Hoses and Tables and Chairs, Oh My!

October 12 is Thanksgiving for our Canadian friends. Home and Garden wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Well, the summer, for all intents and purposes, is over. The leaves are changing and it's time to figure out where to store all of your outdoor stuff.

Even if you have a garden shed, you still need to put away your tools properly.

Your Hoses

I know winding them up and throwing them in the shed sounds easy. Doing that, you chance ruining it for next year. First make sure they are completely empty. Even a little water, left inside all winter, can cause breakage. Now, on the lawn, wind the hose in manageable hoops. Tie with twine on at least two areas. Now it's ready to be hung up in the shed. Next year it will be easy to take it out and set it up. No knots, cracks or little critters living inside.

If you don't want to hang the hose, Rubbermaid has a huge variety of containers you can store it in. The one thing you do not want to do is leave it outside, where the elements will do their worst to it. A little extra work now means you won't have to buy a new one next year.

Tables

Whether you are putting up a picnic table, deck table or little plastic tables, they all need proper care to last.

Many people prop their picnic tables up on a tree, or on the side of a building. That's fine, but you will still want to cover it with thick plastic. Snow and ice can accumulate on the wood. This will definitely ruin the wood, unless covered.

If you're like me, and like to use your picnic table even in the winter, you can do as I do. I buy heavy tarpaulin plastic. I make a top cover, and tie it on tightly. I also do the same with the benches. When I want to use it, I just wipe off the snow. It slides off easily because of the plastic. For warmth I place a rug remnant on the bench, before sitting down.

My deck table is Rubbermaid. I can take the legs off and set them inside the bottom of the table. I tie or tape the legs inside, so they don't get misplaced if things get moved around. Then I just put it in the back of my shed. If you don't have a shed, wrap the table in heavy plastic and prop it up against an out building.

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