How to clean a Stainless Steel Barbecue

If you've bought a stainless steel barbecue, or are thinking of investing in one then please be aware that even though it is made from 'stainless' steel it may still stain, discolour or even rust. To keep it shiny and new looking you will need to use prevention, cleaners and elbow grease!

Barbecue Covers: The most simple method for taking care of your barbecue is to purchase a cover and fit it onto it. Alfresia stocks a range of good quality barbecue covers for each of our barbecues. They are designed to keep the elements off your BBQ and protect it from this most common form of damage. It is important to ensure that you buy a durable, good quality cover because one that lets in moisture is pretty much worthless. Similarly, one that traps moisture beneath the cover is more worthless, and will actually damage your barbecue. Thus ensure that the cover will let moisture out, but not let it in. These tend to be made from thick vinyl or polyester. Such covers also protect the barbecue from aesthetic damage, like fading. Our range of covers is quite extensive, suitable for most of our barbecues.
 
Regular Cleaning: A cover is all very well and good but it isn't going to protect your barbecue from damage caused by the remnants of the cooking process. If given time, even the highest quality stainless steel can be coroded by grease and food particles. This can be a particular problem if you use marinades or sauces when cooking because they are quite acidic. Sadly, other than cleaning it or not using it, there is no way to stop this damage. Make sure after ever barbecue to clean off the grill and wipe off any cooking remnants. Obviously you should clean the cooking areas after every barbecue, but cleaning the whole barbecue from time to time is not a bad idea.

How to Clean Stainless Steel: It is imperative to remember, when cleaning stainless steel, that it scratches easily. If this happens you can either ignore the scratch or use a power buffer to get rid of the mark. To avoid scratching don't use a steel wool or metal brushes when cleaning. Additionally: make sure that you don't use abrasive cleaning agents. The best kind of cleaner to use, perhaps unsurprisingly is a stainless steel or kitchen appliance cleaner, but make sure you read the small print to check that they're suitable. You could also clean the BBQ with a soft cloth and a good qulity non-abrasive cleaner. There are stainless steel polishes available, but remember than anything that leaves behind a film or finish will be subjected to the heat of your grill. Stainless steel polishes can discolor under intense heat and make your grill look worse, not better.

Alfresia is an online retailer of garden furniture.  

How to care for Hardwood

On your property, you might have all sorts constructed from hardwoods - doors, frames, benches, tables, loungers etc. Without proper care your hardwood furniture can get damaged, especially in the winter months. By following a few simple tips on how to care for hardwood, the life of your wood products will be significantly extended.

Your timber products will usually have been sanded before they are supplied to you. However, wear and tear always occurs during transportation and assembly/fitting. This means that sanding down your furniture, very very lightly, is extremely important. When you are sanding, ensure that the movement of your hand follows the grain of the wood, be it side to side, up and down or diagonal. You can sand the wood with either sandpaper, a sanding block or wire wool. Some people believe the latter gives the best effect and reduces the risk of scratching any glass surface.

Following the light sanding, brush off the dust and apply the first coat of protective paint as a primer. Once dry this is followed by two other undercoats and then a final top coat. Inbetween each coating, lightly sand the wood and brush the dust off. If you are just varnishing the wood, three coats should be enough to finish it. Ensure that you coat the end of the grain, i.e. the tops and bottoms that you might not necessarily see. When you are painting or varnishing, ensure that you follow the grain of the wood.

How often this process needs repeating depends upon the woodcare products, so make sure you're aware of this.

Garden Fencing

A fence is no stronger than its weakest part, so the detailing of a fence to make sure that it has no weaknesses is important. A well-detailed fence will not only be more resilient, but will last longer too. Consider both the types of infill and support, the way in which you intend to fix the supports in the ground and, with timber fences, the way in which you can further protect against rot with cappings and gravel boards.

In your garden, a fence serves the same function as a wall, although its construction need not be so solid. Like a wall, its type and height should be dictated by situation and location - urban or rural. Strict attention should be paid to the sitting of a fence which is set up along a line of demaraction between two properties. It is usual practice to but the best side of the fence facing outwards, with the supports on the inside.

The materials most often used in fence construction are timber, metal and concrete. The latter is usually reserved as a supporting material while there is an infinite variety of combinations of materials for possible infills, see through or solid, which you can either design yourself or buy ready-made. Some types of pre-fabricated, fixed length panel are widely availabe. Local types of panel are made on the spot and easily adapated to non-standard intervals.

The type of wood used in fence construction will considerably alter its lifespan. The principal European woods used for fencing are oak, larch, western red cedar and sweed chesnut, although other woods may be used when suitable, such as Douglas fir, Scots pine, ash, elm or beech. Redwood or cedar are used in the United States, split redwood being referred to as grapestalk since it is used traditionally to support grapevines.

Bark must be stripped from timber to prevent premature decaying of the wood, and the exposed grain must be treated with a preservative or sealed and painted. After using a creosote preservative on wood it cannot then be painted. Plants will not grow against it for a season, as newly applied, creosote gives off fumes which burn vegetation. Exposed metal components liable to rust, should be galvanised, zinc-coated or painted. Use screws rather than nails for fixings for a longer lasting finish.

When using pured concrete as a supporting material to fix fence posts, there are two alternative methods. The posts can be positioned independently, with careful measurement, and left standing until the concrete sets before the infills are attached. If there is a necessity for a completed boundary in one step, the posts and infills can be constructed at the same time if you make sure to support the posts with temporary wooden stays until the foundations have set. The fence will need supporting for at least two days.

Alfresia is an online supplier of garden furniture and barbecues.

Miami Oval Patio Set for 6

Miami Oval Patio Set for 6, a photo by alfresia.co.uk on Flickr.

Garden Fire Pits

Bring a little warmth to your garden this winter with our exciting range of firepits. Alfresia UK is extremely competitive on price and quality and this is why we are selling so many! Enjoy the warm glow of an open fire and don't let the weather drive you indoors, especially when you can sit round your firepit and take the indoors out with you.

Friends and family will be drawn to the charm and utility of these Alfresia favourites. Our firepits offer a bbq cooking facility, where you can roast your spuds and cook your bangers, in addition to their heating job! Children can have hours of fun roasting chestnuts and marshmellows. It’s always a pleasure watching childrens faces light up in the glow of a real fire.

Don’t restrict yourself to logs or coals our fire pits will burn anything! Can you think of a more effective way of destroying receipts,credit card statements, bank statements and other confidential documents that can all too often fall into the wrong hands?

I use my firepit when I am tidying up the garden in autumn, I got tired of spending hours collecting the leaves together only to find that the slightest gust of wind would blow them back again. Now I just light my firepit and burn my garden rubbish!

We supply all our customers with a handy kettle hook which can be used as a poker and also for turning food. It is also essential for removing the hot safety spark guard or fireguard.

Our smaller models are excellent for taking on days out to the coast and camping,  ideal for evening
entertaining creating lasting memories of late night beach parties and singing around the firepit on your camping trips.

Our larger models incorporate attractive table and chimney features which will add a contemporary and stylish addition to any patio or decking area.

Check out our garden fire pits on Alfresia today. Alfresia UK is an online retailer of garden furniture.