One of my favorite things about having a backyard is having a place where we can grill. We can set-up the grill in one corner and then kick back with friends in some cozy patio furniture as the meats cook. I’m still getting used to keeping my yard “clean.” I didn’t always have a yard and I didn’t always have outdoor furniture so there are still a few tricks to learn. Did you know, that according to a recent Procter & Gamble (P&G survey, only 20 percent of us clean our outdoor furniture, even though keeping it clean can last longer? Even with all of the cooking and grilling, only 25% of us actually clean our grills!
Outdoor Living Maintenance Tips
Here are a few useful tips to get your outdoor living space ready for entertaining:
- Maintain Your Outdoor Furniture – Keep it looking good all summer
- Inspect your Deck – Give it good once over – check for loose nails, bricks, cracked concrete
- Remove the Clutter – Clean up, power wash, remove unnecessary items/debris.
- Accessorize – Add in the little touches (i.e., plants, outdoor lighting, lanterns, centerpiece)
- Clean your Grill – Give your grill a clean start this season.
Don’t know where to start? Head out to The Home Depot where you can pick up Mr. Clean Outdoor and Bounty products to help you with our outdoor cleaning needs! Not only can you get your yard and furniture looking great, but it will help them last longer!
Enter The WiC Project P&G/Home Depot Giveaway
The Prize:
One winner will receive a special prize pack which includes a full-size bottle of Mr. Clean Outdoor Spray, Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro Magic Eraser, one Bounty Paper Towels Roll and a custom LeatherCraft 2-pocket natural colored canvas The Home Depot apron.
This giveaway is open to US residents only.
Visit our Giveaway Rules page for general giveaway rules that also apply to this giveaway.
Disclaimer: This post consists of my (and/or fellow tester) opinions only. Your experiences may be different. No compensation was given for this review/giveaway. I did receive a free product from the manufacturer or their representing PR agency to use and test for the purposes of this review. This did not affect the outcome of this review.
Amie Olson says
June 29, 2012 at 10:16 amWe clean our outdoor patio and deck furniture.
Lynnette Watkins says
June 29, 2012 at 10:19 amClean up all the leaves under the bushes. Pull all the weeds and trim the bushes. Clean up the patio so the kids can play on it. I give it a good scrubbing so they can draw on it.
Jennifer C says
June 29, 2012 at 10:20 amI give the kids a bucket and the hose and let them clean it up. They have a great time.
Vanessa Dalton says
June 29, 2012 at 10:24 amSweep, clean, organize, rearrange
Brooke Bumgardner says
June 29, 2012 at 11:11 amClean the porch off and the lawn chairs.
Heather Poindexter says
June 29, 2012 at 11:31 amSweep, Clean (everything!) Powerwash!
Ruby says
June 29, 2012 at 11:38 amclean up and remove unnecessary items
lyndsey says
June 29, 2012 at 11:42 ammow and sweep the deck
Doris Calvert says
June 29, 2012 at 11:50 amWe plant flowers the first week in June and if the weather permits in Alberta we get our space ready, and there is always lots to clean! We have lights, fire pit, portable hot tub, patio set with a wicker couch, we try to make it the same comfort as indoors!
Jessie Smith says
June 29, 2012 at 10:20 amI like to make sure my outdoor living space as “flowery” as possible so that it’s like sitting in a garden. I also like to make sure it’s shaded with an umbrella or something so that the fam can head out and have a picnic or whatever they want to do.
Lisa says
June 29, 2012 at 12:35 pmGet the old ladder out and clean the windows , ceiling and columns of back porch, then it scrub scrub scrub all furniture and porch floor
Meagan Worden says
June 29, 2012 at 1:02 pmI set up the tables and chairs and makes sure the area looks uncluttered. I also have to clean things 🙁
Sandra Beeman says
June 29, 2012 at 2:09 pmFirst, I grab the hose for a “spraydown” Then, I move onto inspection and repair, then onto the final “scrubdown” of everything!
