Storing patio furniture for winter

Not all outdoor furniture has the same vulnerability over winter. Your approach should match the material.

• Aluminum (cast or tubular): The most forgiving material for outdoor winter storage. Aluminum does not rust. A clean, dry set with good powder coat can survive winter under a fitted cover outdoors with no degradation. Shrink wrap adds an extra layer of protection against UV, wind-driven debris, and animal nesting in cushioned chairs. If you have only one material you are confident leaving outdoors covered, aluminum is it.
• Wrought iron and steel: Heavy, durable, and expensive to replace, but iron will rust if moisture is present during storage. Any existing rust spot that is not treated before storage will grow significantly over winter and become structural damage rather than cosmetic damage. Treat all bare metal: wire brush the spot, prime with a rust-inhibiting metal primer (Rust-Oleum or equivalent), and touch up with matching exterior enamel. Store covered or shrink wrapped indoors or in a garage; outdoor storage under a cover is acceptable but only if the furniture is completely dry and the cover is truly waterproof and tied down. A cover that lets water pool on the surface and seep underneath is worse than no cover.
• Teak and hardwood: Teak is naturally resistant to rot, insects, and moisture; a teak set left outdoors will turn silver-gray rather than degrade, and that patina is reversible. If you want to preserve the honey color, apply a quality teak oil or teak sealer before storage and again in spring. Other hardwoods (shorea, eucalyptus, iroko) are similarly durable but benefit from annual oiling. Softwood furniture (pine, cedar) is far less tolerant. Store indoors or in a garage, and make sure it is dry and sealed. Horizontal surfaces on any outdoor wood table collect standing water; store tables upside down or vertical under cover.
• Natural wicker and rattan: The most vulnerable material in winter storage. Natural wicker is a plant-based material; moisture causes it to swell, crack, and develop mold that is impossible to fully remove. Natural wicker must be stored indoors or in a heated garage. Period. Do not cover natural wicker and leave it on a porch or patio; even a dry-seeming covered porch can accumulate enough humidity over winter to destroy it. If you are unsure whether your wicker is natural or synthetic, try this: synthetic wicker is smooth and uniform; natural wicker has visible fiber texture and slight irregularities.
• Synthetic (resin) wicker: Made from polyethylene or PVC resin woven over an aluminum frame; it can winter outdoors with a proper waterproof cover. It will not rot or absorb moisture. The aluminum frame will not rust. Still clean it before covering and store cushions indoors separately.
• Resin and plastic: The most forgiving and easiest to store. Stack matching chairs, nest with no cover if storing in a garage or basement, or use a single large furniture cover outdoors. Plastic degrades from UV exposure over years, not from cold or moisture.

Shrink wrap is not just for boats, and it is much easier to do yourself than most people assume. A roll of 7-mil shrink wrap film, a heat gun, and an afternoon is all it takes to completely seal a full patio set in place on the deck. No hauling heavy furniture to a garage, no searching for covers that fit awkward shapes, no checking in October to find the cover blew off in September. Wrap it once, leave it until spring.

• What shrink wrap protects against that covers don't: A fitted furniture cover has gaps at the bottom edge and can be caught by wind. Shrink wrap seals the entire piece completely, including underneath. It conforms to irregular shapes (chairs with intricate frames, sectionals, fire pits, pergola frames) that standard covers never fit cleanly. Nothing nests inside a properly shrink-wrapped piece. Nothing blows off in a storm. For heavy iron or steel sets that are hard to move, shrink wrapping them in place is genuinely the best option available.
• When shrink wrap is worth doing: Any furniture you want to leave completely hands-off until spring. Heavy iron or steel sets that are difficult to move. Complex multi-piece sectionals with many cushion gaps and crevices. Furniture on an exposed deck with significant wind. Pieces that collect leaves, seeds, and bird activity during winter. If you have ever unwrapped a cover in April and found a mouse nest or a season's worth of debris packed into the frame; shrink wrap solves that permanently.
• Mildew and moisture: the one thing to get right: Shrink wrap's only risk is sealing in moisture rather than keeping it out, and this is entirely avoidable. The rule is simple: nothing goes under the wrap unless it is completely dry. Wash the furniture, let it sit in sun for a full day (two days for wood and natural wicker), and confirm there is no moisture in joints or crevices before wrapping. Once it is sealed correctly, the wrap actually prevents the humidity cycling that causes mildew on covered furniture; outdoor covers breathe moisture in and out with every weather change; shrink wrap does not. For complex pieces with enclosed cavities (hollow table bases, wicker weave), tuck one or two silica gel desiccant packets inside before sealing. These absorb any residual trapped humidity over the winter and are available in bulk cheaply online. Cut the vent holes described below; they are the other half of moisture management.
• The process: Remove cushions first; they always go indoors regardless of wrap. Stack or position pieces in their storage configuration. Apply 7-mil or 8-mil shrink wrap film in overlapping passes around the entire group. Use shrink wrap tape at every seam overlap and at the bottom edge. Apply heat with a propane heat gun or a dedicated shrink wrap tool in smooth, even strokes; the film contracts and tightens as it heats, conforming to the shape. Seal the bottom edge to the deck surface or tie off with strapping so wind cannot get underneath. The whole process for a dining set takes 45-60 minutes the first time; faster once you have done it before.
• Vent holes, required, not optional: After wrapping, cut 2-3 small vent holes (approximately 1/2 inch diameter) in a low position on the wrap. These allow residual moisture vapor to escape rather than condensing on the furniture interior. Without them, temperature swings between warm sunny days and cold nights create a small amount of condensation inside a fully sealed wrap, exactly what you are trying to avoid. Cover each hole with a small piece of shrink tape applied with a slight gap so it breathes but does not admit water or insects.
• Removal in spring: Use a box cutter or utility knife carefully along seams. Shrink wrap is single-use; once cut, it cannot be re-applied. Unwrap on the first warm dry day so the furniture can air out in good conditions before inspection. Recycle the film if your municipality accepts shrink wrap (same collection as grocery bags in most areas).