The weather is starting to warm up, and around the country people are getting out of their homes to hang out on their back patios and decks.

But as you go to sit down on your chaise lounge, is the fabric looking nice or has it been “visited” by a number of birds? Is your wooden patio table looking moldy or are your plastic Adirondack-style chairs covered with dust and grime?

If so, no worries. By knowing how to take care of the different types of materials that were used to make your outdoor furniture, you can keep everything looking new.

Your outdoor wooden furniture will definitely be impacted by your weather, regardless of whether you live in a sunny climate or get lots of rain and/or snow. In general, wooden patio furniture will look a lot better after wiping it down with a damp, non-abrasive cloth. If need be, you can use a pH-neutral soap and warm water to work on stubborn stains. Also, if you notice rough spots on your wooden chairs and tables, go over them with sandpaper to smooth them out.

If you have large fabric-covered pillows on your chaise lounge or outdoor sofa, they probably need a good cleaning before you start lounging outside. As Holmes Products notes, cushions can be washed with a mixture of mild detergent and water — this should remove bird droppings, dirt and mud and leftover food spills. Once you wash off the cushions and pillows, leave them in a shaded area to dry thoroughly; this will prevent the fabric from fading while discouraging the growth of mildew. As you clean your fabric, you might notice more stubborn issues like a cigarette burn or stain; Coit suggests dabbing a bit of mayonnaise on the burn mark and letting it sit a few minutes, then gently wash it off with water. The mayo will help detach the charred burn marks. As an additional tip, smoking e-cigs like the blu PLUS+, which can be used along with the pre-filled e-cig blu PLUS+ Tanks, will not damage your outdoor furniture.

As Article notes, while it might be tempting to go at your plastic outdoor furniture with a pressure washer, resist this urge. However, you can use a hose with a spray nozzle set at the gentle setting to spray down and clean the furniture. You should also skip using bleach to clean off the chairs, tables and other plastic pieces. Instead, use warm water and pH-neutral soap to give the plastic a good scrubbing. When you are not using the furniture, try to keep it out of the sun to avoid cracking and fading.

If you live in an area of the country that gets a lot of rain and snow during the fall and winter, some of your outdoor metal furniture might have rust spots on them. As Apartment Therapy notes, rinse off the metal pieces and then dust them with baking soda, paying close attention to the rusty spots. After about an hour, scour the rusty areas with a metal brush or steel wool; it should remove the rust. For metal patio tables that are still looking past their prime, try a rust-proof spray paint in a cool color and spend an afternoon repainting your metal pieces to look like new.

After being cooped up all winter and into a rainy spring, it’s nice to get back outside. By setting aside a few hours to clean your outdoor furniture, you can rest assured that your clothes won’t get dirty, torn or spotted when you are relaxing in the great outdoors.