How To Protect Your Patio for the Winter

With winter again approaching, getting your patio in order to protect it from the harsh conditions is important. The best way to protect your patio is to make sure you cover all the important details. It’s generally not a hard task, but knowing ahead of time how to protect furniture, surfaces, and grilling equipment from the elements will help. Learn how to protect your patio from the winter by reading below.

Clean Your Patio Surface

With winter coming, properly cleaning your patio surface is important. Winter weather is incredibly harsh on concrete surfaces. In addition to dirt, leaves, and other debris, there will be snow, ice, and heavy winds. This generally causes cracking in cement, stone, and brick. Start by sweeping up any leaves left over from the fall and giving your patio a wash with a hose to get rid of excess debris. If your patio’s surface is stone or pavers, you can use a power washer on it. Any kind of porous natural stone such as bluestone will need special care to avoid damage. It’s important to note that you should do these cleanings regularly to avoid buildup on the patio surface.

Properly Clean and Store Patio Furniture

A huge part of how to protect your patio for the winter involves proper care and storage of any patio furniture. If you own soft fabric chairs with cushions, vacuum them or use a soft brush to scrub them with soap and water. Then, cover them well or put them in storage. You should also clean wood patio furniture as well as add sealant to make it last longer.

One of the most common types of patio furniture is sling patio chairs. The frames on these are generally metal or aluminum, which you should wipe down. One of the best tips for maintaining sling fabrics is to keep them out of elements, which would expose them to moisture. You can also get replacement sling fabrics that are treated to withstand extreme conditions for longer periods of time.

Protect Your Grill

Grills are significant parts of many people’s patios. Your grill likely will have seen quite a bit of use during the summer and perhaps into fall. Therefore, you’ll need to give it a good cleaning before the cold weather hits. Use a strong wire brush and degreaser. If you’re working with a gas grill, make sure to turn off the gas. Turn off the valve on the grill and in the house if your grill is connected to a home gas line. The other important thing to remember is to properly cover it. You can use a basic cover, although there are special weather-resistant covers designed to protect grills from harsh conditions.