Getting Ready for Cosy Season Checklist
Autumn has arrived, the nights are drawing in, and your garden is giving major “I’ve been through a lot this summer” energy. Before you retreat indoors with a blanket, a biscuit and a suspicious number of candles, let’s get the outside sorted.
Grab a brew, put on your comfiest jumper, and tick these off at your own pace. No gold stars for speed. Biscuit breaks are encouraged.
Wash the garden furniture
Your table and chairs have survived BBQs, sun cream, rogue ketchup and at least one bird with questionable aim. Put them to bed clean, or the mould will move in for winter and refuse to pay rent.
Your sidekick: Wonder Wand! Easy to use with the soap in the handle, so you can scrub without stopping to squeeze, which means fewer trips indoors and no soggy sleeves.
Scrub the plant pots
Yes, really. Old soil and crusty plant residue are basically a five-star hotel for insects. Evict them now and spring you will be delighted.
Your sidekick: Dishmatic Fillable Handle suited to the task! Non scratch for delicate pots, general purpose for a general clean down and heavy duty for the stubborn, chalky, “how did that get there?” marks on terracotta.
Cosy bonus: a neat stack of clean pots is weirdly satisfying. You’ll feel like a person who has their life together.
Give the bird feeders a proper wash
The robins are counting on you. A grubby feeder is the bird equivalent of a dodgy buffet, so scrub it out, rinse it well and let it dry before refilling.
Your sidekick: a Dishmatic bottle brush for reaching down the tubes and into all the awkward corners.
Clean the garden tools
Trowels and secateurs have worked hard, and they’re now wearing a full coat of mud. Scrub them off, dry them properly so they don’t rust, and pop them away. Treat them well and they’ll be ready to go again come spring.
Your sidekick: the Dishmatic Fillable Handle again. It’s a multitasker. Aren’t we all?
Say goodbye to the BBQ (for now)
It’s had a glorious summer, and it’s currently sporting a layer of burnt-on grease and mystery char that nobody wants to acknowledge. Don’t leave it over winter, or it’ll be even less appealing come the first sunny bank holiday.
Wait until it’s completely cool, then take the grates out and give them a good scrub in hot soapy water. Wipe down the outside, empty the ash and drip tray, dry everything thoroughly and cover it up.
Your sidekick: The Dishmatic Handy Scrub for the baked-on bits, and the Dishmatic Fillable Handle for the soapy scrub! This dream team will have your barbecue sparkling and ready for hibernation.
Cosy bonus: future you gets to fire it up in spring without a single “we’ll do it later” guilt pang.
Wash the children’s outdoor toys
Sandpit sets, paddling pools, ride-ons, chalk-stained buckets and that one plastic dinosaur that’s been left out in every kind of weather. They’ve been dropped in mud, chewed, sat on and probably christened by a snail. Give them a wash before they go into the shed or garage, or you’ll be unpacking a science experiment next summer.
Scrub with warm soapy water, rinse well (little ones do put things in their mouths) and let everything dry fully before storing. Damp toys in a closed box is how mould gets ideas.
Your sidekick: a Dishmatic Fillable Handle for the big stuff, and a Dishmatic Big Job Brush for the awkward bits!
Cosy bonus: the kids might even “help”, which means you can call it quality family time and enjoy the splashing.
Sit down. You’ve earned it.
The most important job on the list. Pop the kettle on, wrap up warm and admire your work from the comfort of a chair. Bonus points if there’s cake.
The 30-second recap
☐ Furniture washed and dried
☐ Plant pots scrubbed
☐ Bird feeders sparkling
☐ Tools cleaned and stored
☐ Barbecue hibernating
☐ Kids toys tucked away
☐ Hot drink acquired
Congrats! Your garden is officially ready for cosy season.
Now go and enjoy it from indoors, preferably horizontal.
What’s on your autumn clean-up list? Show us your cosy season reset over on Instagram!
These tips will help you not to burn out when cleaning the BBQ, instead, you will tackle the task with a sizzle. We would love to hear your BBQ cleaning tasks as well, please share with us on Instagram @Dishmatic.