How to Take Care of Your Lazy Daze Hammock

Hi, there and welcome to the Lazy Daze family. If you just got your hammock or have had it for a while you might be wondering how to take care of your ticket to the dreamland so that it lasts you for years to come.

Now, all Lazy Daze hammocks are made from premium parts and materials like steel rings, hardwood spreader bars, ropes and weather and sun-protected fabrics but as time goes by nature and elements will keep on stressing your hammock. The pressure felt by the links and direct sunlight burning the fabric will start to pile up but don’t worry though, we got you. Here we share with you the best tips on how to keep your hammock ready and in tip-top shape.

The basics of hammock use and maintenance

Ok, let’s go through the process of hammock life on an annual basis. From storing to using and cleaning your hammock. 

How to store your hammock

If you have had your hammock out for the summer and it’s time to store it make sure that you store it in a dry place to avoid it getting moldy just like with any other fabric. Store it as you would store your clothes and the fabric will stay nice and fresh for the winter months. The best places would be a cool and dry basement or a closet where the hammock can breathe, stays cool and isn’t subject to direct sunlight.

 Over the summer months if you keep your hammock outside continuously keep and eye out for small insects like spiders who like to build nets on the structures especially if you haven’t used the hammock in a while - although we can’t think of a reason why you wouldn’t.

Depending on your placement and the climate you can also run a small risk of getting mildew and algae crowing as a film on your hammock. These things can be dangerous to inhale so give your hammock a glance before taking your nap. If you do spot some they are luckily easy to clean off.

How to clean your hammock

To keep your hammock nice and clean for your daily use you can follow these general tips on hammock cleaning.

1.Get rid of the dirt and debris

This one is a piece of cake, just hold on to one end of the hammock and give it a nice good shake that will get rid of most of the dirt. If there are some that just refused to let go you can give it a nice slap easily by holding the hammock from the spreader bar with one hand and using your other hand to slap. What works for carpets works here too! If you have a lot of pollen on the hammock brushing can help.

It’s a good practice to give your hammock a share every time you finish using it if you got some crumbs from your favorite snacks at the bottom. Especially if there are some hungry birds in your yard.

2. Wash your hammock

Now, these are general tips, please refer to the washing instructions for your specific hammock as the requirements vary depending on the materials used. To keep your hammock in the best shape wash your hammock regularly and according to instructions

2.1. Machine washable hammocks

The first hammock type off is the machine washable hammock. With those, you can simply wash them in cool water in a washing machine as you would do with your regular clothes.

2.2. Quilted hammocks and hammocks with non-removable spreader bars

These hammocks basically require hand washing. It’s pretty fun though, especially on a hot summer's day. Some soap and water from a bucket or garden hose will do. Just follow these time-honored tips from carpat and hammock cleaners:

• Lay the hammock on a clean flat surface like a garden table or your deck. Just pay in mind that things are going to get wet.
• Water it well to get the hammock soaking wet
• Scrub the hammock with a bit of soap or mild detergent
• For difficult stains use remover
• Once you are done give the hammock a good rinse and hang it out to dry. You can give it a careful squeeze to help it dry faster.

2.3. Wowen, rope and hand-washable hammocks

For hammocks that have removable spreader bards or the ones that don’t have them at all, you can wash them in a bucket. For Brazilian, Mayan and Nicaraguan hammock types it is also important to tie each end of the hammock with a rope to avoid strings from tangling with each other.

Next, fill a bucket with warm water and add some mild detergent to it. Scrub the hammock gently against itself, spring and press. Once the hammock is clean pour out the dirty water and fill it with clean water to rinse off the soap. Hang out to dry.

3. Use the hammock or fold it for storage

Once your hammock is dry just start to use it or if you wish to store it fold it up. Folding is easy but here are some tips on how to fold your hammock depending on the type you got:

• Brazilian type you can just fold in pretty much anyway so that you can fit them in their pocket
• Hammocks without spreader bars are easiest to be just left hanging from a hook if possible. If you must store them in a tighter space do so by rolling them up instead of folding them.
• Spreader bar hammocks are easy to roll up by first placing the chains and other parts on one end and then starting to roll up the hammock from that same end so that the parts and chains stay safe inside.

Hammock safety and repair tips

Now that you have gotten your hammock cleaned out and perhaps out of winter storage remember to check it for any damage like tears or broken links to avoid falling on your behind when you are napping. It’s a good idea to check the hammock every now and then for issues to avoid accidents and to mend the problems.

To avoid needing to repair your hammock please follow the weight limits and other instructions for your hammock. Hang them right and don’t go over the recommended capacity. Three-plus people in a one-person hammock can lead to an unwanted human pyramid after all.

To safely use your hammock check that it’s in a good shape and hang it on a proper hammock stand or other two sturdy objects like two trees at the right angle. Ideally, you'd like your hammock to be installed at about a 30-degree angle and around 20 inches from the ground. Pay attention to the distance of both ends from one another, you don’t want a too-loose or too-tight hammock a friendly light smiling curve is the one you want to see before lying down on the hammock.

Even after these safety tips, there are times when your hammock requires some maintenance so let's take a look at how to fix most issues with hammocks.

Replace broken hammock chains

Hammock chains don’t normally need replacement but if they end up broken instead of trying to fix them it’s best to just simply replace them with new ones unless you happen to be a blacksmith. A new chain takes a minute to set up and doesn’t break the bank.

Repair and tie up loose strings and ropes

If your hammock has a loose or broken rope and/or string tie them up as soon as possible to avoid further breaking or unraveling. Tie them back together or to the closest knot. Damaged ropes whether they snapped or got too dirty can be replaced with a new rope and tying them up between working knots.

To keep your ropes in good shape store your hammock properly and for extra safety, it’s possible to use some fabric protectors as well.

Patching up a hammock

If you are good at sewing you can patch up and personalize your hammock if it gets holes. For best results use waterproof string and path materials. If the hole is very big it can spread easily, in those cases use a strong rope made from polypropylene and set them in place using dowels.

Don’t forget to refinish the spreader bars

Our spreader bars are made from hardwood and the finishing should keep them in great shape for many many years but sometimes blistering sunshine can burn up the finishing which means a bit of refinishing is needed - in these cases get some old newspaper to protect the working surface and use a brush to spread a new layer on the hardwood and let it dry before using them again.

Final words

If you follow these tips you should be able to enjoy your hammock for years to come, even for a decade. Now all these tips might have you thinking that taking care of hammocks is so time-consuming but actually you don’t really need to do much with them unless you are unlucky and end up pouring your favorite sugary summer drink on yourself while laying down on your hammock.

Winter storage and summer usage outside don’t really have any special requirements compared to other garden furniture so relax and enjoy your hammock without worry. Remember, if you need we at Lazy Daze are always here to help you with anything hammock related.