Thank you ShopStyle and eBay for sponsoring this post. As usual, all opinions are mine.

Every time I share our patio, I get a slew of questions- many of which revolve around maintenance. And I get it- I was shocked to learn that most "outdoor" furnishings don't hold up to the elements at all. We also learned pretty quickly that we needed some tools in our toolbelt to keep our uncovered patio looking clean and fresh, while also protecting the things we had in the space. A few years into having and loving this space and I thought I'd share how we 'open' the patio and how we spring-clean the patio in preparation for months of fun and outdoor movies (finally!). 

I partnered with eBay to round up some home and garden items that help- they have an extensive selection of Home and Garden items from brands you know and trust and a variety of spring cleaning and organizing products. First, let's talk preventative maintenance. I mentioned that our patio is uncovered. This means our stuff is open to lots of rain, some sleet, lots of sun, and the occasional snow (we are located in North Carolina for reference). 

Our first tip is to keep your furniture covered. We have this cover for our chairs and highly recommend it. Secondly,  make sure you have a deck box to store cushions, outdoor decor, etc. away from the elements. Bonus if it serves as extra seating like this one with its nifty cushion. An umbrella keeps your table covered and partially protected too! We keep ours open for that purpose- we end up replacing it every couple of years but it's worth not having to replace the table as often.

Secondly, make sure you have the necessary "grooming" tools! Because it's a patio and not a deck, we like to start the season by edging the area where the grass meets the patio along with trimming the hedges with this hedge trimmer. This leaf blower is on its way to us- I can't believe the price!

Make sure to do a health check on your plants. If you're anything like me, they're all dead [hangs head in shame] so go ahead and toss them and give the pots a good scrub so you can try again this year. Anybody else just keep trying?!

Do a toy check. Toss any broken toys and debris littering your lawn. We usually have a few cracked or faded toys that have lingered all winter and need to be tossed once and for all. Sometimes they've magically moved near the trash can but not in it. This small deck box would be perfect for outdoor toys you want to save from the trash next spring.

Next, we power wash the rugs and patio. We have and love this power washer. It's so so satisfying.

I had to share another- so satisfying.

Lastly (or simultaneously), we give everything a good scrub. I included a caddy in our round-up because it's helpful to bring all your supplies out at once rather than running in and out of the house. I also included CLR because that stuff works on everything!

That's it! You can see the satisfying "after" on Instagram- Make sure you're following there! And you can shop all of eBay's lawn and garden items here- they have literally over a billion listings (70% of which ship for free and quickly!) and many are brand-new.  And to top it off, eBay is running a Home & Garden Spring Cleaning Sale, with Up to 50% Off Select Items now through March 7th. It's definitely a source you want to check first to save money and time by having a one-stop-shop. 

Did I miss any outdoor spring-cleaning tips? Would love to hear yours in the comments!