IN THIS POST
- Cleaning with bleach
- Cleaning with white vinegar
- Cleaning with dishwashing soap
- Cleaning with laundry detergent
- Cleaning with baking soda
There is no denying that a beautifully decorated backyard with trendy furniture can be a great finishing touch for your lovely home. However, if you don’t use these outdoor pieces frequently, they can make your space look messy and unkempt. Since many opt to upgrade their patios and lawns with plastic chairs and tables, we have put together a comprehensive DIY guide on how to clean outdoor plastic furniture.
Before we delve into the different methods for cleaning outdoor furniture, it is important to point out that exposure to extreme weather conditions and natural elements are the biggest reasons these pieces tend to look grimy and discoloured pretty quickly. While wooden and rattan furniture can be susceptible to rot, plastic furniture is relatively weather-resistant. However, on the flip side, these pieces are more prone to stains and scuff marks if you don’t clean them regularly.
How Often Should You Clean Your Outdoor Plastic Furniture?
Plastic outdoor furniture requires a thorough cleaning at the start and end of the outdoor season. In other words, consider cleaning these chairs and tables before stacking them and storing them away for the winter season. Once spring approaches, you can unstack these pieces and clean them once again.
Moreover, please make sure to clean spills, bird droppings, and other types of stains as quickly as possible. Otherwise, they might permanently discolour your chairs.
Now that we have got all of this out of the way, let’s look at some tried and tested techniques on how to clean plastic lawn furniture. These tips require only a few easily-available products and tools as well as a little elbow grease.
How to Clean Outdoor Plastic Furniture with Bleach
If you are looking for ways to clean the white plastic chairs placed on your lawn, using bleach is probably your best option. While this powerful chemical can lead to discolouration on coloured surfaces, it is an ideal option to make white plastic chairs and tables look sparkling and spotless by removing unsightly stains and dirt marks.
What You’ll Need
Here are the products you will need to clean plastic patio furniture with bleach.
- Bleach
- Water
- Bucket
- Soft bristle brush
- Protective gloves
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Fill a bucket with hot water and put on your rubber gloves.
Step 2: Add ¼ cup of bleach to the bucket and stir the solution until it is thoroughly mixed.
Step 3: Dip the soft-bristled brush into the cleaning solution. Make sure to protect your skin from any splashes of the liquid.
Step 4: Scrub the plastic in circular motions with the soaked brush. Consider starting from the top of the chair or table and then slowly work your way down.
Step 5: Let the bleach solution sit on the furniture for a couple of minutes before washing it with clean water.
Step 6: You can either wipe the furniture with a soft towel to remove moisture or keep it out in the sun so it can air dry.
Note: Since bleach is a great disinfectant, it will also rid your outdoor furniture of harmful bacteria.
How to Clean Outdoor Plastic Furniture with White Vinegar
White vinegar happens to be one of the most common pantry items. Interestingly, it is also one of the most effective natural cleaning agents that can be used on different surfaces – including outdoor furniture. The acid in white vinegar can help remove dried-up stains, sticky residue, and bird droppings from plastic as well as wooden furniture.
What You’ll Need
These are the products you will most likely require for cleaning outdoor furniture with white vinegar.
- White vinegar
- Water
- Bucket
- Soft-bristled brush
- Dry microfiber cloth
Step-By-Step Process
Step 1: Fill a bucket with hot water.
Step 2: Add ¼ cup of white vinegar to the bucket and mix the solution thoroughly.
Step 3: Dip the soft-bristled brush into the liquid and use it to scrub at the stains on the plastic furniture.
Step 4: Once the dried stains have been dealt with, move on to the rest of the furniture.
Step 5: Rinse the furniture with clean water using a garden hose or another bucket.
Step 6: Keep the lawn chairs and tables outdoors so they can air dry properly. Alternatively, you can wipe them down with a soft cloth.
How to Clean Outdoor Plastic Furniture with Dishwashing Soap
Are you looking for tips on how to clean coloured plastic chairs? While bleach and white vinegar can do wonders on white surfaces, they are not an ideal choice for coloured furniture. Nevertheless, if you have decorated your outdoor space with brightly coloured chairs and tables, you can always clean it with any dishwashing soap present in your kitchen.