Amber says
June 29, 2012 at 2:17 pmWe spray clean the back porch. There’s not much to it.
Marthalynn says
June 29, 2012 at 4:18 pmThere’s a lot of de-cobwebbing and sweeping that needs to be done to get our space ready!
Leslie Galloway says
June 29, 2012 at 4:38 pmpowerwash the furniture and spray for mosquitos!
Facebook Name: Leslie Galloway (www.facebook.com/GallowayLeslie)
tess says
June 29, 2012 at 5:28 pmwash all the cushions and clean the floor with clorox
tcogbill at live dot com
Kathy S says
June 29, 2012 at 6:09 pmSpray wash the patio
susan says
June 29, 2012 at 6:43 pmFirst, we clean the deck.
D Schmidt says
June 29, 2012 at 7:39 pmI wash everything down and try to get the garden into some sense of order
Shirley says
June 29, 2012 at 8:04 pmCleaning the furniture.
Jaime says
June 29, 2012 at 8:08 pmWe clean up the yard from all the winter debris!
debbie jackson says
June 29, 2012 at 9:47 pmlots of elbow grease, painting and planting for me
debbie jackson,
djackson1958 at hotmail dot com
Pamela Roundy says
June 29, 2012 at 10:52 pmClean up the deck and yard from winter.
ToriH. says
June 29, 2012 at 10:54 pmLots of cleaning.
Janet F says
June 30, 2012 at 5:45 amThis week I cleaned my outdoor furniture set.
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
Lynnette Watkins says
June 30, 2012 at 11:23 amMake the kids pick up their toys and bikes.
Stephanie Hungerford says
June 30, 2012 at 12:16 pmWe grease bike chains and wipe down patio furniture.
Jennifer B says
June 30, 2012 at 12:30 pmI pull weeds, sweep and wash down the tables and chairs
Cheryl B. says
June 30, 2012 at 12:35 pmPull out the power washer and go to work.
Jessica O says
June 30, 2012 at 1:10 pmWe mow, weed whack, and sweep!
Tracy Awalt Juliano says
June 30, 2012 at 1:13 pmLots of mowing.
Erin R. says
June 30, 2012 at 2:17 pmI enjoy planting my flower beds and digging my gardens
deb kovac says
June 30, 2012 at 2:19 pmBefore my power washer broke I use that to clean my outdoor area. Now I have to do it all my hand.
Seyma Shabbir says
June 30, 2012 at 3:31 pmBroom the patio and pull out grill
Julie Lynn Bickham says
June 30, 2012 at 4:10 pmA good raking and power washing.
Tabathia B says
June 30, 2012 at 6:58 pmI use an air/water compressor to clear the sidewalk
Micah Pearson says
June 30, 2012 at 8:31 pmclean it up
Carol W says
July 1, 2012 at 12:15 amPowerwash
jenn says
July 1, 2012 at 2:24 amAlways clean all the outdoor furniture and seal anything that needs to be sealed
amy marantino says
July 1, 2012 at 7:37 amclean up a winter’s worth of #2 from two big dogs
Jessie C. says
July 1, 2012 at 12:12 pmClean up the outdoor furniture and the yard.
melina r says
July 1, 2012 at 12:44 pmdust off all patio furniture and clean the yard
denise says
July 1, 2012 at 2:33 pmmow the lawn, sweep the portico, plant flowers and veggies
Tina Bartunek says
July 1, 2012 at 3:47 pmMow and sweep.
Jean Godwin says
July 1, 2012 at 3:48 pmRepot all those pots with dead stuff in them, wipe them down nicely, put a little mulch on the soil to keep plants moist. Wash the furniture down, restack the stones around the pond, polish up the grill, get extra propant. I bought pretty turquoise dishes just for outside, with new glasses and silverware. Need a new umbrella this year. July 4th sale, here I come!
