How to Protect Garden Furniture in Winter
The short answer: to protect garden furniture in winter, clean it, let it dry completely, bring the cushions indoors, and then either store the frames in a shed or garage or cover them where they stand with a waterproof cover that still lets air move underneath. Lift everything off wet ground, tie the cover down so winter gales can't take it, and check under it every few weeks. That's the whole job. The rest of this guide is about doing each step properly, because most winter damage we hear about comes from a cover fitted badly, not from the weather itself.
We handle a lot of tarpaulins in our warehouse, and every autumn the same question comes in: can a plain tarp do the job of a branded furniture cover? It can, if you fit it the right way. We'll show you how below.
Step 1: Clean and Dry Everything Before It's Put Away
Dirt, bird droppings and old food left on a table over summer hold moisture against the surface for months. Under a cover that turns into mould and stains. Wash frames and tabletops with mild soapy water and a soft brush, rinse with clean water, then leave everything to dry on a sunny or breezy day. Don't rush this part. A cover fitted over damp furniture traps that water inside, and it has nowhere to go until spring.
While you're at it, check fixings. Tighten loose bolts, oil hinges on folding chairs, and look for flaking paint on steel frames. A small chip is easy to touch up in October. By March it's a rust patch.
Step 2: Bring Cushions and Fabrics Indoors
Cushions are the first thing to go mouldy, even "showerproof" ones. Store them inside the house, a dry loft or a cupboard, not a damp shed. Make sure they're fully dry first and avoid sealed plastic bags, which keep moisture in. The same goes for parasol canopies: take them off the frame, dry them and fold them away. If your parasol base stays out, our guide to choosing a solid parasol base covers which bases cope with wet winter ground.
Step 3: Decide Whether to Store, Cover or Leave It Out
Not every set needs the same treatment. This table sums up what works for the common materials we see on UK and Dutch patios.
| Material | Best winter option | Main risk | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood (teak, eucalyptus) | Leave out or cover | Standing water, splitting | Oil or treat in autumn, raise legs off wet ground |
| Softwood (pine, spruce) | Cover or store | Rot where water sits | Treat with preserver, keep off soil and grass |
| Steel and cast iron | Store or cover | Rust at chips and joints | Touch up paint, keep dry |
| Aluminium | Leave out or cover | Grime, wind damage | Clean, stack and tie down |
| Rattan and wicker | Cover or store | Water in the weave, UV | Dry fully, cover with airflow |
| Plastic and resin | Leave out or cover | Cracking in hard frost, wind | Stack and weigh down |
Storing indoors is still the safest option if you've got the space. Just don't put wooden furniture in a heated room, as the dry air can open up cracks in the timber. A shed, garage or open car port is better. If your steel frames are galvanised, our guide to galvanised, stainless and zinc flake finishes explains how long each coating holds up outdoors.
Step 4: Raise Furniture Off Wet Ground
Wooden legs sitting in a puddle or on wet grass all winter will soak up water from the bottom, and that's where rot starts. Move furniture onto paving if you can. If it has to stay on a lawn, slip a flat paving stone, brick or plastic foot under each leg so water drains away. It's the same principle we explain in our guide to stopping fence posts rotting: keep end grain out of standing water and wood lasts years longer.
Step 5: Cover It Properly (Airflow Matters More Than You Think)
A cover keeps off rain, leaves, bird mess and grime. What it can't do is stop condensation on its own. A waterproof sheet wrapped tight to the ground traps moist air, and on cold nights that moisture condenses on the furniture underneath. That's why some people find their set mouldier in spring than if they'd left it bare.
Here's how we fit a cover so it stays dry inside:
- Stack and group first. Stack chairs on or next to the table so the whole set sits under one cover.
- Make a peak. Put an upturned bucket or a ball in the middle of the table so rain runs off instead of pooling on top.
- Leave a gap at the bottom. Stop the cover a hand's width above the ground on at least two sides so air can pass through.
- Tie it down at the edges. Run rope through the eyelets to the furniture legs. Don't rely on bricks on the edge; they slide off in a gale.
