How To Secure Outdoor Furniture Covers
How To Secure Outdoor Furniture Covers
Outdoor furniture is a great way to enhance the look of your patio or garden. However, an essential aspect of getting outdoor furniture is to ensure that it looks brand new throughout its life cycle.
One of the most simple and effective methods to ensure that your outdoor furniture remains protected is to ensure that you buy good quality outdoor furniture covers for it.
However, to ensure that you use the outdoor furniture covers to their full potential, you must consider a few things. Owners are usually at their wit's end trying to keep patio furniture cover from blowing away., especially during windy days.
If you’re experiencing a similar predicament, then we have just the right advice for you. We have put together a comprehensive guide on stopping garden furniture covers from blowing away.
How to Prevent Covers from Flying off on a Windy Day
You’ve carefully covered your outdoor furniture with a new set of furniture covers, only for it to be blown away by a rogue gust of wind. If you reside in a coastal or windy area, this issue could be exacerbated much more.
Furniture experts encourage the use of breathable fabrics and cover designs with vents that allow cross ventilation, especially if the furniture to be covered is made of wood. This is so that the wooden furniture doesn’t “sweat” under the heat and humidity, encouraging growth or mould, making cleaning patio furniture covers more difficult too.
Breathable furniture covers are often lightweight and add to the issue of furniture covers flying away in the wind. You must also remember that it is essential to ensure that the furniture cover used is of the correct size.
Using furniture covers that are too big or too small and don’t provide a snug fit are more likely to be blown away on a windy day, leaving you wondering how to keep patio furniture cover from blowing away.
Not only is it a hassle to bring back the furniture covers and place them carefully around the furniture again, but it also damages the furniture covers themselves and leaves your furniture exposed to the elements. The more your outdoor furniture covers blow away, the more frequently you have to wash them.
Furthermore, exposed furniture could easily be damaged by rough weather conditions such as excessive rain, snow, or hail, or by pests and insects. To ensure your furniture covers keep the outdoor furniture well protected, you must ensure that the covers are correctly secured around the furniture so that they don't fly off in the wind.
Following are some essential tools you can use to ensure your furniture cover does not fly off during a windy day:
Drawstrings
One of the simplest ways to ensure that your outdoor furniture cover remains intact is by the use of a good old-fashioned drawstring. This simple, no-fuss method is affordable, effective, and straightforward. It allows furniture covers to be secured snuggly without causing any damage to the furniture or the cover itself.
The right size and thickness of the drawstrings depend on the type and size of your furniture covers. Large furniture covers used to cover large-sized furniture will require thicker, and longer drawstrings than a furniture cover used to cover a small or singular piece of furniture such as a stool.
Drawstrings are a minimalistic and secure way to ensure that the furniture cover remains in place due to its high reliability. They are easy to put on and easy to remove as well. However, drawstrings may not be as good as some other tools used to prevent the ballooning of covers on a windy day.
Furthermore, they may wear away with time and need to be replaced. Still, because of their simplicity, ease of handling, easy availability, affordability, and reliability, drawstring continues to be one of the most popular methods of securing furniture covers.
Elastics
A popular method of fastening furniture cover is by using elastics. This is a no-brainer for someone who wants to avoid any hassle associated with tying or securing the furniture covers.
Elastics are a great way to provide a reliable and secure method for ensuring your furniture covers are not blown away. They can be used to cover furniture of any shape and size and can snap into place in just a few minutes.
Elastics are highly adaptable, dependable, and consistent when keeping furniture covers secure and protecting patio furniture from external elements because of their perfect fitting. However, you must ensure that the furniture cover is of the correct size so that the elastics can secure it around the furniture snuggly.
These may lose their elasticity over time and need to be replaced. However, depending on the quality of the elastics used, they can last for numerous years.
Waterproof Zipper
Another conventional way of securing furniture covers without external equipment is by using waterproof zippers. The numerous customization options in zippers ensure that all furniture covers have a secure fit around outdoor furniture. No matter how unconventional the furniture design is, furniture covers with zips can be made to fit around it.
However, you must ensure that you use high-quality zippers to avoid getting stuck, breaking, or developing rust while being kept outdoors. The great thing about furniture zippers is that they can help prevent the ballooning of furniture if the covers are made in the correct size and shape. And here are some alternative methods for how to keep water pooling on patio furniture covers.
