During winter, your entire attention is dedicated to the insides of your home. The outside, however, has suffered from rain, ice and wind, needless to say that the winter has left its marks on the balcony. This is why with the arrival of warmer days, it is time to start taking care of your balcony to be able to enjoy it during summer.
Create a statement of state
As previously said, the winter has left its traces on your balcony. Whether it has left green foamy marks or lichen, these kind of marks influence the aesthetic of your balcony and can be slippery. To avoid any potential danger, check your entire balcony, not only its floors. Verify the state of your furniture, your walls, and your guardrails. In case you find any problems, you will find advice to deal with them below.
Refresh the guardrails
Before starting to clean the floor of your balcony, clean the guardrails first and avoid having to start the same work over and over again.
For wrought iron railings, start by dusting them and removing spiderwebs. Then, with black soap and lukewarm water, clean both sides with a brush. Rinse thoroughly with a sponge and clean water. In case of rust, use a metallic brush to remove it.
If your balcony railing is made from wood, dust and clean with a sponge soaked in water and black soap first. Then, use lukewarm water and soda. Your sponge should not be completely soaked and dripping, however, it should be wet enough. When you are done with the previous steps, rinse and dry quickly with a cloth.
Aluminum guardrails are the easiest to clean. Use dishwashing soap and a sponge that will not leave scratches on the surface, especially if the railings are not too dusty. For railings that are very dirty, use soda and water to rub rigorously. Don’t forget to wipe with a clean towel.
Tip: clean the railings from top to bottom and proceed in the same manner for rinsing.
Clean the furniture
In general, whatever the material of your furniture, use water and soap. Clean with a piece of cloth in order to be sensitive to your balcony furniture.
Be cautious, do not use products that are chlorinated or abrasive, nor hydrocarbonated.
In case your plastic furniture turned yellow, think of using baking soda.
The following paragraph will explain how you can clean different types of stains on your balcony floor or furniture.
Eliminate stubborn stains
- For rusty stains
Use an anti-rust product for tissue. Apply the product directly onto your stain and rinse it afterwards with a wet sponge.
- For mold stains
Use an eco-friendly product which is adapted to destroying different kinds of molds.
- For grease stains
There are multiple ways to get rid of a grease stain, you can powder the stain with talc, flour, or washing powder for example.
- For bird’s excrement stains
First, scrape off as much as possible. Then, rub it with washing powder before rinsing it thoroughly.
- For mud stains
If the mud is deeply ingrained, scrub the flooring with a wet broom and baking soda. Do not forget to rinse afterwards.
Clean the floor
For any type of balcony floor, start by dusting it. Use a stiff brush or broom.
Slatted floors
Grab a bucket and fill it with water and black soap, stain-remover, or germ killer. This will render your balcony floor shiny again. Then, immerse a brush into the mixture and rub the entire surface of your balcony floor, also paying attention to the grooves.
Tiled floors
Tiled floors do not require using any particular products, simply use detergent and warm water. Vinegar or baking soda might even work better.
If your water is rich in calcium, we advise using water that you have cooked potatoes in to rinse your floor after cleaning it.
Outdoor carpet
Choose a warm and sunny day so you can clean the carpet outdoors and let it dry faster. You should use a product that is specifically for cleaning carpets or alternatively you can use sensitive detergent and water. After having beaten and vacuumed the carpet, you can wet it. Either directly sprinkle some detergent drops onto it, or mix some with the water. You could also use a soft brush to spread out the product. Wait 5 to 10 minutes and rinse the carpet with clean water afterwards.
Synthetic lawn
At least once a year, use a hosepipe to clean it. If your lawn is very dirty, use a mop and soapy water, without, of course, forgetting to rinse it with clean water!
Exotic wood floor
To clean exotic wood floors on your balcony, check out this blogpost.
Published on 01/06/2022
