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PROTECTION & MAINTENANCE
OUR CARE AND MAINTENANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
During The Season
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• In the open air: design + material + surface treatment (anti-UV paint and moisture resistance) allow Fermob furniture to be left outside,
• Clean your furniture regularly, more frequently in places with high humidity and in salty environments near the sea,
• Use the breathable, dirt-resistant protective covers (Contract – stack covers) to protect solid-top tables, sunloungers and chairs from dead leaves, pine sap and bird droppings.
• Use the water-repellent protective covers (Bellevie).
Winter Storage
• To extend the lifespan of your garden furniture, we recommend storing it over winter in a dry, well-ventilated place where it will be protected from impacts, if at all possible,
• Clean and restore the Fermob products if necessary (rust remover / paint touch-up),
• Place the tables (and other products) on leg risers to create a slope that allows water to drain away,
• Do not store anything on top of the furniture, especially objects that may retain water and moisture (such as flower pots and trivets),
• Do not store the tables stacked with the table tops together, or the benches stacked with the seats together,
• Ideally, you should rest your seats against the tables rather than placing them upside down on top of them,
• Store folding items of furniture in their folded state, and under cover if possible,
• Stack chairs / sun loungers or other furniture, and store them under cover if possible,
• Wash, then bring in the cushions and store them away from dust and moisture,
• If you have to chain up your furniture, use sheathed chains to prevent scratching
Never cover the furniture, especially with a non-breathable plastic tarpaulin that will retain moisture, to avoid paint discoloration and stains.
Protective Cover
What are the 2 types of protective cover available in the Fermob catalogue?
• Protective cover for table, sunlounger and chair (Contract cover)
Colour: Light Grey
Material: Polyamide or Polyester
Breathable, the covers protect the item of furniture from dirt (from dead leaves, pine sap, bird droppings, etc.) during the season.
They allow you to protect your furnishings while creating an aeration system that allows water to drain. Please note that these covers are in no way waterproof.
In order to avoid the stagnation of humidity and the appearance of rings, leg risers must be used to secure the tables, even when using a protective cover
• Protective covers for furniture Bellevie cushion
Colour: Anthracite
Material: Polyamide with polyurethane coating
Water-repellent, the covers protect the cushions of items of furniture from inclement weather during the season.
Caution: these 2 types of cover are not designed for winter storage, but to protect items of furniture during the season.
CLEANING FURNITURE’S SURFACES
Metal Cleaning
To preserve their original appearance, most of our materials require basic precautions. They can be damaged, to a varying extent, depending on the product type, by:
• mechanical factors: wear and tear, scratches, impact, distortion, etc.
• chemical factors: acids, bases, solvents, etc.
Our surfaces must therefore be cleaned in accordance with the following principles :
• Systematically carry out a preliminary test on non-visible and restricted areas to determine compatibility (e.g. under the seat or table top)
• Do not use abrasive products or products which may affect the condition of the surface (abrasive sponges, wire wool, pads, scouring creams or powders, dyed textiles which may leave marks, etc.)
• Do not use aggressive chemicals (solvents, alkaline detergents, etc)
• Beware of retention zones in which cleaning products can be trapped, leading to further damage
• Comply with the conditions of use of the products used (dilution, diffusion, application time, etc.)
• Do not use high pressure equipment
• If your table has a solid top, tilt it slightly, using the Fermob leg risers supplied, to prevent water from accumulating when it is not in use,
• Avoid prolonged contact with objects that may retain water or moisture (such as flower pots or trivets),
• Never cover the furniture with non-breathable tarpaulin or plastic sheeting that will retain moisture,
• Clean off any bird droppings as soon as possible, as these are particularly corrosive.
Our recommendations are as follows :
Use soapy water or Fermob multi-purpose cleaner
Apply with a soft sponge or a white soft cloth made of a non-abrasive material.
Rinse with water
FOCUS ON MILD MULTI-PURPOSE CLEANER
• Allows you to clean all your Fermob furniture
Wipe carefully with a microfibre cloth to prevent limescale marks.
• Effective on metal (aluminium or painted steel), Outdoor Technical Fabric (OTF), woven resin, synthetic fibres… (Do not use on teak)
The following products may be used but they should be diluted and subject to extensive compatibility testing:
• Ethanol
• Bleach (98% dilution)
We strongly advise against the following non-exhaustive list of products; unless appropriately diluted, they could damage our materials:
• Alcohol, isopropanol
• Petrol, white spirit, solvents, dissolvents
• Hydrocarbons, caustic soda, ammonia
• Alkaline detergents (pH>9)
• Acids
• Polish
• Products to remove graffiti
• etc.
OUTDOOR TECHNICAL FABRIC (OTF) AND POLYMER THREAD CLEANING
Use soapy water or Fermob multi-purpose cleaner
Spray or apply with a soft sponge. Rub gently with a soft brush. Rinse with water
Very dirty surfaces may require a second application.
Wipe clean
Teak Cleaning
If you have left your garden furniture outside, it will have turned grey over time. You can get it back to its original colour by following the following steps :
Wash the teak with a brush and soapy water.
Sand the teak with sandpaper (grade 120 or 240 depending on how grey it is) in the direction of the wood grain.
Wipe the sanded area with a clean cloth to remove impurities.
You can also use a degreasing product, which is more aggressive to the wood and is therefore not recommended as an initial approach.
