Your Quick-Start Care Guide for Your New Outdoor Lounge Suite

Congratulations on your new outdoor lounge set and thank you for your buisness! You’ve chosen high-quality, low maintenance outdoor furniture designed to handle Kiwi summers and socialising and look fantastic for years to come.

Because you’ve invested in durable  powder coated aluminium frame and premium outdoor fabrics,  we recommend a few simple, quick maintenance habits right from day one.

Think of this as your immediate care guide—the practical tips that keep your furniture feeling new.

The Golden Rule: Little & Often (Cushion Care)

Your outdoor cushions are built tough, but dust, pollen, and general summer detritus are a part of kiwi life outdoors. The secret to pristine upholstery is simple: “Little and often.”

• Keep a Half Brush Handy: Hang a small brush (a clean dustpan brush is perfect) right near your lounge suite.
• 30-Second Sweep: Every week, or whenever the cushions are dry, give them a quick, firm brush-off. This takes less than 30 seconds and removes the surface dust and pollen before it gets embedded in the fabric. This simple routine is the key to effortless outdoor cushion care summer long! The premium outdoor fabrics we use are engineered to be stain resistant but stay vigilant anyway. 
• Don’t ever waterblast your cushions.

Frame Love: Soapy Water Does the Trick

One of the great joys of aluminium outdoor furniture NZ is how easy the frame is to maintain. Aluminium won’t rust, but keeping the powder coated finish clean will ensure its long life.

• Soapy Water wipe down: Wipe down the aluminium furniture frames gently with a warm soapy sponge. This simple step removes salt residue, dust, and air pollutants. That’s all your aluminium furniture maintenance requires!
• Keep sunblock away from your frame: more on this later
• Do not waterblast your frame,and do not use scratchy cleaners like Jiff.

Weather Watch: Tilt and Protect

Your water-resistant squabs are designed to handle a typical rain shower and feature fast-drying foam. However, even the toughest outdoor lounge suites benefit from a little love when the weather turns nasty.

• Tilt the Squabs: If you know a decent downpour is coming but don’t want to store them, just tilt your seat cushions up slightly so they lean against the back cushions. This simple action allows the rain to run right off the squabs rather than pool on the flat surface, speeding up the drying process.
• Massive Storms = Bring Them In: If a heavy southerly or a massive storm system is predicted, please consider bringing your cushions indoors (into a shed, garage, or dry box) for maximum longevity and protection. Why? Its more about dirty rain and detritus blowing around on your squabs.

Stain Patrol: Act Fast

A beautiful summer afternoon can sometimes involve a spilled drink or a rogue bird dropping. Getting to these quickly is the most important rule for stain removal.

• Get onto stains quickly! Fresh stains are much easier to blot and lift than dried, set ones. Don’t rub—gently blot up the spillage with a clean, dry cloth immediately.
• If you need to, remove the cover and pop it in wash, then hang dry.

Block Sunblock: Prevention is best

Sunblock is greasy,and like all oils will leave a stain. Get into the habit of throwing a towel on the squabs before lying on your lounge suite.  Keep Sunblock off the frame as well. Sunblock removes the paint from cars, and will damage the frame. 

Your Outside Space NZ Cleaning Resource Hub

We know life gets busy, so we’ve created dedicated guides for those bigger jobs or specific issues you might face later in the season. Here are some of our other helpful cleaning blogs you might want to bookmark:

End of season care guide: Caring for your Outdoor furniture in 5 easy steps

https://outsidespace.co.nz/caring-for-your-outdoor-furniture-in-5-easy-steps/

Winter prep:

https://outsidespace.co.nz/winter-outdoor-furniture-care-nz/

General Stain Removal Guide

https://outsidespace.co.nz/clean-outdoor-fabric-cushions-nz/

Oil Stain Removal Guide

https://outsidespace.co.nz/oil-stain-removal-outdoor-fabric-nz/

Happy relaxing! We hope you love your new outdoor space as much as we loved creating it for you.

Kerry is the co-owner of Outside Space NZ, offering a range of contemporary outdoor furniture and sun umbrellas for coastal living kiwis seeking premium quality outdoor products and design at achievable prices.