Jill Jacoby says
July 1, 2012 at 4:04 pmIn Florida we are always ready for summer! The question for us is what do you do to get ready for a Hurricane! We store all the summer furniture inside like most of the Country does in winter.
Jodi Bradshaw says
July 1, 2012 at 4:36 pmwe sweep the back where there are bricks and brush off the spider webs
patricia says
July 1, 2012 at 7:17 pmwe cclean, mow, weed and plant a few new flowers
C.j. says
July 1, 2012 at 9:19 pmI power wash the furniture and add a splash of color by planting flowers
Courtney Tucker says
July 2, 2012 at 5:44 amI finally rake lol!
Kerry says
July 2, 2012 at 8:38 amRake and weed the yard and spray off our stuff with a hose
Jan Messali says
July 2, 2012 at 10:50 amAfter we remove the winter covers from the patio furniture I give everything a good cleaning and we put out new potted plants to add some color.
Jennifer Hiles says
July 2, 2012 at 11:30 amLots of mowing and weedwacking!
Cindy says
July 2, 2012 at 11:37 amClean and wipe down. Try to keep up to date
K.Pugh says
July 2, 2012 at 11:39 amClean the yard, clean the outdoor furniture, start digging out the kids toys, pools etc..
Thanks for the chance.
Jessyca says
July 2, 2012 at 1:53 pmI pull weeds and plant flowers.
Amy Pullifrone says
July 2, 2012 at 1:54 pmHubby cuts the grass…kids clean up the toys and I trim the bushes.
Deb K says
July 2, 2012 at 2:22 pmWe clean windows~cut the grass and plant flowers!
Sue H. says
July 2, 2012 at 3:41 pmI have a small patio but I always sweep it and squirt it off and get all the spider webs down.Thanks for the giveaway!
Karen Fields says
July 2, 2012 at 5:17 pmLawn mowing and attempting to keep the flowers alive.
renfie.fields(at)gmail.com
cathy ferguson says
July 2, 2012 at 8:47 pmi wipe the patio furniture down and get the pretty flowers planted! i also get the adult beverages ready! 🙂
Lesley F says
July 2, 2012 at 8:59 pmWe power wash the deck
Paul T/Pauline T says
July 2, 2012 at 9:07 pmwe pressure wash our back patio, and repot our plants, and straighten everything out – Paul Tran ….. emscout9 at Hotmail dot com
Katie Wurn says
July 3, 2012 at 1:17 amHaul everything out of the garage, set up the tables, chairs, etc, hose everything down. Then I weed the areas where I will be planting flowers.
Catie says
July 3, 2012 at 8:02 amWe pull a LOT of weeds!
Myra R says
July 3, 2012 at 1:04 pmi cut the grass, plant some nice flowers in the garden and in some pots and i put out the solar lights!
mrsshukra says
July 3, 2012 at 5:44 pmTrim the hedges!
Tina says
July 3, 2012 at 7:52 pmI need something to help get rid of all the bugs. and a good trash can.
nannypanpan says
July 4, 2012 at 10:33 ami put lots of annuals on the deck
[email protected]
Crystal Litz says
July 4, 2012 at 6:15 pmMow the lawn,weed & clean off the furniture
Audra says
July 4, 2012 at 8:41 pmPull weeds
Carol ONeil says
July 4, 2012 at 10:04 pmSweep and wash things off.
Jeanna says
July 5, 2012 at 4:22 pmHose everything down & give it a good scrubbing!
Jennifer E. says
July 5, 2012 at 7:50 pmmow.. that’s about it lol
Kayla Johnson says
July 5, 2012 at 9:18 pmI get the pool ready (cleaning, chemicals..)
rebecca alvarado says
July 5, 2012 at 11:59 pmuncover the grill, fill the pool and pull the patio set out of the garage
Kate Dorsey says
July 6, 2012 at 2:07 amOh I wish I had a great yard again!!! Recently moved into a townhouse and gave that up and I miss it so much!!
