard corner-squeeze on every cushion comes back dry.
- Sort by the table. Cushions and cast iron inside; aluminum and resin covered outside; glass tops under a roof. Check: nothing heavy rests on a cushion anywhere in the arrangement.
- Cover and strap what stays out. Vented fitted covers, strapped down, hems off the ground, pieces tipped to shed snow. Check: a tug on each cover moves nothing.
What success looks like
Every cushion passed the squeeze test before it went into a breathable bag, and the bags stand off the floor, unstacked under weight. Every metal frame went away with its rust treated or its wax on. The outdoor pieces wear vented covers that shed snow instead of pooling it. The spring check is the real verdict: open the bags and covers on the first dry day and smell and look before you sit — clean and dry in April means the fall job was done right; a mildew smell means a cushion went away damp, and it will name itself.
Common mistakes
- Storing cushions by the fabric test. Dry fabric over wet foam is the classic failure. The squeeze test on a corner is the standard, not the surface feel.
- Bleach on coloured resin or fabric. It fades both, permanently and unevenly. Bleach solution is a white-resin tool only, and never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia, or any other cleaner.
- Sealing damp cushions in plastic. A tight-lidded bin or garbage bag turns leftover moisture into a season of mildew. Breathable storage, dry contents.
— Tom Reilly, Home & DIY Writer