When spring rolls around, everyone knows that the pollen isn’t far behind. Not only does pollen season trigger peoples’ allergies, but it also can seriously stain patio furniture. Here’s how to clean pollen off patio furniture.
Take your affected furniture to a clean spot in the sun and scrub it vigorously with warm water and soap using a scrub brush. Afterwards, scrub the area with a sponge and dry it off.
Getting a deep clean on your patio furniture is an important step to keeping pollen off your patio, but as long as you’re vigilant with cleaning, it’s pretty easy to take care of pollen problems. The rest of this article will discuss how to clean pollen off your patio furniture.
Preparing for Cleaning
To get prepared for cleaning pollen off your patio furniture, you’ll need the following items:
- Dish soap
- A spray bottle
- A course sponge
- A cleaning cloth
- Tape
With these items in hand, you’re all set to clean your furniture. Before you apply the soapy mixture, you can use tape to lift off any pesky deposits.
Using your shop vac to give the furniture a quick vacuum is ideal to remove any obvious buildup of pollen.
Cushions can be a little trickier, so your best bet is to whack them with something solid to dislodge the pollen. If you’re allergic to pollen, be sure to wear gloves and protective eyewear to avoid the risk of being irritated by pollen in the air.
Cleaning Pollen Off Your Patio Furniture
To clean pollen off your patio furniture, simply take your spray bottle and fill it with a mixture of water and dish soap.
Apply the mixture liberally to your furniture and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub the area vigorously with a sponge, preferably a coarse one for best results. If you have a frustrating deposit that can’t be easily scrubbed away, give it several rounds of treatment with the sponge and a cleaning cloth.
Once you’re done, shake it out and dry it off thoroughly even if it’s a hot and sunny day outside. When you’re furniture is wet, it gives pollen and dust in the air something to stick to.
Cleaning Up the Floor
Having clean furniture on a pollen-ridden floor is no use, so make sure you clean up the surface area of your patio by using a good old fashioned water hose and a mop. That way, you won’t be tramping through the pollen every time you’re spending time out on your deck.
Cleaning Plastic Furniture
Plastic furniture can be pretty easy at times simply because the pollen doesn’t stick to it as well. As such, all you need to do is use the same mixture of dish soap and warm water. Pour or spray it all over the plastic furniture item and scrub off the pollen.
Pressure Washing
Pressure washing is something that you should consider for your twice yearly deep clean of your outdoor furniture, and it’s also a great way to address any pollen issues. If you’re worried about damaging your patio furniture, it might be best to consult the pros on this one.
There are plenty of services out there to help you deep clean your furniture. If nothing else, consulting the experts will save you an afternoon of work scrubbing away at your furniture.
How to Keep Your Patio Furniture Pollen-Free
Keep in mind that the best way to keep your outdoor furniture looking nice is to clean it once a week during the spring. You should spot clean often, clean occasionally, and deep clean twice a year.
You should also consider putting a tarp or protector over your furniture when you’re not using it to prevent pollen from settling and leaving an unpleasant yellow residue. Machine-washable covers are great and easy to clean, offering a simple yet effective layer of protection from pollen.
Of course, every time you head outside to enjoy your patio space, be sure to brush off any pollen that you see. The pollen isn’t going to stain and turn your furniture yellow if it’s not on your furniture. Porous materials like wicker and rattan are more susceptible to staining with pollen than other types of furniture.
How Do I Protect My Patio from Pollen?
Protecting your patio from pollen can be challenging. The best solution is to install a screen to enclose the space off from the outside.
That way, no pollen will be able to gain entry to your patio. Since pollen also encourages a variety of unwanted insects, screening off your patio has the added benefit of warding off bugs, too.
For a more localized solution, you can put up a tarp over your furniture. This will help redirect pollen from landing on your patio. Additionally, you can put covers on your patio furniture items to prevent them from being stained by pollen.
If you have the space, the best option is to store your furniture away for the spring so that they can’t be adversely affected by the pollen.
Final Thoughts
Patios are a haven of lush greenery and beauty in the spring—that is, until Mother Nature unleashes the pollen storm that covers patio furniture indiscriminately. Dealing with this yellow menace can be frustrating, but a combination of regular spot cleaning and deep cleaning can help see off the pollen invasion for another year.
Be sure to brush off and wipe away any pollen that you see when spending time on your patio to reduce the risk of staining.
When you clean your furniture, simply apply a mix of dish soap and water to the furniture and scrub it thoroughly with a brush.
You can also blitz it with the hose to wash off any loose-clinging pollen before you get started. Pollen has some seriously irritating side effects when it gets in your sinuses, so it’s definitely best to address the issue before it becomes hazardous to your health.
During the spring, conduct a cleaning session once a week to prevent pollen buildup, and consider putting safeguards in place to prevent pollen from accumulating as heavily on your patio.
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