Sherry S. says
July 6, 2012 at 10:06 amGive everything a good cleaning.
randy fulgham says
July 6, 2012 at 7:42 pmwe have a nice community room and patio at the duplex i live at..every body keeps it clean and we have hAve fun…
Krystal says
July 7, 2012 at 11:08 amMy husband does most of it…Weeding, clearing out the dead foliage, mowing, weed-wacking,sweeping, wiping down the table and chairs, and mulching. I plant the garden and some pots/hanging baskets. All this for our TINY city yard!
Jeana O'donnell-Murphy says
July 7, 2012 at 4:12 pmI spray down the porch,windows, siding, chairs, & awning with simple green
ashley peters says
July 7, 2012 at 4:17 pmclean clean clean!!!
Pippi says
July 7, 2012 at 4:18 pmCleaning up from the past season, and then planting and maintaining flowers and an organic garden!
lynn says
July 7, 2012 at 4:28 pmget the garden ready!
Kris says
July 7, 2012 at 4:31 pmclean up, weed, plant and feed existing plants
jennay says
July 7, 2012 at 6:45 pmGet up weeds and plant for flowers-also add to the garden!
Terri Quick says
July 7, 2012 at 8:04 pmI clean up the garage.
Kristin Mc. says
July 7, 2012 at 8:57 pmRake, sweep, spray!
Crystal Thompson says
July 7, 2012 at 9:54 pmLove P&G products!
Pam Scott says
July 7, 2012 at 10:01 pmI start by cleaning the leaves out of the flower beds and the line along the fence. We bag these for pick up.
Allison Downes says
July 7, 2012 at 11:16 pmLots of Yardwork, and organizing
ron marsh says
July 8, 2012 at 8:30 amI mow the lawn
Brenda Coderre says
July 8, 2012 at 8:48 amI plant beautiful flowers…..
Debbie Howard says
July 8, 2012 at 12:14 pmI finish cleanning the leaves up that i missed during fall, clean flower pots out and get ready for planting new flowers. I love my flowers!
Mel brock says
July 8, 2012 at 1:40 pmwe uncover them and dust the ones that look a bit dirty
Bethany says
July 8, 2012 at 3:21 pmI hate cleaning
laura ari says
July 8, 2012 at 4:22 pmI scrub the patio furniture and repaint any that have gotten rusty.
summer says
July 8, 2012 at 5:35 pmAwesome giveaway!! hope to finally win one soon!
Rachel Robertson (Azrael) says
July 9, 2012 at 3:03 amPressure washer! Works wonders 🙂
Liberty Boblett says
July 9, 2012 at 4:12 amClean off the back patio, wipe down the table and chairs, clean up the bbq grill.
penny hyde says
July 9, 2012 at 7:26 amwe use ours year round, but occasionally wash and dust, depending on how dry it is in our area. we live on a dirt road and things have a tendency to get dusty!
Jennifer Winchester says
July 9, 2012 at 11:12 amwe get the family together and clean the yard
Christine says
July 9, 2012 at 1:01 pmClean the yard, clean the outdoor furniture, etcd.
Thanks for the chance!
Angie says
July 9, 2012 at 1:04 pmTreat with long-lasting bugspray.
Amy Jones says
July 9, 2012 at 1:24 pmWE usually start the summer off with cleaning up the yard, removing clutter. Then we pull out all the outdoor furniture, get the accessorizes around. See if we need anything new this year. Pull the grill out, clean it up for the summer, its going to be used hard.
After the summer we clean everything up and store it away, for the next summer and then we do it all over again.
micheal dale grim says
July 10, 2012 at 10:13 amthis year i have to wash and re stain our deck.not looking forward to it at all!!
crystal lane says
July 10, 2012 at 10:13 amwell we start with the pool which is the hardest to clean then we bust out summer table and chairs and clean them.
Deborah Rosen says
July 10, 2012 at 10:30 amWe scrub down all the furniture, clean the deck, plant the gardens and make any repairs from our crazy winters.
