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How to store garden chairs

Updated: 22 October 2026

Damp mesh folded into a bag smells by spring. How to store garden chairs is a sequence: read the rain line, wash the mesh, dry it, then keep the chair dry. A cover is a fallback only when the listing allows the chair to stay out. The nine listings are on the [garden chairs comparison](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chairs). What to buy is the [garden chairs buying guide](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chairs/sub/garden-chairs-buying-guide). The lock is on [zero gravity garden chairs](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chairs/sub/garden-chairs-zero-gravity). Dining height is on [folding dining garden chairs](/hub/garden-furniture/garden-chairs/sub/garden-chairs-folding-dining). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

Damp mesh folded into a bag smells by spring. How to store garden chairs is a sequence: read the rain line, wash the mesh, dry it, then keep the chair dry.

Our top picks

Yaheetech Yaheetech folding dining chairs

Best overall

Yaheetech Yaheetech folding dining chairs
9.4/10about £39.99
View offer
Straame Straame zero gravity chairs, navy

Rank 2

Straame Straame zero gravity chairs, navy
9.2/10about £59.99
View offer
Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares folding metal chairs

Best value

Harbour Housewares Harbour Housewares folding metal chairs
8.8/10about £44.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Read the rain line before you buy a cover
  2. 2.Dry the chair before it is folded or covered
  3. 3.Frames, rust, and water in the tubes
  4. 4.A breathable cover is not a shed
  5. 5.What to do with this set

Read the rain line before you buy a cover

Yaheetech calls the texteline weather-resistant, and a review says to keep the chairs out of bad weather. A patio cover is not that advice. Straame’s saved bullets say quick-drying after light showers and do not say to leave the chairs out. The navy listing’s live safety block says not to leave them in the rain, and to cover them if they stay out. Harbour has no rain sentence, and reviews mention rust already on the bars. SereneLife, Mosii, OUTSIDER and #WEJOY have no rain sentence. Silence is not permission to leave them out from October to March.

Dry the chair before it is folded or covered

LG Outdoor, writing for its own furniture, says wash textilene with mild soapy water, rinse, and dry it naturally, including under the seat. That is a method, not a warranty for these listings. Harbour Lifestyle says not to store damp fabric. Wet mesh mildews in a zipped bag. Dry the chair in a breeze until the folds are dry. A radiator can leave the tubes wet. Bring cushions in once they are dry. SereneLife’s pillow field says 1 while the title says pillows. If it still smells, that is mildew from an earlier damp fold.
Yaheetech Yaheetech folding dining chairs

Testsieger

Yaheetech Yaheetech folding dining chairs
9.4/10about £39.99
View offer

Frames, rust, and water in the tubes

LG Outdoor says to drain water trapped in the frame tubes. Tip the chair so the open ends point down. Powder coat does not seal a hollow tube, and water left inside starts rust you cannot see. Harbour reviews already mention rust on the bars. Drying slows the next stage. It does not restore the finish. OUTSIDER says iron and also reinforced steel. Yaheetech says alloy steel and also iron. Drain either the same way. Do not oil the mesh. A split joint is no longer a storage tip.

A breathable cover is not a shed

Covers & All says clean and dry the furniture, prefer a ventilated shed or garage, and raise it off the soil if it must stay out. Bags and Covers Direct says water must run off the cover, cushions should not live under it, and condensation is often mistaken for a leak. Air a breathable cover on a dry day. A plastic sheet that traps moisture is a poor match for mesh. If the listing says keep the chair in, use the shed. Yaheetech folds to 88.5 × 58 × 5.5 cm. Straame’s bullets say the chairs fold flat for a shed or cupboard.

What to do with this set

Harbour, #WEJOY and OUTSIDER print a bag. OVERMONT’s title mentions a cooler bag and a carry bag, while included components say Arm Pad, so check the carton. Straame, Mosii, SereneLife and Yaheetech do not print a bag. A bag is not a dryer. A torn arm, a split seam, or a lock that fails in ordinary use is a question under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, through the seller. OVERMONT’s file records seam and arm-support tears, subject to the ASIN split. Mildew after a wet fold is care. A bent frame on arrival is a return.

Common questions

Should I leave folding chairs out all winter?
Only if the listing says they may stay out, and even then a dry, ventilated shed is the better default. None of these nine pages is a leave-outside warranty. Yaheetech’s review trail says keep them out of bad weather. Straame’s live safety block says do not leave them in the rain. A weather-resistant bullet does not overturn that.
Can I fold a damp textilene chair into its bag?
No. Damp mesh mildews once it is closed up, and Harbour Lifestyle’s care note says not to store damp fabric. Wash with mild soapy water, rinse, and dry fully, including under the seat, before it goes into a Harbour bag, a #WEJOY bag, or an OUTSIDER bag. An open chair in a warm room beats a zipped bag on a wet Sunday.
Does a waterproof cover replace a shed?
No. A tight cover holds condensation against the frame, and Bags and Covers Direct notes that a temperature change is often mistaken for a leak. Use a breathable cover, let water run off, air it, and raise the chair off the soil if it must stay outside. Cushions still come indoors. If the page says keep the chair out of bad weather, the cover is not the plan.
How do I clean the mesh before I put it away?
Use mild soapy water, rinse, and let the mesh dry naturally, which is the LG Outdoor sequence for textilene. Include the underside. Drain the frame tubes so water is not trapped for the winter. Skip bleach, and skip folding the chair the same afternoon if the folds are still damp. It is ready when the mesh and the tubes are dry.
What if the frame already shows rust?
Drying and a breathable cover can slow further rust. They do not remove rust that reviews already mention, as on the Harbour bars. If the chair is still within a reasonable time of delivery and the rust or a torn arm was not a fair description of a new chair, use the seller’s returns route under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Related pages

Garden furniture cover comparison

Garden chairs

Best garden chairs: one pick for every outdoor job

Garden chairs buying guide: height, load, and rain

Folding dining garden chairs: check the seat height

Zero gravity garden chairs: lock, weight, and rain

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this set. There is no laboratory test.

  1. BS EN 581-2:2026 outdoor seating tests (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. BS EN 581 series, seating and tables (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK guidance on the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. East Cambridgeshire furniture fire safety fact sheet (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. LG Outdoor care and maintenance (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Harbour Lifestyle all-weather fabric care (retrieved 22 October 2026)