To keep plastic lawn chairs opening and closing with ease, fill an eyedropper with vegetable oil and squirt it into all the joints.
If the aluminum on your lawn chairs has corroded, polish it lightly with fine steel wool.
Left untreated, teak furniture will turn gray. Sand water spots with a light sandpaper, and rub with baby oil once annually to maintain the teak’s color.
Outdoor fabrics such as hammocks and cloth chairs are generally machine-washable, if you use the gentle cycle and a mild detergent. If the items are white, it’s okay to add bleach. Hang the items outside to dry, but to avoid shrinkage, you should replace the fabric onto its frame before it’s completely dry.
Patio umbrellas can be cleaned with a soft-bristled brush and a solution of mild soap and cold water. If the frame is made of wire, use a spray lubricant to keep the joints working. If the frame is wooden, restore the shine with paste wax.
Spot-clean acrylic cushions with a sponge dipped in mild soap and water; rinse with plain water afterward (remove the cushion from its frame before cleaning).
If you have a problem with mildew in your acrylic cushions, mix one cup of bleach, two cups of detergent, and one gallon of water. Spray the entire cushion, saturating well, and let it sit for thirty minutes. Scrub it with a sponge, rinse it with clean water, and allow it to dry. To prevent future cases of mildew, avoid storing your cushions in plastic bags or wrappings; plastic doesn’t let the cushion “breathe” and if there’s the tiniest bit of moisture present, mildew will form.
Resin furniture can be cleaned simply by spraying it with a garden hose and letting it dry. Scuff marks can be removed with a gentle abrasive, and mildew can be removed using the same bleach/detergent/water solution as used for the acrylic cushions.
Wrought iron, steel, and aluminum frames can be washed with a mixture of mild soap and water. Most metal frames these days are rust-resistant, but if yours isn’t, you can protect it by using paste wax.