With strong winds comes the threat of losing your valuable outdoor furniture and covers – an outcome nobody wants to face. However, this doesn’t mean you still can’t still enjoy your beautiful outdoor furnishings when the weather isn’t great. 

There are some simple, cost-effective solutions that’ll help prevent the odds of your furniture being carried off in the winds – including using your handy bungee cords and other bits and bobs lying around in your household toolkit! 

Keep reading as we explore nine different ways to stop your garden furniture blowing away with the wind!

Preparing your garden for strong winds 

The best way to prevent your garden furniture from blowing away in strong winds is to be prepared.

You can do this simply by checking the weather forecast. Set daily reminders on your smartphone or smart home devices to check the weather, or turn on push notifications for alerts to warn you about upcoming weather and potential storms. Then, With this knowledge in mind, you can then use one, or some, of our top 9 tips below to wind-proof your garden furniture and keep it securely in your garden.

Top 9 tips to prevent your garden furniture from blowing away

Once you know the bad weather is coming, it’s time to protect your garden furniture. Explore our top 9 tips below for different ways that you can prevent your furniture, and covers, from blowing away in the strong winds.

1. Tie garden furniture down with bungee cords

One of the easiest ways to stop your garden furniture, and its protective covers, from blowing away is to secure it down with bungee cords, or even better, bungee cords with hooks. 

Bungee cords are incredibly strong and weather resistant – not to mention they’re easy to use. Simply wrap a bungee cord or bungee strap around your furniture and secure it to the ground with built-in anchor hooks, or to other pieces of weighter furniture or immovable objects that aren’t going to blow away. 

Alternatively, you could also use bungee cords to secure tarpaulin or heavy-duty furniture covers down, if there’s going to be heavy rain accompanying the windy weather.

Bungee cords come in a wide variety of colours and thicknesses, meaning it’s easy to tailor them to your garden’s aesthetic. Furthermore, not only will bungee cords provide a practical solution to harsh weather, but they are also more subtle than bulky furniture covers – so your outdoor furniture can still look great, no matter the season. 

If your garden furniture has specific needs, such as a specific length, colour, or thickness, you can also order custom bungee cords to find the perfect fit for the job!

2. Create a windbreak from plants

If you’re a lover of plants, then creating a windbreak is a fun and attractive way to stop garden furniture blowing away. 

A windbreak can be created with many types of tall plants, – though strong hedges are usually the best for combatting heavy gusts. Although not always 100% effective, windbreaks are a handy solution if you don’t have much shelter in your garden to protect your garden furniture from the elements. Plus, they can look beautiful, add to your garden’s ecosystem, and can be customised with plants of your choice.

If you don’t have the time, or the capacity, to create a plant-based windbreak, you could always buy a portable garden screen instead.

3. Use heavy-duty furniture covers

Furniture covers are a simple way of protecting your furniture from the elements, be it rain, wind or snow. A good quality, heavy-duty furniture cover will help to stop your garden furniture from blowing away. Although these can be pricey, you shouldn’t try to skimp on costs by buying a furniture cover that’s thin or poorly made – you’ll likely end up spending more money to keep replacing them.

You can also use your trusty bungee cords to make sure they’re extra secure. Wrapping bungee cords around your furniture is a good way to stop your garden furniture covers from blowing away.

4. Weigh furniture down with sandbags

Sandbags have many uses around the home, including weighing down your furniture to stop it blowing away. Use a strong bungee cord to secure sandbags to the bases of your furniture – this will prevent furniture from lifting off in strong winds. You can also use sandbags alongside furniture covers, by placing them on top of the furniture to add some extra weight that’ll keep your garden furniture grounded.

5. Position your garden furniture in the corner

If you need an immediate solution and don’t happen to have any bungee cords or furniture covers to hand, simply moving your garden furniture can help to stop it blowing away. Move your furniture into a corner or against a wall, where it has the most shelter from the wind. However, take caution not to place furniture against glass walls or any materials that could break easily. The force of the wind against your furniture may cause the wall to break, so ensure that you place it next to a sturdy wall.

6. Stack your garden furniture

You can also stack your garden furniture to fit it into a sheltered the corner, to help to prevent it blowing away in the wind. 

 This tip is especially helpful if you have a small outdoor area. Make sure that garden furniture is safely stacked and isn’t at risk of blowing over. If you are stacking your furniture, be sure to secure it with bungee cords to keep it stable and prevent your pile from crashing down. This could even cause extra damage to your furniture, which no one wants.

It’s only recommended to stack furniture if it can properly fit together. For example, don’t try to balance a flimsy chair on top of a table – this will probably blow straight off and potentially cause more damage to both your furniture and your garden.

7. Temporary storage 

If you’re fortunate enough to have enough space in your garage, or a big enough shed to store your garden furniture, then why not pop them in there until the weather changes? 

Putting your garden furniture away in a secure, sheltered location, like your garden shed or garage, will completely eliminate the risk of your things blowing away – that is, unless, the wind is that strong that your shed goes with it! Just be sure to still cover your furniture, to help protect it from leaks, debris, and dust, whilst it’s in storage.

8. Buy garden furniture made of heavier materials

Garden furniture made from heavier materials, such as wood or metal, is going to be less prone to flying or blowing away in strong winds.

The reasoning behind this is simple physics – as the furniture will have more weight to it, it will create a resistance to the wind. Bear in mind, though, heavier furniture is often made with more expensive materials like cast iron, metal, and solid wood, and, as such, may be considerably more pricey to buy

9. Secure your garden furniture down with earthquake glue

Earthquake glue is more often used abroad, where storms can cause a lot more damage than they typically do in the UK. This product works by securing your garden furniture down to the ground, almost permanently, ensuring that it does not move in strong winds, weather or natural disasters. The downside to earthquake glue, however, is that you may find it difficult to move your garden furniture around when you want to – such as pulling out chairs or changing where to place your table.

Protecting your home and garden against the weather is a top priority for most people. A bungee cord is the perfect tool for almost any issue – and paired with handy bungee accessories, there’s very little you can’t do! Get in touch with us to find out more about our high-quality bungee cords or explore more resources on our blog.