The spring is here. May be you can see the eagles circling over the treetops or morning doves calling out to their mate. Soon it will be summer and the sparrows will be chirping in your backyard, hopping close to peck at the crumbs you throw at them. Unfortunately, the sun too will be shining more brightly and may be it will sometimes be too scorching to stay out of door! When that happens, will you lock yourself inside the house only to come out of doors early in the morning or late in the evening? Never!

Patio umbrellas today do not cost much and so buy one to sit out all day long. Watch the hummingbirds hovering over the flowers, drinking the nectar from deep within while the children play and your spouse doze comfortably in a chaise lounger positioned within the shade. Earlier you only saw them on the beeches, in open-air cafes, clubs or hotels. Today, you will see them erected in private patios too, providing shade to any one who cares to sit under it.

Earlier the umbrella frames were mostly made with wood. Today however, you have them made from metals like aluminum as well. Resin umbrellas are also there, but if you live in high wind area, you should look for fiberglass umbrellas only. At least the umbrellas ribs should be made from fiberglass. Because such ribs absorb the thrust of wind rather than fight it they do not easily break. They just bend to allow the wind to pass and once that is done, they revert to original position.

That is not all. There are quite a few points to consider before you pick up any patio umbrella. It is best that you visit some online patio umbrella seller before you come to any fixed decision. Here let me take the opportunity to say that online purchase is the easiest and the most convenient way of shopping. It is also the cheapest way you can make any purchase. Because there is hardly any overhead, the sellers can afford to offer quite a lot of discounts and that they do all the time.

If you do not feel comfortable, just try it once and you will see how easy and convenient it is. To make the purchase online, you only need to go through the page and follow the instructions. It is as safe as real time shopping only. Any way, that is for you to decide. What we are trying to say is that you should at least have a look at the different available options before you pick up any umbrella and these websites provide a very good opportunity to do that from the comfort if your home.

As I said before, there are quite a few categories of patio umbrellas. Although the aluminum umbrellas are quite chick and durable, many prefer a wood umbrella for the traditional ambience it creates. Generally, Asiatic hardwood is used to make such umbrella frames and so such umbrellas are no less durable. It is true that the ribs often break up due to the force if wind, but such ribs are easily replaceable and so unless you live in places where high is norm, you can safely invest in a wood umbrella and enjoy the shade for year to come.

However, how durable your umbrella will be depends on a large extent on how well you keep it. Therefore, let us have few words about care and maintenance:

– Clean the umbrella regularly with mild soap to keep shining and beautiful. Avoid chemicals or any other harsh and abrasive materials because they may damage the umbrella fabric or other relevant parts.

– Open and close the umbrella carefully so that there is least stress on any part of the umbrella.

– While opening the umbrella, pull the ribs gently away from the pole before turning the cranks or pulling the cord.

– Make sure there is no obstruction in the ribs before you start closing the umbrella.

– Always close the umbrella as soon as the weather turns foul. It will be better if you can store it indoors.

In short, you need to be as much careful while choosing the patio umbrellas, as you need to be while using it. There are quite a few patio umbrella guides available online. They not only give you idea about different types of umbrella available today, but also indicate the size you should pick up. The size and weight of the umbrella stand is also very important. Therefore, go through these guides to be aware if such details, before you buy one.

Author Bio: Article by Andrew Declue of EPatioUmbrellas.com, a website with the best outdoor umbrella and commercial umbrellas information on the web.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: Patio umbrellas, wood umbrella