How to Protect Your Outdoor Furniture During Hurricane Season
Hurricane season runs June through November in Florida, and Central Florida homeowners have a lot of questions about what to do with their outdoor furniture when a storm approaches. The short answer: bring it inside if you can. But there is more to it than that, and a few popular tips out there can actually damage your furniture more than the storm will. Reach out to our team at Patio Style by calling (407) 862-4600 if you want guidance on storm prep or are looking to replace furniture that did not survive last season.
What should you do with patio furniture before a hurricane hits?
The first move is to bring everything inside. A garage, shed, or any other grounded structure is far better than leaving furniture exposed to wind. If interior storage is not an option, tie pieces securely to an exterior wall of the house. The key word is "grounded." A wall-anchored piece has something to push against. An untied chair becomes a projectile.
One myth worth busting right here: do NOT throw aluminum furniture into the pool. It is a tip that circulates every hurricane season, and it is genuinely harmful advice. The water pressure, combined with the pool's chemistry, will warp aluminum frames. Once that happens, the furniture is never quite right again. Patio Style has seen it more times than we would like. The pool trick sounds clever; it is not.
Does it matter how far inland you are from the coast?
Yes, significantly. Coastal areas, especially anything near the eye of a storm, see the most intense and immediate wind. In those zones, everything that can move should be secured or brought inside without exception. The further inland you get, into areas like Sanford, Clermont, or Kissimmee, the more the peninsula's geography tends to buffer the worst sustained gusts.
That said, good practices do not change based on zip code. A dining chair left unsecured in an "inland" storm can still go through a window. The goal is to treat any loose outdoor item as a potential hazard and plan accordingly. Even a market umbrella left open can act like a sail. Always close and secure umbrellas, remove cushions, and take table accessories inside regardless of storm category.
What furniture can stay outside, and what absolutely needs to come in?
A lot depends on both the storm's severity and the piece itself. Heavier items like built-in outdoor kitchens or pergola structures are not going anywhere, and they are engineered to take the weather. Permanent shade structures from Patio Style, for example, are rated to withstand winds up to 180 miles per hour, so those can stay put.
Anything lightweight and freestanding is a different story. Dining chairs, side tables, cushions, and umbrellas should always come in. A cast aluminum table might be heavy enough to stay if it is bolted or tied down, but its chairs are not. Think about each piece individually rather than treating the whole patio the same way.
Cushions are a separate conversation. Even if the frame rides out a moderate storm fine, water-saturated cushions left outside for days invite mold and mildew. Bring them in, or at minimum stack and cover them under a secured tarp.
How do you get your outdoor space back in order after a storm?
Once the storm clears, start with a thorough inspection before you move everything back out. Check aluminum frames for any bending or stress fractures. Look at welds and joints, because those are where damage shows up first. Rinse everything down with a hose and mild soap, especially if saltwater was carried inland by the wind.
Cushions that got wet need time to dry fully, standing upright or propped so air can circulate, before they go back on any frame. Mold can take hold fast in Florida humidity. If any cushions smell musty after drying, a diluted bleach solution safe for outdoor fabrics will usually knock it out without damaging solution-dyed acrylics like Sunbrella.
If a storm revealed that your outdoor furniture was already showing its age, fall is actually the best time to replace it. New product lines come in, promotions run, and you can take your time choosing without the pressure of an approaching storm. Stop by the Patio Style showroom in the Orlando area or call us at (407) 862-4600. We will help you find pieces built to last through whatever the next season throws at them.