Why You need a Protective Cover for your Rattan Garden Furniture during the winters

One of the big selling points of synthetic rattan furniture is that they be left outdoor for varied weather conditions, but most rattan sellers still recommend that you buy a cover to cover your rattan furniture when not in use, especially during winter. Now the winter is fast approaching and many people have asked the question, if rattan furniture are all-weatherproof products, why do you still need to cover them when not in use? In the following text we will try and give some answers to this question.

The truth about high quality rattan.

High quality synthetic rattan garden furniture does not necessarily need covering in any weather especially the ones made from HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). These are completely all weather proof, resistant to rain and frost and are UV resistant. This is why it is very important when buying your rattan furniture; you endeavour to go for quality rattan, made from HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). HDPE rattan garden furniture has many advantages; it will not mould, it is UV resistant and will not fade in the sunlight nor brittle in snow or ice. The rattan is hand woven over rust proof powder coated aluminium frames ensuring your furniture will not rust. And being lightweight, it can be moved easily to suit your particular location or position. This HDPE rattan furniture is maintenance free and can be easily cleaned with just warm soapy water. All the rattan products from Rattan Garden Furniture Ltd are manufactured from HDPE rattan and are guaranteed for 10 years against all weather conditions and delivered free  to any UK main land address for any order above £299.

The advice.

Now that we have given you the truth about HDPE rattan furniture, here is our advice to ensure you enjoy your furniture for as long as you want. If you want your rattan furniture to retain its shining look for longer, then our advice is to cover them when not in use. Just like anything else when left unkempt, it depreciates quicker than necessary. Buying a rain cover large enough to cover your whole rattan furniture will prevent it from being blown around in high winds, and from being covered with dirt and mound.

At Rattan Garden Furniture Ltd, we stock different sizes of rattan furniture rain covers ranging from one cover for the whole set to modular sets covers that fits perfectly together like a jigsaw. It is always worth calling our sales team for advice on the right cover for your rattan furniture. We recommend that before covering your furniture, you place a mop stick or any stick through the parasol hole in the centre of the table if your furniture comes with a hole at the centre of the table; this creates a tent-like shape, which will shed the water away from your furniture easily.

Low quality rattan

There are many cheap low quality synthetic rattan furniture available in the market today. Retailers of this furniture will not usually guarantee them for a long time because they know it will not last long. Majority of them are woven on steel frames, which makes them susceptible to rust when exposed to rain. These types of furniture will need covering in all weather as the dye colour is only applied to the outside of the rattan, whereas the colour on a good quality HDPE rattan weave is incorporated throughout the polyethylene. The poorer quality material is also more prone to splitting and breaking when there is a hard frost and other harsh weather conditions.

The cushions

The cushions on good quality synthetic rattan garden furniture are weather proof, UV protected and flame retardant to the British Safety Standard to a very high degree, but they still need to be stored away during winter. They will shrug off a light shower in summer and soon dry up when the sun re-appears, but they may get wet during heavy rain. And when there is no sunlight for days to quickly dry up, the inner foam will become saturated and runs the risk of becoming mouldy, which will leave it with a musty smell that is really difficult to eradicate.

Cushions on a poorer quality set of rattan furniture will not even be showerproof so will need to be stow away whenever the rattan furniture set is not in use. If you don’t have a cushion storage box, make sure the cushions are stowed somewhere dry and frost-free with an adequate airflow.

We recommend you clean your cushions according to the manufacturer’s instructions before storing them away, making sure they are completely dry.

For more hints and tips on how to keep your rattan garden furniture looking pristine for longer in all weather, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter.