Can patio furniture be left outside all winter?

Some of it, in some climates. Teak, powder-coated aluminum, HDPE poly lumber and high-quality resin wicker on aluminum frames handle winter outdoors if they are cleaned, dried, raised off the ground and covered with a breathable cover. Steel and iron frames rust at any chipped point, natural wicker and rattan disintegrate when they freeze wet, and glass table tops crack from ice expansion. Cushions and umbrellas should always come inside, in every climate, without exception.

Should you cover patio furniture in winter or bring it inside?

Inside is always better if you have the space, because the enemy is not cold, it is moisture cycling with freeze and thaw. If everything cannot come in, prioritize cushions, umbrellas, glass tops and anything with steel in the frame, and cover the rest. When covering, use a breathable waterproof cover rather than a plastic tarp, raise the furniture on blocks so water is not wicking up the legs, and vent the cover so condensation can escape.

How do you store patio cushions over winter?

Wash them, dry them completely — including the foam insert, which takes far longer than the cover — then store them somewhere dry and ventilated: a basement, a closet, a heated garage, or a deck box with drainage. Do not seal damp cushions in plastic bins or vacuum bags, which is the classic way to open a bin in spring to black mildew. If you use a deck box outside, add a desiccant tub and check it midwinter.

Does a garage or shed work for storing patio furniture?

A garage works well. An unheated shed works if it is dry, but many sheds have earth floors or leaky roofs and swing widely in humidity, which is hard on wood and on anything with fabric. In either case, raise furniture on pallets or 2x4s off the floor, leave air gaps between stacked pieces, and do not store furniture pressed against a cold exterior wall where condensation forms. Mice are the other shed problem, and they nest in cushions.

When should you put patio furniture away for winter?

Once nighttime temperatures are consistently in the 40sF and before the first hard freeze, which for most of the northern US is late October into November. The practical trigger is the last comfortable weekend outside, because you want a dry, mild day to wash and fully dry everything. Putting furniture away wet is the single most common mistake, and a rushed job on a damp December afternoon is how it happens.

How to Store Patio Furniture in Winter (By Material)

Written & researched by Derek Holt Home & Appliances Editor

Updated October 2026

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Store patio furniture for winter by cleaning every piece, letting it dry completely, bringing cushions and umbrellas indoors without exception, and either storing the frames in a dry ventilated space or covering them outdoors on blocks with a breathable cover. Plan a dry, mild weekend in the 40 to 60F range, which for most of the northern US means late October to mid-November. Cold is not what destroys outdoor furniture. Trapped moisture is — it grows mildew in cushions, splits water-filled joints when it freezes, and rusts steel from any chipped point outward.

The prep that decides everything

Clean each piece. Soapy water and a soft brush on frames, and a proper wash on any fabric. Dirt left over winter etches finishes and feeds mildew. Full method for the soft parts is in cleaning outdoor cushions.
Dry completely, and check the hidden parts. Tip chairs to drain water out of hollow legs. Press the middle of a cushion insert and feel for cold dampness. A cushion that feels dry on the surface can hold a pint of water in the foam.
Inspect and fix now. Tighten every bolt, touch up chipped paint on steel with a rust-inhibiting primer, and replace worn glides. Rust that starts in November under a cover is a lot of rust by April.
Photograph the assembly if you are breaking anything down, and bag the hardware with a label.
Take glass table tops off. Store them flat or on edge in a protected spot. Water pooling and freezing on a glass top, or an unbalanced table blowing over, are the two ways they break.

Close-up detail of the material being worked in a outdoor living & grills project, in warm evening lamplight

What each material needs

Material	Can stay outside?	Winter prep
Teak and other hardwood	Yes, in most climates	Clean, dry, oil or let it gray; cover loosely; keep off wet ground
Powder-coated aluminum	Yes	Clean, touch up chips, cover; it does not rust but the coating can chip
Steel or wrought iron	Preferably not	Any chip becomes rust. Prime and paint chips, store dry if possible
Resin wicker on aluminum frame	Yes, with a cover	Resin gets brittle in deep cold — avoid moving or stacking when frozen
Natural wicker or rattan	No	Must come indoors. Freezing wet fibers split and unravel
HDPE poly lumber	Yes	Essentially maintenance free; just clean it
Plastic and resin chairs	Yes, but they degrade	UV-embrittled plastic cracks in cold; stack, strap and cover
Cushions and pillows	Never	Indoors, fully dry, ventilated storage
Umbrellas	Never	Closed, dry, stored flat or upright indoors
Glass table tops	No	Remove and store flat under cover

Storing indoors

Raise everything on pallets or 2x4s. Concrete floors wick moisture and sweat in temperature swings.
Leave air gaps between stacked pieces — a folded blanket or foam block between chairs prevents both scuffing and trapped condensation.
Keep furniture off cold exterior walls, which is where condensation forms first.
Store cushions loose or lightly bagged in breathable fabric, never sealed in plastic bins or vacuum bags.
Set out mouse deterrents. Rodents nest in cushion foam and shred it, and it is the most common storage loss.
Do not stack heavy items on resin or wicker; cold makes them brittle and they crack under weight they would carry fine in July.

Over-the-shoulder view of a person grilling vegetables, in soft early-morning light

Leaving it outside, done properly

Group and consolidate. Push everything together against a wall or into a sheltered corner. Fewer covers, less wind exposure.
Raise it off the ground. Bricks, pavers or pressure-treated blocks under the legs. Legs standing in a puddle that freezes is how aluminum feet split and wood ends rot.
Use breathable waterproof covers. Purpose-made furniture covers have a waterproof face and vents. A plastic tarp traps condensation and creates a greenhouse of mildew underneath — it does more harm than no cover.
Secure the covers. Drawstrings, straps or buckles, snug at the bottom. A cover that flaps all winter abrades the finish it was meant to protect, and one that blows off in January is not discovered until March.
Angle surfaces so water runs off. Tilt table tops slightly or set a block underneath so snowmelt drains rather than pools and freezes.
Check midwinter. After the first big storm, look under the covers for pooling, sagging and trapped snow. Ten minutes in January saves a set.

Wind is the other winter hazard, and it does not wait for storage day — the anchoring methods in keeping patio furniture from blowing away apply just as much to a covered stack as to furniture in use.

The grill and the umbrella

Umbrellas come in, every time, in every climate. Close the canopy fully dry, then store it horizontally on a shelf or upright in a corner where the ribs are not bearing weight. A canopy folded away damp comes out black. Cleaning it before storage is covered in how to clean a patio umbrella.

For grills, deep-clean before storage so grease is not sitting on burners all winter, and empty charcoal ash completely since ash plus moisture corrodes a bowl fast. Gas grills can generally stay outside covered; disconnect the propane tank and store the tank outdoors, upright, never in a garage or basement. Whether a tank can sit outside through a freeze is covered in leaving a propane tank outside in winter.

Wide environmental view of a person grilling vegetables, in soft overcast light

Mistakes that write off a set

Storing anything damp. The one mistake that causes most of the others.
Plastic tarps. Condensation underneath does more damage than rain would have.
Sealing cushions in airtight bins. Mildew, guaranteed, if there was any residual moisture.
Leaving legs on wet ground. Freeze-thaw at the foot splits aluminum and rots wood.
Leaving glass tops on tables. Ice and wind both break them.
Handling resin wicker in deep cold. It goes brittle; wait for a mild day to move it.
Ignoring chipped paint on steel. One chip in November is a rust bloom in April.

Spring reopening

Uncover on a dry day, inspect for mildew and rust, wash everything down, and reproof fabric that has stopped beading water. Check every fastener again, since freeze-thaw loosens hardware. Let cushions sit in the sun for a few hours before they go back on, and confirm the foam is dry through the middle before you commit to a season. If a set has come to the end of its life, our patio furniture set picks flag the frame materials owners rate best for hard winters — aluminum and HDPE lead consistently on longevity feedback.

Safety

Get help lifting heavy tables and sectionals rather than dragging them across a deck or twisting them alone. Never store a propane tank indoors, in a garage, in a basement or in a shed you also heat — it goes outside, upright, valve closed, in every season. Do not stack furniture higher than shoulder height in a garage where it can fall on someone, and keep stacks clear of the path to an exit. If you use a ladder to reach shed storage, do it in dry conditions with someone in the house who knows you are out there.

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How to Store Patio Furniture in Winter