Most metal furniture has a protective finish, so when you buy new garden equipment, check if this is the case, if so you're not actually dealing with metal, you're simply cleaning a hard-wearing, synthetic top-coat, often a plastic laminate and you want to avoid damaging it, so for most maintenance all you need to do is to wash it with a cloth that's been dipped in a warm washing-up liquid solution; don't have it too wet and if necessary dry the furniture with a soft cloth. Problems begin when this coating begins to wear away, which should be a good few years away, depending on the quality of the furniture.
On the other hand, some strong acids - particularly bird droppings and wine spills - can eat through weak spots in the finish. It's best to remove such stains with a soapy cloth or sponge.
Where the coating has worn away, paint over it again with a clear metal varnish. If your furniture is coloured, you can buy small tins of enamel paint from most DIY chains to touch up old places on the metalwork that have got pitted or cracked. If your furniture seems prone to rusting in the joints, you may want to sand them down, apply new paint and top with a good waterproof varnish.
At the end of summer, check the condition of the varnish carefully. If the coating has a bubbled appearance or rust damage is evident, get out sandpaper again and sand the area carefully before re-applying paint and/or varnish. This keeps your furniture safe through the winter when weather action on metal is most extreme.
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