There's a weekend every November when the garden furniture finally gets dealt with. The cushions have been damp since September, the table has a skin of leaves on it, and the forecast says the first frost is on its way. The question is what to do with it all until spring. Leave it much longer and you'll be doing the job in the cold and dark.
There are three options. Cover it where it stands, put it in a shed, or bring it indoors. Most gardens end up using a mix of all three.
Start with what it's made of
Different materials suffer in different ways over a UK winter, so it's worth thinking piece by piece rather than treating the whole patio the same.
Rattan copes with rain, but leaves and bird droppings sit in the weave and the damp never fully dries out. Covering it keeps it clean and saves a big scrub in April.
Metal frames are tough, but rust spots start wherever the coating has chipped. A cover keeps the worst of the wet off, and it's worth touching up any chips before you put it away.
Wood dries out and cracks without regular treatment, then swells again in the wet. Cover it, or store it somewhere dry if you can.
Plastic can go brittle in hard frosts. If you've got room in a shed or garage, it's the easiest thing to stack and store.
Cushions should come inside, full stop. Even shower-resistant fabric holds moisture over months and goes mouldy.
Getting a cover that actually works
A cover is the simplest option for anything too big to move. Our outdoor furniture covers range runs from single chair covers up to an L-shaped corner sofa cover at 250 x 250 x 79cm, plus covers for 3-seater sofas, round tables, swing seats, hanging egg chairs and BBQs. Most are Outsunny, made from Oxford polyester or PVC-coated fabric.
Size is where people go wrong. Measure the length, width and height of the furniture, including anything that sticks out, then pick a cover around 10 to 15cm bigger. Too tight and it's a fight to get on. Too loose and it flaps about, and rain pools on top.
It also helps to know what you're buying. Most covers are water-resistant rather than fully waterproof. They keep rain off but let some air through, which stops condensation building up underneath. That's why many have air vents, and why it's worth taking the cover off on a dry day every few weeks to let the furniture breathe.
Wind is the other enemy. Look for drawstring hems, buckle straps or elastic edges, and pull them tight. A loose cover in a January gale either ends up in next door's garden or rubs the finish off whatever's underneath.
For a standard garden sofa, the Outsunny 3-seater cover measures 218 x 111 x 101cm and is made from PVC-coated fabric. If you've got a patio table with chairs tucked under it, the 190 x 72cm cover in 600D Oxford fabric goes over the lot in one piece. Swing seats are awkward to store, so the large swing chair cover, which pulls down over the whole frame, saves dismantling it every autumn. Hanging egg chairs have their own covers too, including one at 196 x 230cm.
If it fits in the shed, put it in the shed
Nothing beats dry storage. A shed keeps furniture out of the wind and wet, and you don't have to worry about covers blowing off.
Our metal and wooden sheds include an Outsunny 6 x 5ft metal shed at 193 x 152 x 203cm, a 5 x 7ft lean-to metal shed that comes with a foundation, and a 6 x 4ft EcoWood shed with interior shelves and a locking door. Folding chairs and a small bistro set can stack inside a shed that size alongside the lawnmower.
Larger sheds need a level, solid base, such as concrete, paving slabs or treated timber. Sort that out before the shed arrives. Assembly runs from about 30 minutes for smaller units to several hours for a full shed, so pick a dry day.
For more on choosing between sheds and storage boxes, our outdoor storage guide goes into more detail.
What to do with cushions
Cushions are the easiest thing to ruin and the easiest thing to save. Bring them in, let them dry fully, then store them somewhere with air around them. A spare room, loft or the top of a wardrobe all work. Avoid sealing damp cushions in plastic bags, because that's how mould starts.
If you're short of space indoors, a wooden tool storage cabinet or a narrow corner shed from our garden storage range can hold cushions outside. Make sure the cushions are bone dry first.
For rattan sets with tired cushion covers, Outsunny makes replacement cover sets, including a 7-piece set for cushions up to 8cm thick and a 14-piece set with zips. Washing or replacing covers over winter means the set is ready to use as soon as spring arrives.
Your November checklist
- Clean everything first. Brush off leaves and wipe down frames, because dirt trapped under a cover for months is hard to shift.
- Let it dry. Never cover or store furniture while it's still wet.
- Touch up any chips on metal frames.
- Bring cushions indoors.
- Stack and store anything that fits in the shed.
- Measure what's left, then fit covers and tighten every strap.
- Check covers after storms, and air the furniture on dry days.
It takes an afternoon, and it saves a lot of scrubbing and replacing when the weather turns. If you're thinking about what to buy for next summer, our guide to garden furniture for UK weather covers which pieces cope best year round.
Delivery and returns footer
Shop garden furniture covers at Bossy Cat
Delivery is free on all orders to UK mainland addresses and arrives in 3-5 working days, with no hidden fees. If you change your mind, you can return your order, but the return postage is paid by you.
