It's that time of year here in Texas that the leaves are starting to turn and (hopefully) cool down, which means it's time to winterize your outdoor living space. Backyard Butler is here to help!

Clean your furniture and cushions: Cleaning and protecting your outdoor furniture and cushions now is the best way to ensure you're ready to entertain when there's a break in the weather. Mold build-up from all the moisture can create stains and damage fabric.

Stone surface cleaning, sealing, and pool tile cleaning: Now is a great time to have your driveway, walkways, stone counters, retaining walls or decks cleaned and sealed to protect year-round. Moisture protection is important to seal out to protect from freeze damage of the stone It's also a great time to have your pool tiles cleaned of that nasty white calcium build-up.

Schedule your Holiday Outdoor Cleaning: We offer services to keep your outdoor living space cleaned and ready for use at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Now is a great time to get on our schedule! Last year we were booked solid so contact us today to get on this holiday season schedule.

Winterize and clean your outdoor kitchen: When temperatures drop below freezing, your outdoor kitchen pipes can freeze and cause expensive damage. We'll winterize and protect your grill, stainless cabinets, sinks, and fixtures. Now is also a great time to deep clean your grill!

Call us today at (817)888-8439 to schedule your free quotation appointment and cleaning!

Maintaining your outdoor living space and furnishings in entertaining ready condition can be a somewhat difficult task. You have to consistently set aside money, time, and effort to ensure that your area looks sparkling inside and out. More often than not, you will need the help of outdoor cleaning & detailing expert to help you keep your outdoor living space ready for guests. But is there a difference between availing of cleaning service and a detailing service?

Know what you’re dealing with
Most homeowners don’t realize that a cleaning and a detail job mean two vastly different things, and this affects their attitude towards proper outdoor living space care. Some car homeowners are skeptical to seek professional help. They think that detailing prices are too expensive. Why spend extra money on a detailer when you can do the job yourself?

The truth is that rinsing down everything outside just won’t cut it, if you want to maximize your outdoor living spaces useful life to the fullest. Your investment needs more than just a wipe down with buckets of water and soap to ensure that it will stay in tiptop condition for the long run. Plus, your outdoor kitchens and living space are a sound financial investment that you have to consistently maintain, or its resell value will be next to nothing should you decide to sell your home down the road.

Detailing your outdoor living space, grills, kitchens and furnishing means cleaning every nook and cranny to get rid of accumulated dirt, grease, dust, soil particles, and all the other bad stuff that can eventually eat away at the metal parts or simply mar the natural beauty of your investment.

Some homeowners-turned-DIY educate themselves on the best way to take out stains or mold from furniture cushions or which grill cleaner to use. Others, however, lack the time and/or inclination to engage in the meticulous and rather time-consuming task of real outdoor living space detailing. For these homeowners, getting a professional detailing service regularly is the best way to maintain their home's beauty and utility.

Benefits of Outdoor Living Space Detailing
Backyard Butlers are trained in all the latest techniques and technology in keeping your space and furnishings clean from top to bottom. From furniture materials to decks to grills to fans, your Butler will ensure that every square inch of your outdoor living space is thoroughly pressure washed, vacuumed, shampooed, polished, and protective coated. He recognizes which cleaning products to use on different types of materials and furnishings in your outdoor space. He knows exactly how to take out stubborn patches of grime that have stuck to the grill. And best of all, he can give you practical tips on how to take care of your furnishings in between detailing jobs.

While the benefit of a detailing outdoor living space detailing services initial visit has a price, rest assured that every penny is worth it. An initial detailed cleaning and then monthly service by a Backyard Butler will make your space entertaining ready, protect your investment, and give you extra time to spend with friends and family. 

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If people thought of their grills like they do their stove-tops, there would be fewer problems with grills wearing out. Think of it this way, after cooking something on the stove, you generally have to wipe up the spills. Every now and then, depending on how often it gets used, you should do a more thorough cleaning of your grill. This includes moving everything out of the way and wiping around and under the burners. A grill should be treated like the stove. Every time you use it, clean it.

Cleaning Grates
Cooking grates are no exception to this general rule. They need to be cleaned completely after every use. This prevents food from sticking on your grill making it much easier to cook on. There are a lot of products on the market for cleaning your grate, but really any good stiff wire brush will do. Now, few people seem to know the best way to perform this little task. First of all, it is better done after you grill and not before. Once your grill has cooled down a bit but is still warm, take your brush and clean off any remaining food particles. It is much easier to clean off food particles while warmth is still present and not after they have cooled and been allowed to harden on the grate. The cleaning process can be made easier if you have a large container of degreasing solution that you can soak the grates for at least an hour and clean off the carbon with a wire brush or stainless steel wool.

​Gas Grills
The bad thing about many gas grills is that they have a setting on the knobs marked “clean”. Many people are misled into thinking that this is how you clean a grill. Like a charcoal grill, you need to clean your gas grill every time you use it. Make sure that the grates are cleaned after you grill, and brush off the sides and lid after every use. Use the clean setting to preheat your grill. Yes, it will burn up stuff that has fallen down into the grill, but it doesn't really clean it. Regularly you should lift out the cooking grate and clean off the barrier above the burners. This might be lava rock, briquettes, or some variation of metal plates. Regardless of the style, it should be cleaned to remove the cooked on grease and food particles periodically.

At least once a year you need to do a good deep clean on your grill. This requires that you take portions of it apart. First, start by turning off the gas and then scrubbing the residue off of each part and removing each part layer by layer. Once you get down to the burners, make sure you inspect them thoroughly. Removal of the burners can be tricky depending on the model, but once removed brush and ensure each burner hole is clear. If burner is clogged it will give you uneven heat and make for poor grilling. If the burner is rusted or damaged make sure you get a replacement part before reassembling. If your grill uses lava rocks or ceramic briquettes you need to make sure that these are not too heavily encrusted with cooked on foods. If they happen to be, replace them to avoid bad tasting smoke that dirty rocks can produce.​
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With everything out of the grill, vacuum out the debris from the bottom of the grill and then clean it completely with a degreaser solution. To ensure that you do not damage the counter surface around the grill, place towels around the the sides and back. Wipe all surfaces clean with rags, stainless steel wool, small brushes and other small tools that can reach the corner areas. Once clean, put everything back in, check to make sure that all connections are good, and then turn it on. Let the grill heat completely before you cook again to make sure that any leftover soap residue gets burned off.
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For a final detailing step, use a stainless steel polish on the outside and then coat with a stainless steel grill protective spray to keep your grill looking new and clean.

Leaving your patio furniture and cushions unprotected can damage them and that could put a damper in your outdoor entertaining schedule next spring. Call Backyard Butler at (800)557-9516 to clean your furniture for those warmer fall and winter days, enjoying the fire-pit, or to store for the season. 

If you have extra room in a protected area, like a garage or covered patio area, it’s easy to stow your patio cushions, but if space is limited, high-quality storage bins are a convenient and simple solution. To ensure your cushions are free of mold, dirt and ready for spring, clean them using a long bristle brush with soap, a little bleach and water. Make sure you let them air dry before storing or covering them. 
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The type of furniture determines how to winterize it, but like everything, a good deep cleaning is essential. If you your backyard gets a lot of moisture, purchasing furniture covers from your favorite home improvement center is probably the easiest way to make sure your furniture is all set and ready to go once spring comes.