Protecting garden furniture

[David]

We have a wooden garden swing mode from treated softwood which has been outside throughout the year since we bought it.

It does get a bit green and grotty over winter and need cleaning up a bit once the nice weather arrives.

We are considering covering it up over winter, but I'm not sure if this will do more harm than good; at the moment it may get wet but for most of the year it can also dry out again. I wonder if it will just be in a permanent damp environment if it has a plastic cover over it.

It should keep the rain and snow (if any) off it.

Has anyone any experience of covering treated softwood furniture up over the winter?

Cheers

Dave R

[Brian Gaff]

Well the main thing is to have whatever you do ventilated yet not open to let rain in. However you will probably find lots of creepy crawly things have made their winter home inside it. The problem is that if you in effect upholster it, you will seal in the damp and it will rot, probably from the grain ends inwards. Brian

[Davey]

We used to, now we don't bother, and there seems to be no problem.