This article is mainly for anyone who has had a carved wooden or otherwise indoor piece outside for the summer, on a covered porch or in a garden room, and now needs to bring it in. Our fibre cement garden statues are made to stay out permanently and do not need this treatment, though the cleaning advice applies to them too.
The bringing in is straightforward. What follows it is where the damage happens.
When to do it
Earlier than most people think. The instinct is to wait for the first frost, and by then the piece has already spent several weeks absorbing autumn damp.
Late September is the sensible point in most of Britain, or when night time temperatures start dropping into low single figures. What you are avoiding is not only frost but the sustained high humidity of a British autumn, which is what saturates a piece before the cold ever arrives.
Dry it slowly, which is the whole article
Here is the mistake that ruins pieces. A statue comes in from a wet garden, gets put in the warmest spot in the house near a radiator to dry out quickly, and splits within a fortnight.
The reason is that fast drying dries the surface long before the core, so the outer layer shrinks while the interior is still swollen. That difference in dimension puts the surface under tension, and wood relieves tension by splitting along the grain.
So dry it slowly. Somewhere cool, well ventilated and out of direct heat: an unheated hallway, a spare room, a garage that stays above freezing. Give it two to four weeks there before it goes anywhere warm, and only then move it into the heated part of the house.
Getting it dry enough to store
Wipe off surface water rather than letting it sit, particularly in crevices and around the base where it pools. Stand the piece on a slatted surface or a couple of battens rather than directly on a floor, so air reaches underneath, since the base is the wettest part of anything that has been standing outdoors.
Turn it occasionally so it dries evenly rather than from one side. If a piece feels cold and slightly heavy compared with how you remember it, it is still holding moisture.
Cleaning off algae and green film
British summers grow a green film on almost anything left outside, and it is worth removing before storage rather than after.
Use a soft brush and plain water, working from the top down, and get into the carved detail with something soft such as an old toothbrush. Avoid pressure washers entirely, which drive water deep into the material and, on carved wood, will lift the grain. Avoid bleach and household cleaners, which strip finishes and can leave marks that only appear later.
Let it dry fully after cleaning before you store it, which takes you back to the slow drying above.
Where to store it
Cool, dry, ventilated and frost free. A garage or a shed works if it stays above freezing and is not damp, which many British sheds are. An unheated spare room is better. A loft is a poor choice, being extreme in both directions.
Do not wrap a piece in plastic or bubble wrap for storage, which traps moisture against the surface and is a reliable way to grow mould over a winter. If you want to cover it, use an old cotton sheet or a dust sheet that breathes.
Keep it off a concrete floor, which wicks moisture upward, by standing it on battens or a pallet.
Putting it back out in spring
Reverse the process and take the same care. Move it to a cooler transitional space for a week or two before it goes outside, rather than straight from a heated room into an April garden, since sudden moisture uptake causes the same uneven dimension problem in the opposite direction.
Before it goes back, check the base for any softness or dark staining that developed over the summer, and treat or reconsider the position if you find any. Our guide to what a British winter does to a wooden statue explains why the base fails first.
An annual feed
Once the piece is properly dry, a light application of a natural wood oil or beeswax is a good annual habit for carved timber. Apply sparingly, work it in, and wipe off any excess rather than leaving a film. Do it during storage rather than immediately before the piece goes back out, so it has time to absorb.
Questions people ask
When should I bring a garden statue indoors?
Late September in most of Britain, or once night temperatures drop into low single figures. Waiting for the first frost means the piece has already absorbed several weeks of autumn damp.
Why did my statue crack after I brought it inside?
Almost certainly because it dried too fast near a radiator. The surface shrinks while the core is still swollen, putting the outer layer under tension, and wood relieves tension by splitting along the grain.
How do I clean algae off a statue?
A soft brush and plain water, working top down, with something soft such as an old toothbrush for carved detail. Never a pressure washer, and never bleach or household cleaners.
Where should I store a statue over winter?
Cool, dry, ventilated and frost free. An unheated spare room is ideal. Do not wrap it in plastic, which traps moisture, and keep it off a concrete floor which wicks damp upward.
Do fibre cement garden statues need bringing in?
No. They are made to live outdoors permanently. The cleaning advice still applies if you want them looking their best.
