Outdoor furniture and the monsoon: what actually matters
Four months of rain is less damaging than most people fear, and the things that genuinely help are not the things people usually do.
Outdoor furniture and the monsoon: what actually matters
Before the monsoon, wash frames with mild soap, seal teak if you want to keep its honey colour, and store cushions somewhere ventilated rather than sealed in plastic. During the rains, leave furniture out — covers that trap moisture cause far more mildew than rain ever does.
Leave the furniture outside
The single most common mistake is wrapping outdoor furniture in a waterproof cover for four months. A sealed cover traps humidity against the frame and creates exactly the warm, still, damp conditions mildew needs. Furniture designed for outdoors handles rain perfectly well; it handles being sealed in a plastic bag considerably worse.
Cushions are the exception
Performance fabric dries in 45 to 60 minutes and will not be harmed by rain, but a cushion that never fully dries between downpours will eventually grow mildew on the foam rather than the fabric. Store cushions somewhere ventilated — a covered balcony corner is fine, a sealed storage box is not.
Do the sealing before, not after
If you want teak to stay honey-coloured, apply sealer in the weeks before the rains rather than after them. Sealer needs a dry surface and a dry week to cure properly.
Rope and weave need nothing
Solution-dyed olefin absorbs less than 0.1% of its weight in water. Rinse it with fresh water once at the end of the season and leave it alone.