If you own outdoor furniture, you might have considered buying some outdoor furniture covers. Good thinking. These covers can offer more complete protection than just having a roof over your deck, porch, or patio. While these covers aren’t a necessity, they can save your furniture from some hardships and, not to mention, keep the furniture usable. Here are three instances in which you’ll be glad you had furniture covers or sorry that you didn’t.
- Very Sunny Days
The sun’s rays can be a big problem for outdoor furniture. Wooden and fabric furniture fade with increased exposure. Plastic fades too, but sun damage can also cause it to crack or otherwise become weakened. While metal furniture isn’t extremely susceptible to sun damage, anyone who’s sat on an exposed metal chair on a hot day knows just how harmful the sun can be (to your bottom, not your metal chair).
- Rainy Days
Furniture covers are great for areas that experience a great deal of rain. Plastic, fabric, or canvas chairs, for example, hold a great deal of water and become unusable until they are dried off or dumped out (on a rainy day, chairs with concave seats can fill up like buckets ). Wooden furniture can absorb water, causing them to be damp for days after rain hits. Water damage is also a serious threat to outdoor furniture, especially wood. After a while, wooden furniture exposed to moisture will begin to rot and weaken.
- Snow Storms
During a snow storm, you’ll want a cover for many of the same reasons you’d want one in a rainstorm. Water damage poses a threat when the snow melts, but when it doesn’t melt right out, you’ve got snow or slush on your furniture until it does. Sitting on a hot metal chair is unpleasant, but sitting in a pile of snow or a puddle of cold water can give it a run for its money. Even if you don’t plan on using your furniture during the colder months, furniture covers are still a good idea. They can help prevent damage caused by water and the strain of repeated freezing and thawing.
If you see any of these days in your future—which you should unless you live in a constantly cloud-covered area where it never rains or snows (unlikely)—you might want to purchase some outdoor furniture covers. On days like those mentioned above, you’ll be glad you did.