- Check every few weeks. Lift one side on a dry day, let it air, and knock off any water pooling on top.
- Never cover after snow. If snow has settled, brush it off and let the furniture dry before the cover goes back on.
Using a Tarpaulin as a Winter Garden Furniture Cover
Shaped garden furniture covers are neat, but you pay for the shape, and a large corner sofa or 8-seat dining set often needs a cover that's hard to find in stock. A good tarpaulin covers any shape, folds away in summer and gets used again for log piles, trailers and building jobs. If you're curious what else one can do, we've listed ten practical tarpaulin uses around the garden.
What Our Tarpaulin Is and How It's Made
Our white woven tarpaulin is a polyethylene sheet with a woven core, sold mainly to cover scaffolding and building materials on site. It's made to keep rain, dust and wind off people, tools and stock, which is exactly what you need on a patio over winter.
Features
- Woven polyethylene sheet that sheds rain and is light enough for one person to throw over a table.
- Hemmed, reinforced edges so the sheet doesn't fray where it's tied.
- Metal eyelets along the edge for rope or ties, so you can fix it to the furniture legs instead of weighing it down.
- White colour, which looks tidier on a patio than blue and doesn't heat up as much on sunny winter days.
Benefits
- One sheet covers a whole dining set, corner sofa or stack of loungers.
- Reusable every year, and useful for other jobs the rest of the time.
- Easy to fit with an air gap, which a tight shaped cover doesn't always allow.
Applications
Garden dining sets, rattan sofas, sun loungers, barbecues, garden tools, log stores and building materials waiting for spring. On site, the same sheet covers scaffolding and pallets; our heavy-duty tarpaulin guide for scaffolding covers that side.
Sizes and How to Pick One
The tarpaulin comes in sheet sizes of 3 x 4 m, 4 x 6 m, 5 x 8 m and 8 x 10 m, plus long rolls from 0.80 m to 3.20 m wide in 10 m and 20 m lengths. To pick a sheet, measure the footprint of your stacked furniture and add twice its height to each side. A typical 4-seat set stacked on a 1.5 x 0.9 m table about 0.9 m tall needs roughly 3.3 x 2.7 m, so a 3 x 4 m sheet is tight and a 4 x 6 m sheet gives you room to tie down with an air gap. A 6 to 8 seat set or a corner sofa usually suits 5 x 8 m. You can see every size in our tarpaulin collection.
Step 6: Secure Everything Against Winter Storms
Light aluminium and plastic chairs travel surprisingly far in a gale. Stack them, tie them together, and push the set against a wall or fence on the sheltered side of the garden. Fold and remove parasols completely. Check ties after every storm, as rope stretches when wet and a flapping cover wears through fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you cover garden furniture in winter?
For most sets, yes. A cover keeps off rain, leaves and grime, and it's the main defence for metal, rattan and softwood. Good hardwood can stay out uncovered if it's treated and raised off wet ground, but it'll weather to grey.
Can I use a tarp to cover outdoor furniture?
Yes. A waterproof tarpaulin works well as long as the furniture is dry when you cover it, there's a gap at the bottom for airflow, and the sheet is tied through its eyelets rather than wrapped tight to the ground.
Why is my garden furniture mouldy under the cover?
Usually because it was covered while damp, or the cover is sealed to the ground so condensation can't escape. Dry everything first, leave an air gap and lift the cover on dry days.
Can garden furniture be left out in winter?
Hardwood, aluminium and resin furniture can stay out if it's cleaned, raised off wet ground and tied down against wind. Cushions, fabrics and untreated steel should come inside or be covered.
Is it better to store garden furniture in a shed or cover it outside?
A dry shed or garage is best if there's room. Outside under a well-fitted cover is the next best thing. Avoid heated rooms for wooden pieces, as the dry air can crack the timber.
Clean, dry, raised, covered with airflow and tied down: that's how to protect garden furniture in winter so it's ready to use the first warm weekend of spring. Got a set that's an awkward shape or size? Send us the measurements and we'll tell you which tarpaulin size fits, straight from the warehouse.
