It happens. Sometimes we forget about those pieces of furniture that have given us so much over the years. Look in the backyard. Has the family forgotten about the patio furniture that was always there when you wanted to enjoy your time in the sun? But once you moved inside more often, it was left to sit, rotting in the elements.

Before you plan a funeral for those patio furniture pieces, there may be a way to bring them back to life. As you go out to assess that old wood patio furniture set you may think there's no hope for it, and it's time for a trip to the road for the garbage truck. But, not so fast. There are often ways to save something that looks lost.

It's time for a patio furniture tune up.

First, do a hardware check. Does it have all the screws and bolts it needs to be an operational piece of patio furniture? Next, check if those bolts and screws are tight enough. If not, tighten them up to make it a solid piece, once again.

Once you know there is hope for this to still be a sturdy piece of patio furniture, it's time to look at the wood. Take a good look at it. There may be some dry, cracking wood at the surface level. But, how far down does that really go? While the surface may look a little worn, there could be beautiful wood just below that, waiting to be let free. It's your job to free that wood with some sand paper or a pressure washer. Take your time with this. You don't want to go down further than you have to, just get to the good wood and stop. Once you have done this with a whole piece of patio furniture, you may be shocked to see that it looks a lot like it did when you first bought it.

At this point you can leave it in the current natural color, or stain the wood to change it to the color you want.

Now the chore is keeping it that way. You have just stripped the wood down, so it's vulnerable. You need to apply a layer of weather coating, to finish the job.

You also need to make a conscious effort to take care of these pieces in the future. Patio furniture can be with you for a long time, with the proper attention. Make sure to regularly check on the patio furniture pieces and when you notice the weather coating is starting to wear off, give it a new coat. Make sure to clean the furniture pieces regularly as well, as dirt and grime can work their way into the wood, causing damage. You should really put your patio furniture on your house-cleaning schedule. Once a month you should dedicate the time to clean the pieces, and oil them up if, with lemon oil, to see the wood really shine.