Please note that the slats of the Natural Bistro chair are not made of teak, but of Textrol® treated wood to protect it from the weather. By its very nature, wood requires special care: a wood seal such as Textrol® should be regularly applied, with the prior application of a wood cleaner such as Net-Trol® if necessary.
Fabric Cleaning
PRE-WASHING AND ROUTINE CLEANING – Cushion in place on the furniture
Vacuum your cushion or, if there are any stains, quickly dab them to absorb the liquid with a paper towel, cloth or towel.
Wash the fabric with a soft brush and soapy water (washing-up liquid or mild soap), giving special attention to any stains.
WASHING – Removed cushion cover
30°
Machine-wash on a gentle cycle compatible materials, following the recommendations on the label. Close the zip fasteners first. Allow to dry in the open air
Rinse with clean water
Allow to dry in the open air
Dry-iron the cover if required.
At the end of the season, wash the cushion covers before tidying away/storing your cushions indoors, protected from dust and moisture.
We strongly advise against:
• dry cleaning,
• the use of devices such as high-pressure cleaners, tumble dryers and steam irons
• the use of abrasive liquids.
Restoration Of The Furniture
We advise that any scrapes / missing paint should be repaired immediately to prevent corrosion of the metal (steel or aluminium). We recommend this type of touch-up for the parts of your furniture that cannot be seen.
Rustproofing
If you observe minor corrosion on your steel furniture (most often located at the welds, rivets, joints, under the tops or under the seats) rivets, joints, under the trays or under the seats) the Fermob anti-rust spray will allow you to stop the spread of rust:
Follow the cleaning instructions to clean the oxidised surface. Wipe carefully.
Sand the rusted area with sandpaper (grade 120 to 240), and then wipe the sanded area with a clean cloth to remove impurities.
Before using the rust-proofing product, shake the spray can well. Do a test spray onto a piece of cardboard. Apply the rust-proofing product in a sweeping action. Allow to dry for 5 to 10 minutes.
Move to the painting stage, where you will be using the touch-up pen or the paint spray
You do not need to use a rust remover on aluminium furniture. Simply sand and repaint.
PAINT TOUCH-UP
Wear and tear of painted items (scratches, stains, etc.), whether natural or through failure to follow our precautions for use, can be alleviated on Textured shades (but not on Smooth shades) by applying paint spray:
Follow
The Cleaning Instructions To Clean The Surface To Be Painted
Wipe carefully.
Before using the paint spray, shake the spray can well. Do a test spray onto a piece of cardboard. Apply the paint in a sweeping action, starting the application on the outside of the product to avoid any risk of projection. Allow to dry for 5 to 10 minutes.
A second coat of paint can be applied.
If the item has only had a slight knock, you could use the touch-up pen instead.
Treatment Of Rings
A build-up of water combined with exposure to the sun can cause rings (whitish marks) to appear on your furniture. This can happen if the furniture is not used as per Fermob’s recommendations, such as if you:
• Use non-breathable protective covers
• Use a tarpaulin or plastic sheeting
• Store objects such as flower pots or trivets on top of the furniture
• Stack tables top-to -top
• Stack chairs and benches seat-to -seat or seat-to-table top
• Store a solid-top table over winter or for a prolonged period of non-use without using a table block. Note: The table blocks (supplied with the product and/or available separately) creates a slope to stop water pooling on the table top.
We recommend treating any rings as soon as they appear.
Follow the cleaning instructions to clean the problem area. Wipe carefully.
Use a heat gun (2,000 W, max. 630°C). Slowly move the heat gun over the problem area, holding it around 5 cm away from the surface. The rings will gradually disappear. Allow the surface to cool before using or cleaning the furniture.
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ROLL-OUT OF A SOLUTION FOR PROFESSIONALS
We are able to offer to our professional clients a viable disinfectant solution with:
• Two types of hand-held spray bottles, developed specifically for COVID-19 by the company Berthoud, with a volume of 1 litre (small size) or 5 litres (large size).
• A professional disinfectant (called HAGRAL SPRAY SR), ready to use, doesn’t require rinsing, is a virucide, according to the decree of 13 March 2020, is compatible with surfaces which are in contact with food and is colourless and odourless. A 98% diluted bleach solution may also be appropriate.
Professional disinfectant
HAGRAL SPRAY SR
1 Liter5 Liters
Hand-held spray bottles
Berthoud
Correlations Established Following Application Tests
Large size 5L
• Surface covered 76 m2 (7.5 seconds/m²), or about 50 Alizé sunloungers (15 seconds/sunlounger)
Small size 1L
• Surface covered 15 m2 (15 seconds/m²), or about 30 Bistro chairs (15 seconds/chair)
Under no circumstances can these two services constitute grounds for liability on the part of Fermob with regard to the product’s appearance, their virucidal power or any other consequence related to their use.
Additional Advice
A non-exhaustive list of household products including degreasers, disinfectants, antibacterial products, sanitisers, hydroalcoholic gel, fungicides, virucides and multi-purpose products (Sanytol, Cif, La Croix, Mr Clean, etc.) have been tested in our laboratory. Most of these commercial products are diluted or have a neutral pH and do not damage our materials.
This advice is provided in addition and is compatible with the general recommendations above; under no circumstances can this advice constitute grounds for liability on the part of Fermob with regard to the product’s appearance, their virucidal power or any other consequence related to their use.
