Lawn Chair Types and How to Clean Them
Lawn chairs are defined as "light folding chairs for outdoor use on soft surfaces. The left and right legs are joined along the ground into a single foot to make a broader contact area with the ground. Individual feet would otherwise dig into soft grass." Some of the most popular types of outdoor chairs are wood Adirondack chairs, plastic chairs and wicker chairs. An Adirondack chair is a non-adjustable lounge chair and is sometimes referred to as a "Muskoka chair." Adirondack chairs were some of the most popular early lawn chairs because they had wide arms, a comfortable back and with the addition of cushions they were very relaxing to sit in. Wicker chairs, which are very similar in construction to cane and rattan chairs, are ventilated and excellent for use in humid, summer weather.
Plastic lawn chairs can be cleaned easily by using a half-cup of washing soda and a gallon of hot water. First you need to dissolve the washing soda in a bucket filled with the hot water and then with rubber gloves on, apply the water onto the plastic chair and give it a good going over with a sponge. Leave it ten to twelve minutes before you begin the process of rinsing. If your plastic chairs sit under trees and have stains that don't want to come off easily then redo the process but this time let the washing soda mixture set on the chair for twenty minutes before you rinse it thoroughly.
To clean mildew and mold off of cushions for outdoor chairs use two teaspoons of tea tree oil and two cups of water. Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is used to kill both bacteria and fungus. It can be found in most health food stores and pharmacies. When mixing the tea tree oil with the water, put the contents in a spray bottle and then spray on cushions. There is no need to rinse. The tea tree oil/ water combination should begin to work on the odor and the appearance of the mildew in a couple of days. Before using this concoction spot test it on cushions to make sure it will not affect the color of them.
Once the mildew and mold is gone from cushions you can use the washing soda plus water mixture as described above (for the chairs themselves) to clean the cushions. This same mixture can be used on wood lawn chairs but first spot test it to ensure that none of the wood finish will peel off.