Renee Shriner says
July 10, 2012 at 11:16 amMow the back yard, spray & pull weeds.
tara b. says
July 10, 2012 at 12:39 pmpull all the summer decorations/chairs/grill out from shed…cut the grass…weed…plant some flowers…
Candice says
July 10, 2012 at 1:46 pmWe clean the yard, bring out the chairs, and plant flowers.
Robyn Dones says
July 10, 2012 at 1:52 pmWe power wash the deck every Spring before putting out the deck furniture. Then, I clean all the furniture. Thank you for the chance to win!
kdones (at) optonline (dot) net
Debbie CAMPBELL says
July 10, 2012 at 2:20 pmI just clean off my deck and wash all my outdoor chairs. I also get some flowers
Sara Wood says
July 10, 2012 at 2:41 pmI do alot of outdoor cleaning and usually plant some new flowers.
Andrea D. says
July 10, 2012 at 3:54 pmI try to wash everything off.
TRACY SIMMS says
July 10, 2012 at 5:21 pmKEEP THE GRASS CUT! thanks,[email protected]
Holly S. says
July 10, 2012 at 5:56 pmSweep away the Fall/Winter leaves.
shirley carr says
July 10, 2012 at 10:30 pmplant flowers
Kim Reid says
July 10, 2012 at 10:46 pmMow grass and trim shrubbery 🙂
Thanks!
Andrea DuVall says
July 10, 2012 at 11:42 pmI pressure wash everything after the long winter 🙂
Paul T/Pauline T says
July 11, 2012 at 1:48 amFollowed on RSS…Google reader subscriber …( Paul T / Pauline T …pls use emscout9 at hotmail dot com instead of gmail to contact me)
Jennifer DeFoy says
July 12, 2012 at 3:58 amWe store our table and chairs in the garage during the winter so all we really have to do is spray everything down with a hose. But I would love to try the Mr. Clean and see how well it does on removing some of the “caked” on water spots and such.
Mike S. says
July 12, 2012 at 11:29 amIn the past, about all I’ve done is mow. You guessed it, I’m an indoorsy sort 🙂
JULIE TARDI says
July 12, 2012 at 12:04 pmwash the table chairs get the grill cleaned and we are ready to roll out the green carpet
brianna says
July 12, 2012 at 12:05 pmugh the pool is first,, its the most time consuming 🙁
Jan Scott says
July 12, 2012 at 12:09 pmLove This! Moving to a new home in just a few weeks! Would this be perfect for the move in or what?
Thanks for holding a giveaway!
Donna A :) says
July 12, 2012 at 12:12 pmhave to wash off the chairs. clean off the table and get the cooker ready to use. would love to win!
Corinne Lockie says
July 12, 2012 at 12:12 pmCleaning, weeding, and washing 🙂
virginia rogers says
July 12, 2012 at 12:13 pmTry to clean windows could really use power washer for outside. Thank you for the opportunity to win this awesome offer, appreciate it!!!
agnes christiansen says
July 12, 2012 at 12:24 pmbrought out the grill and clean and cleaned the patio
Jackie says
July 12, 2012 at 12:30 pmclean off the table,bring the cushions out for the chairs, and bring all the bikes and whatnot out from the attic
deb mcnabb says
July 12, 2012 at 12:37 pmclean up outside and add fres flowers and new lawn ornaments
Sharon Hamilton Freeman says
July 12, 2012 at 12:45 pmWe get the whole family involved in mowing the grass and cleaning the porch!
Keisa Rogers says
July 12, 2012 at 12:58 pmWe just mow,and pressure wash our patio furniture and porchs.Very simple
terisa says
July 12, 2012 at 1:10 pmWeed and til flower beds and plant flowers. Sweep and keep sweeping.
Dorothy Walters says
July 12, 2012 at 1:24 pmI only have a small patio so sweeping it is about all I do. I don’t have any furniture but would like some.
