Protecting your home with outdoor blinds
Having an outdoor space promises you a peaceful retreat or place to entertain in the fresh air and warm sun.
But just as we love those natural elements, our outdoor furniture hates them. It gets hit with the winds, the wet and the scorching sun.
The only problem is that while we retreat indoors when the sun gets too hot or the wind too cold, our furniture gets left behind.
What’s the damage?
Dampness from wet weather can pervade your furniture. It rots wood and corrodes metal.
If you’ve ever left your al fresco sofa cushions outside on a rainy day, you’ve seen how the mould flourishes.
It’s not just the wet either.
UV rays – the same ones we protect ourselves from with layers of sunscreen and plentiful shelter – can fade colour on plastics and cotton.
Likewise, intense heat splits wood.
What are the solutions?
Never fear. There are ways to protect your outdoor furniture.
Firstly, pick waterproof furniture. UV-resistant plastic is your best bet, though we admit it doesn’t always look fabulous.
What do you do when you want the rustic look, or even just something more natural?
We recommend bringing your furniture indoors, whether it’s canvas, metal or timber. If the furniture is too big, just make sure you tuck away the cushions.
A protective covering over your larger pieces also works well.
We admit though that can be a bit of a hassle to drag the furniture inside, especially if you have little space or continuous alternating days of good weather and bad.
Plus, you have to be careful about storage: for example, you need to make sure canvas is folded away dry.
What about outdoor blinds?
There’s something you can do that solves plenty of these tricky problems and tiresome solutions.
You guessed it! (Or was the title a bit of a giveaway?). The answer is outdoor blinds.
Outdoor blinds – whether clear and tinted, shade, or especially opaque – offer all the protection from the elements your furniture needs without any of the hassle.
It’s easy. When there’s rain about – or burning sun – pull the blinds down and your furniture is sheltered.
There’s an added bonus – you don’t have to retreat indoors either!
Our outdoor blinds are designed to withstand the sun.
All types provide a high level of UV protection – in fact, our opaque blinds block out almost 99% of UV rays.
They’re also made of a UV-resistant polymer so they resist sun damage themselves.
What else you can do?
Here are some other easy tricks you can do to help your outdoor furniture last longer:
- Brush down, wipe and oil timber furniture at least twice a year
- Wash polyester, wicker and aluminium furniture with warm, soapy water at least twice a year
- Scrub or lightly sand timber furniture showing signs of mould
Australian Outdoor Living is passionate about helping people love their life outdoors. We offer a range of products, including:
- Outdoor blinds
- Artificial grass
- Roller shutters
- Carports
- Timber decking
- Pergolas, verandah and patios
- Outdoor Kitchens
Have you been thinking about renovating your home? Fill out the free measure and quote form at the top of this article and a member of our dedicated sales team will be in touch.