How to lock garden furniture

High-quality garden furniture can be a great investment for a homeowner. Imagine the shock when you head out to your deck or patio, towel, book and drink in hand, only to find your new sun lounger is nowhere to be found.

Unfortunately, garden furniture theft is a reality in our society, more than we would like to realize. Many of these thefts go unreported to the authorities. Instead, the owner buys new furniture and either accepts the loss or files a claim with the insurance company.

Patio furniture theft is worst in urban areas, where it’s easy for criminals to see what neighbors have in their backyards. That’s not to say, however, that the suburbs are immune. far from there In many cases, it is much easier to steal patio furniture from a quiet neighborhood where the yards are not fenced.

Even a relatively small purchase, like a plastic Adirondack chair, can become a major expense if someone keeps stealing it overnight. At $20 each, a pair of chairs can really add up.

Of course, things could be worse. Someone can get hold of your barbecue, which can cost upwards of a thousand dollars or more to replace if you bought a top of the line grill.

The easiest way to prevent theft is to secure patio furniture in place. While this seems like an obvious idea to someone going on an extended vacation or wintering down south like a snow bird, it might not occur to the average homeowner who uses their patio furniture regularly.

But, as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that’s certainly the case when it comes to protecting your possessions from prying eyes and light hands.

Unfortunately, the furniture itself is not really set up for anti-theft measures. Figuring out where and how to lock patio furniture can be a challenge. You don’t want to pin it in place permanently, but you also don’t want to make it too easy to steal.

While no one can prevent a burglary by a professional thief armed with a bolt cutter, you can deter the casual thief with a few basic preventative measures.

The first line of defense is a plastic-coated cable or chain. These can be purchased at any home improvement or hardware store. You will also need a good padlock. Some people like the convenience of a combination lock, while others like key locks. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. With locks that require a key, you may find that you left the keys at home or that your wife has the key because she went to the store. Many people who use combination locks don’t bother to turn all the hasps when they lock them. A teenager can quickly figure out the combination simply by moving the last glass one click forward or backward. If you use a combination lock, be sure to mix up all the tumblers or you’ll end up not only looking for your furniture, but the cord and lock as well.

There are also professional alarms you can buy that are made specifically for patio furniture and grills. Many models have a screeching alarm that is not only intended to scare off the thief, but also lets him know that someone is trying to steal his stuff. They are usually motion activated, so if you have a problem with raccoons roaming your yard at night, the alarm may inadvertently go off.

When securing your garden furniture, make sure it is something that cannot be easily cut or lifted. For example, it’s not very difficult for a thief to kick a 2×2″ post into your deck. But a wire wrapped around a 4×4″ post can be labor intensive and make a thief more easily deterred.

You may also want to lock items individually instead of all together. It takes more effort to cut five wires to get a table and chair set than to undo one that had wrapped all the chairs and table together.

Finally, be sure to take pictures of your patio furniture and save receipts for the sale. If your items are stolen and eventually recovered, you will need to prove that the recovered items were really yours. You can also engrave/scratch your name and address on the furniture as an added measure of identification.