Jerry Baker's What's Growin' On?

Hooray! It’s Memorial Day weekend! Warm summer weather is here in all its glory, so take full advantage of it by getting outside as much as you can. But before the gang arrives for the big holiday cookout, make sure your outdoor furniture is ready for company. Here’s how:

• Sponge down aluminum furniture with a mix of warm water and dishwashing liquid. Pay particular attention to the joints and crevices of the frame, and sponge the cushions or webbing with the same mix to freshen up the seats. Finish by rinsing everything off with a garden hose until all the soap bubbles are gone.
• If a nearby shade tree has showered your patio furniture with sap or pollen, dissolve the sticky mess with a mix of 1 part glycerin and 1 part warm water. Wipe the furniture with a clean, moist sponge.
• To clean canvas chairs or chaises, wet the fabric with a garden hose, rub a scrub brush across a bar of Fels-Naptha® soap, and give the canvas a good going–over. Rinse thoroughly, let the chairs air-dry, and you’re done.
• Spruce up grungy outdoor cushions by wiping them down with a mixture of 1 teaspoon of borax, 1 teaspoon of dishwasher detergent, and 4 cups of warm water, soaking the seams and creases. Let the solution sit for 15 minutes, then rinse it off with a garden hose. Set the cushions on end to air dry.

You’ll find even more solutions for cleaning everything from A to Z in my jam-packed Cleaning Magic! book. It’s filled with over 2,000 terrific tips to get your whole house (indoors and out!) clean as a whistle.