Misses Giveaways says
July 12, 2012 at 1:36 pmClean up my backyard and bring out the grill!
wendy hutton says
July 12, 2012 at 2:06 pmby cleaning up the yard and putting summer things out
Lisa Wells says
July 12, 2012 at 12:10 pmI hose down the back pad (it’s a 12×12 concrete slab), kill and remove any spiders or webs (phobia), clean out any planters I have (now on front porch, more shade), rinse off the patio furniture, and get the grill ready (check propane level, clean out icky spiders, clean grill grates).
ashley seeley says
July 12, 2012 at 2:10 pmclean the patio, rake , water and trim pants
Jason B says
July 12, 2012 at 2:54 pmClean grill and power wash.
Patty B says
July 12, 2012 at 3:31 pmWish I had some back yard furniture..
Patty B says
July 12, 2012 at 3:31 pmWish I had some back yard furniture..
Sarah Garrison says
July 12, 2012 at 10:16 pmclean the porches and the grills and get ready for another hot summer
Ellen Levickis says
July 13, 2012 at 11:25 amwe get the furniture out of the poolhouse
Karen says
July 13, 2012 at 11:46 amWe clean off the deck and patio, get all the furniture and kids toys out of the shed, buy hanging flowers and flower for the kids to plant in the deck planters.
Julie Klein says
July 13, 2012 at 12:31 pmSpray the yard for weeds and pick any stickers out of the yard.
carol lewis says
July 13, 2012 at 8:34 pmclean the deck off and work on the flowers
Lisa Bourlier says
July 13, 2012 at 8:40 pmPay my son whos home from college to get to work out there!
Judy Gregory says
July 13, 2012 at 9:26 pmsame as lisa kinda. pay my 35 yr old nephew that can,t get a job
Judy Gregory says
July 13, 2012 at 9:27 pm(won’t get a job)
Denise S says
July 13, 2012 at 10:32 pmHose everything down to rinse the nasty spiders away
melissa finn says
July 13, 2012 at 10:36 pmpainted my deck
Amber Cavalier says
July 13, 2012 at 10:36 pmTo get the backyard ready for summer, we always cut our grass extra low and spray for ants. They are horrible here during the summer months!
angela adelman says
July 13, 2012 at 10:38 pmI mow the grass….pick the weeds…and plant some vegetables….
laura says
July 13, 2012 at 10:40 pmmowing the yard
maria cantu says
July 13, 2012 at 10:42 pmMake sure the grass is cut and have lots of mosquito repellant ready. Thanks!
Corey Olomon says
July 13, 2012 at 10:44 pmCut the Grass constantly!
Jayde Ann Shrew says
July 13, 2012 at 10:47 pmMake sure grass cut and everything scrubbed down and for sure mosquito repellent is a necessity !!
CarolynH says
July 13, 2012 at 10:47 pmPower up the electric lawn mower, plant an herb/ vegetable garden. Make sure the birds have feed & a clean bird bath.
Shannon Pickin says
July 13, 2012 at 10:55 pmsweep my patio…live in an apartment, so can’t do anything else with the rest of it lol
Amanda says
July 13, 2012 at 10:55 pmmove the wood cutting stuff from the winter out of the way and break out the pools, sandboxes and the grill for summertime!
Tara F. says
July 13, 2012 at 10:57 pmTry to clean up outside but It’s so horribly hot here in AZ that we don’t spend too much time outside.
Charlotte V. says
July 13, 2012 at 10:57 pmMow yard, plant flowers, get all the summer stuff out (decor, patio furniture, etc.) get the grill ready.
Vesta Mason says
July 13, 2012 at 11:04 pmPlant flowers and weed, weed, weed! Thanks for the giveaway!!!
Heidi H says
July 13, 2012 at 11:18 pmWe make sure the grass it cut and that everything is good and clean and that we are bug free.
Miranda R says
July 13, 2012 at 11:42 pmPlant daffodils; they’re one of my favorites!