How to Clean Yard Ornaments

Vegetation is not the only thing that you have to maintain in your yard. If left untended, lawn ornaments can start to look dingy, become moldy or fill with water and turn into a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes. If you take time out once a month to give your yard decorations a quick wash, your lawn will be a much healthier place for your family to relax.

Non-porous gloves
Soft-bristled brush or sponge
Gallon bucket
3/4 cup bleach
1 tbsp. laundry detergent
Old newspaper
Garden hose

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a bucket with 1 gallon of warm water.
- 2
  Pour in 3/4 cup household bleach.
- 3
  Add 1 tbsp of laundry detergent. Stir the solution with a spoon or gloved hand to ensure that it is well mixed.
- 4
  Gather up all movable lawn ornaments and set up a washing area outside near your garden hose.
- 5
  Lay down three or four layers of newspaper on the ground next to your washing area. This will protect the grass from being damaged by the bleach solution.
- 6
  Scrub a small area on the bottom of each ornament with the solution to check for any discoloration before you wash them completely.
- 7
  Scour the lawn ornaments one by one with a sponge or small brush dipped in the bleach mixture and set on the newspaper. Leave the cleaning solution on the surface to work for five to 15 minutes.
- 8
  Spray the ornaments off using a garden hose. Direct the spray away from any vegetation that may be damaged by the bleach or detergent.
- 9
  Repeat the process for any large lawn ornaments. When washing bird baths, create a solution without laundry detergent and pour it in the basin. Cover it with a garbage can top and leave it to soak for 30 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.

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