Cover Up: How To Protect Your Patio Investment

We often get asked, “When is a good time to cover our outdoor furniture?”.

Excellent question. Our response is to cover your furniture when it is not going to be in use for a long period of time. In most situations, this means late Fall through to early Spring. However, don’t  forget about certain stretches during the heat of Summer. There may be weeks that your patio furniture sits outside, uncovered in the heat of the sun (think: vacation get-a-ways and times of extreme temperatures). This can prove to be more damaging to cushions and metal finishes than even the heaviest snows. In such instances, you may as well go ahead and cover up. This will not only protect your furniture from UV rays, but it will also keep everything nice and clean. When you do decide to enjoy the outdoor life, it’s easy to quickly remove the covers and have a seat. Perfect for an impromptu BBQ or a marshmallow roast at your fire pit. I’ve noticed that when I keep my furniture covered up, I spend much less time cleaning cushions and more time relaxing and enjoying my outdoor space. Isn’t this the ultimate goal?

Furniture covers are available in many sizes and styles.  It is now very easy to quickly cover all furniture items and leave them where they sit on the patio. No more grouping everything into a giant pile and trying to secure a frisky “blue tarp” that will, ultimately, breakdown and not stay in place in the winds and storms.

Outdoor furniture covers are shaped like, well, furniture. They have tie straps, elastic bottoms, and pull strings to secure them in place. Because their shape mimics the furniture they are covering, they more likely to stay on the furniture by eliminating excessive fabric and air pockets.

To get the best fit when choosing furniture covers you will need to know:

1- Width: Measure from the widest point from right to left.

2- Depth: Measure from the widest point from front to back.

3- Height: Measure from the ground to the tallest point.

Additionally, it is often helpful to list the items you want to cover with the dimensions next to them and quantity needed. This way you are not scratching your head wondering if you need one lounge cover and two sofa covers, or visa versa. Making a list will help keep you organized. It will make sure you get this right sizes for the right amount of pieces. Anything to save an extra errand, right?

We find the ideal way to cover a dining set is as a complete grouping. Of course you have to option to cover each piece separately, but why? Go ahead and tuck all of the chairs around the table as close as possible. Next, measure the widest points. In the case of an oblong set, make sure to measure in both directions. In the case of a round, just the diameter will suffice. Remember to measure the height to the tallest point as well. As a side note,  it is often helpful to put something on top of the table such as an end table or some pots. This prevents what we call a “lake effect” from happening when snow melts and, due to chair backs often sitting taller than the table top itself creates a giant puddle on your set. Not good.

The popularity of outdoor sectionals comes with the need for modular covers. Due to their unique shape and varying degree of sizes, sectionals can prove challenging for most to find appropriate fitting covers for. With the introduction of modular zip together covers, covering a sectional is now no more difficult than covering a sofa. Simply measure the sectional in width from the corner in both the left and right directions. It is also necessary to know if you have a right angle (90 degree) corner piece or a rounded (45 degree) corner piece. Generally, a rounded corner is larger in size and will need a larger cover. Once the over-all measurements are known, you can order the correct zip together components. This will create a custom cover that is the same shape as your sectional.

Of further note, the covers we offer are machine washable for easy cleaning. Once washed, place out over the furniture to air dry. Do not place them in a clothes dryer. The intense direct heat will damage the fabric and possibly even melt the material. Also, do not iron. If you feel like the washing machine is not a good option for you, get out the garden hose and a soft brush. Spray off the covers while using the brush on areas that birds may have left a reminder that they were there. Again, let air dry.

With minimal effort you can add years to the life of your your furniture and cushions. Simply take a few minutes to them cover up.