Regardless of where you live in the UK, the chances are you can currently look out into your back garden and see some degree of snow lying out there. But how is your garden furniture faring in these conditions?
If you have got the room you have hopefully long since folded up your garden table and stored it away securely in your garden shed. But if this hasn’t been possible you have probably left it sitting out in the elements.
If this is the case it is no doubt half buried under a pile of snow at the moment. But while this might not seem to be a problem it could lead to long term damage of the table if you aren’t careful. A lot depends on the material your table is made from. If it is constructed from hard wearing plastic you will probably be okay as this can weather all kinds of conditions more easily than other materials.
A wooden table isn’t the same thing though, and you can end up with the snow melting and seeping through into the wood if it hasn’t been treated in a while. Even if it is a new garden table you should protect it as much as you can.
If it is safe to go outside in your garden, brush the snow off your garden table with a soft broom. Obviously you need to do this during a break in the snow showers. Ideally pick a day where the sun is breaking through so the table has a chance to dry off. If the table can be folded down do so and then leave it standing up in the sun to dry out a bit.
The best thing to cover it with is a proper protective cover. If you don’t have one of these a sheet of polythene or something similar can be draped over it and weighed down so it doesn’t blow away. The important thing is to make sure you don’t put this right next to the table if the table is not 100% dry.
A proper cover should be rigid enough that you can leave an air gap in between it and the table itself. Of course if more snow falls it will settle on the cover and weigh it down. But this is better than having it directly on your table – and it will at least be partially protected if the weather continues as it has done during the first week of the New Year.