With everyone gearing up to throw an outdoor party or two, it's time to whip your exterior into shape. It doesn't have to be a huge ordeal but a few great tools go a long way to making things quick, simple and sparkling. Check out a few of our favorites and add your own, after the jump!
1. Magic Erasers: Although they seem to have lost their popularity over the last year, Magic Erasers are still a fabulous go to product for cleaning plastic outdoor furniture. It can remove a winter's worth of grime and dust with very little leg work.
2. Power Washer: Although they aren't something that everyone has the ability to own (or need), they are the easiest way to make decking, fencing and siding look sharp. They are often able to be rented from your local home improvement stores, so make sure to check before purchasing if you will only use them annually.
3. Sand Paper: For wooden planters, decking and furniture that might be stained from bird droppings, walnut stains (thank you squirrels) and more, a fine grit sand paper works wonders. Just make sure to reseal them every 1-3 years depending on the age of the piece.
4. Stiff Bristle Broom: Although it sounds highly basic, a stiff bristled broom does far more than you'd expect. Quite often we think we need the help of water pressure, chemicals and more to rid our space of the winter filth, but a good broom will amaze you ever time. To conserve space in your garage, you can obtain different strength heads and switch out the handle as your need suits.
5. Pumice Stone: Pumice stones are great at cleaning marble and concrete alike. In combination the two buff each other out, doing away with stains. Try using one on a birdfeeder, your front stoop, the curb and yard ornaments (just not the pink flamingos!)
Do you have an outdoor cleaning trick that works wonders? Found a product you swear by each year? Let us know in the comments below!
(Image: Mr. Clean, HartvilleTool, Carol's Daughter, DIY Tools, Home Depot )
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OMG, I want to rent a powerwasher for my deck so badly!
Thanks for this BTW, our front steps were just tagged and we need to get rid of it. I was trying to figure out what to do!
Using a pumice stone on polished marble is a great way to destroy the finish. You need to use a poultice instead - one that's appropriate to the type of stain (oil, wine, etc)
As far as brooms: Handles don't take up much space in a garage or toolshed...
...and the more you insert and remove a handle, the more likely it's to come loose when you don't want it to - and it's a major pain to work with a wobbly broom.
Pumice stone! Perfect! I just spray painted some items and the wind blew black paint all over my apartment's balcony! I'll have to pick one of these up to see if it'll remove the residue.
Laura
pumice stone is great for those really hard to remove stains in the toilet.
I use a mix of vinegar, Oxy-Clean, dishWASHER soap (less slippy) on the concrete, wood decking and a bunch of other surfaces & scrub with a broom like the one pictured. the grime and filth will bubble up and I rinse it away. Careful about using this combo on stained teak & such, it'll leech the color out.
The magic eraser is amazing for cleaning grout in my shower tiles. :) Swear by that thing!
I use my tank steamer for everything. Try power washing wicker - you'll lose all the paint and some of the wrapping, too (I have antique wicker). A steamer "melts" away dust and grime. Our furniture gets sticky from tree sap (even though it is on a screened porch) and nothing gets rid of that but steam. I spray with a light soap and water mix and the steam "rinses". I steam the aluminum furniture, the grill, the deck, everything outside and in. It gets mildew off the house where it's shadowed by shrubs, and it gets slippery moss off the patio. Steam! I swear I don't sell these but I should....