Cover Clamps
One of the most effective ways to cover any type of furniture with a cover and ensure that it stays in place is with the help of cover clamps. Cover clamps can be made with a wide variety of different materials.
However, they all offer the same level of protection against the wind. They are easy to use and have much higher durability than other fastening covers onto furniture.
Cover clamps can be used numerous without fear of their elasticity or quality being affected. Since they can provide the best fit for furniture, they also prevent ballooning of the covers and offer superior protection against strong winds.
How to Use Cover Clamps on Your Outdoor Furniture Cover
Although high-quality furniture covers that fit the furniture well are less likely to be affected too severely by the wind. However, adding cover clamps is a safe and effective way of ensuring that the covers stay in place even during bad weather.
Here is a short guide on how to secure garden furniture cover using cover clamps:
- Cover the furniture piece with the furniture cover. Tie the drawstrings or straps or connect the velcro pieces securely.
- Unlock and open the cover clamp by pressing the lever in the centre, then slide the crossbar in the direction of the hook insert.
- Insert the clamps on the desired location, at the bottom and opposite sides of the cover. Place the teeth of the clamp on either side of the hem and slide the crossbar inwards towards the teeth. This will ensure that it is locked in place
- The bungee cord must be placed behind the leg or the front wheel of the furniture. Then proceed to attach the hook of the clamp through inserts on the front of the clamp
- The second bungee cord’s hook is connected via the inserts on the rear end of the clamp.
Here’s a video showing how to install a cover clamp as well.
How to Store Your Cover When Not Using It
Storing furniture covers when they’re not in use is a relatively simple task. However, there are a few things to be aware of. This ensures that the covers don't get damaged and last for a long time.
- Ensure that the covers are completely clean before you store them. Check for insects, dirt, and debris that could enable bacteria growth on the cover. You can use various commercially available products to clean the covers before putting them in storage.
- Ensure that the cover is completely dry. If the furniture covers have been out in the rain, or if you have used products on them, then ensure that you have given the covers adequate time to dry before you put them in storage
- Fold the covers neatly and place them in a storage bag. Keep the bag in a cool and dry area till they are ready for use again.
Here’s a video showing how to fold your furniture covers.
Outdoor Cover Cleaning Tips
Cleaning outdoor furniture covers requires a few special instructions to not damage the cover and ensure its longevity. Firstly you should only hand wash your covers and use mild laundry detergent.
Avoid harsh detergents and chemicals, and do not put the covers in a washing machine. For any spots and stains that do not come off with gentle washing, you can use a soft-bristled brush to scrub gently. The cover must be air-dried entirely before it is stored or reused.
The following are some common products that work well for cleaning furniture covers:
- Fabric Cleaner: Fabric cleaners are commonly used to clean upholstery and furniture cover fabrics. They help lift the stain off of the fabric so that it is easier to clean with a soft scrub or brush. Ensure that the product is given enough time to penetrate the stain and lift it completely. This usually takes about 3 to 10 minutes.
- Multi-Surface Cleaner: Multi-Surface cleaners are high-strength products that can help eliminate even the toughest stains and rejuvenate the cover. These include coffee, wine, and oil or grease as well. You can repeat the cleaning process 2-3 times for heavier stains to ensure the stain is removed entirely.
- Fabric Guard: This is an excellent product for furniture covers with diminished water repellency. However, the spray strengthens the fabric and protects against oil and water stains. It can be safely used on natural fibres as well as synthetic fibres.
- Vinyl Protective Cleaner: If you have vinyl furniture covers, you cannot miss out on this product. It helps maintain the longevity of the cover while ensuring there is no cracking, fading, or premature ageing. It also helps to improve the sheen and colour of the vinyl, drying into a clean matte finish.
- Fabric Nano Protector: A one-of-a-kind protective spray that forms a barrier on the cover's fabric. This helps to protect the furniture cover from stains and dirt. However, you must ensure that you have gotten rid of any old stains on the cover before applying this product.
Conclusion
Using furniture covers to protect outdoor furniture is an excellent way to improve the longevity of furniture. However, to ensure that your furniture covers provide adequate protection, they must be secured to avoid them being blown away by the wind. If you’re wondering how to secure a garden furniture cover, then use tips from our helpful guide above!