What You’ll Need
These are the products you will need to breathe a new life into your plastic outdoor furniture.
- Dishwashing soap
- Warm water
- Sponge
- Old toothbrush
- Garden hose
- Soft cloth
- Rubber gloves
- Bleach (optional)
Step-By-Step Process
Step 1: Fill a bucket with nearly a gallon of water.
Step 2: Add two to three drops of dishwashing liquid into the water and mix it thoroughly. If your furniture hasn’t been cleaned in a long time, you can also add ¾ cup of bleach to the solution.
Step 3: Put on your rubber gloves and dip the sponge into the mixture
Step 4: Rub the sponge against the tough stains before moving on to other parts of the furniture. It is recommended to scrub the surface in circular motions as it helps to loosen up the dried-up dirt.
Step 5: Take an old toothbrush and dip it into the liquid to clean hard-to-reach areas.
Step 6: Use clean water to rinse the furniture before wiping it with a soft cloth or leaving it out in the sun to air dry.
How to Clean Outdoor Plastic Furniture with Laundry Detergent
Whether you use a liquid laundry detergent or a powder one, this household item can be effective against stubborn stains adorning the surface of your outdoor furniture. Detergent can not only loosen up the grime from the furniture, but it can also cut through grease and make your chairs and table look sparkly clean.
What You’ll Need
Here are the items you will need to clean plastic patio furniture.
- Laundry detergent
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Scrub brush
- Old toothbrush
- Garden hose
- Soft cloth
Step-By-Step Process
Step 1: Add about 2 tablespoons of laundry detergent to a gallon of hot water.
Step 2: Thorough mix the soap mixture and pour it into a spray bottle.
Step 3: Liberally spray the cleaning solution on the dirty furniture and let it rest for a few minutes.
Step 4: Dip the brush into the cleaning solution and scrub the furniture, starting with the tough stains.
Step 5: Use an old toothbrush to clean the crevices and corners that are too small for a scrub brush
Step 6: Leave the solution to rest for a few more minutes before washing it away with clean water. You can then remove the moisture from the surface using a clean piece of cloth or place the plastic furniture outdoors to dry.
How to Clean Outdoor Plastic Furniture with Baking Soda
From marble floors to greasy stovetops, there is almost nothing you can’t clean with some baking soda. It is one of the best DIY cleaning agents found in most kitchens that can form an alkaline solution when mixed with water.
However, despite its mildly abrasive texture, baking soda won’t scratch the surface of your plastic outdoor furniture, so you can use it without any worries.
What You’ll Need
These are the products you will require to restore the beauty of your lawn furniture.
- Baking soda
- Water
- Soft sponge
- Spray bottle
- Garden hose
- Soft cloth
Step-By-Step Process
Step 1: Fill a spray bottle with warm water and use it to wet the surface of your plastic chairs and table.
Step 2: Sprinkle a layer of baking soda onto the furniture.
Step 3: Use a sponge to mix the baking soda with water, creating a thick cleaning paste.
Step 4: Rub this cleaning mixture into the furniture, specifically the areas heavily stained with grass, mud, food spills, or bird droppings.
Step 5: Once the grime loosens up, rinse the surface with clean water using a garden hose.
Step 6: Repeat the above steps if required. Otherwise, wipe the furniture with a soft cloth or leave it to dry in the sun.
This brings us to the end of our guide on how to clean plastic lawn furniture. If you found our tips interesting or want to share a few of your own, please don’t hesitate to drop an email at blog@zameen.com.
Furthermore, here are a few more blogs that you may find helpful:
- Best Outdoor Furniture Materials to Spruce up Your Home
- How to Waterproof Wooden Furniture for a Longer Life?
- How to Protect Wooden Furniture and Flooring from Heat?
- How to Refresh Your Outdoors to Increase Property Value
Last but not least, stay connected to Zameen Blog for more home improvement and cleaning guides. You can also visit our Facebook page and hit the like button to learn the latest real estate trends in your city.
