Small Patio Decorating Ideas On A Budget

Disclosure: This Small Patio Decorating Ideas On A Budget post is sponsored by SCJohnson. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #WindexSparkle

Ready to get outdoors and celebrate the warmer weather? Check out my spring cleaning tips and tricks and small patio decorating ideas on a budget!

My favorite time of year is spring and summer, as I love the longer, sun-filled days, chance to get outside and play before it gets too hot and all the summer foods! In fact, most days in the spring and early summer you can find me sitting on my patio for most of the morning and then as I catch the last few rays of the sun at night.

I love feeling a cool spring breeze blow through my hair and the sun kiss my cheeks. I love to sit and listen to all the sounds around me and enjoy the view. I sit on my patio in the morning to clear my head and plan my day. All too often this planning session turns into me getting some work done and to be honest, I am most productive when sitting on my patio.

Then at night I’ll head out to my patio after dinner, and in some cases enjoy dinner right on my patio. I’ll spend the last few hours of daylight meditating, relaxing, reading a good book and talking to my husband about my day.

Because I love spending so much time on my patio, you would think I have this gorgeous magazine worthy patio. But to be honest, I have a tiny (tiny!) patio and it has never been “cute” because I thought the space was too small and it would cost too much money to spruce up. Despite being rather plain and boring, I still loved my patio and used it daily. However, sometime during the winter months our patio became a “catch all” and was dirty and cramped.

Since the weather has been absolutely stunning and I’ve been trying to spend as much time outdoors as possible, I decided to get out there and clean up our patio and give it the makeover it deserved. And guess what? It really only took a couple of hours to get things cleaned up and decorated and cost less than $100!

Small Patio Decorating Ideas On A Budget {Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks}:

1. Clean- Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in cleaning and maintain the inside of our house, we forget about the outside, especially if you live in a smaller place and don’t have a yard to maintain. Below are the areas to focus on when sprucing up your patio:

a. Sweep- Sweep not only the ground of leaves, dirt and trash; use your broom to sweep away cobwebs and other debris hanging from the ceiling or on the walls of your patio.

b. Wash the windows and wipe down patio furniture- So if I’m being totally honest (which I always am), I don’t clean my windows as much as I should. 😐 It’s something that I know that should probably get done, and something I do maybe once a year or when something gets spilled on our patio door, but that’s about it. 

But when I was in my spring cleaning mood and wanted to make our patio more relaxing, this was one of the first things I did, as it occurred to me that the window right where I was sitting, was covered in all sorts of yuck.

To clean my windows, inside and out, I turned to Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner (available at Walmart). While my Mom tended to be a bit frugal on a lot of things growing up, she was brand loyal when it came to cleaning products. She always used Windex® Glass Cleaner and so that is what I have always used, because nothing else gets that unbeatable streak-free shine!*

Not only is Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner great for mirrors and windows, like my sliding glass door, because the foaming formula clings directly to glass surfaces with no drip, it can be used on a number of other surfaces including my glass patio table.

c. De-junk and clear off your patio – If your patio is a catch all for all your outdoor stuff, go through and find new homes for things that don’t belong. Throw away bags of trash and dead plants. Move your bikes, coolers, etc. to the garage and so forth to give you more space and make your patio feel more comfortable. 

2. Add some plants – Here’s another confession, I have a huge black thumb. I LOVE fresh flowers, home herb gardens and ALL the potted plants, but no matter what I do, I cannot keep plants alive. So in my patio cleaning I threw away all the dead plants and went and got some plants that even someone like me can keep alive, succulents! Succulents are so trendy right now and are perfect if you don’t have time to care for plants but still want that pop of freshness; plus they don’t take up much space, perfect for a small patio.

Other plants that are great for small patios and people that don’t have a green thumb are cactus, bamboo, aloe and spider plants (these are great planted in garden hangers and hug from the ceiling). Whatever plants you decide on, purchase a few decorative pots to transfer them to and add a lovely pop of color to your patio!

3. Invest in some patio furniture – I know that I said invest, but really you can find some great patio furniture for super affordable prices, especially if you just need a few pieces for a small patio. For a small patio I recommend getting two vinyl patio chairs or a bench. Vinyl patio chairs are great because they can be easily cleaned (see above) and usually don’t tear or fade. In addition to two chairs, I recommend getting a small “bistro” table. A small table may not work for eating an entire meal, but is great to set drinks and snacks or even your plants.

Other furniture you might consider for your small patio is a smaller table or rack to put your plants and maybe a small grill if you have the space and if you live in an apartment/condo where this is allowed. 4. Decorate – Now that all the cleaning and organizing has been done comes the fun part, decorating! Since I am focusing on small patio decorating ideas on a budget, I kept the decorating at a minimum, yet adding enough things to make my patio welcoming and cute.In addition to adding plants in decorative pots, I added pillows to my chairs. You could also hang things like an outdoor clock, metal artwork or a wreath on the walls/windows. Hanging a string of patio lights or adding a small outdoor rug is also a great way to add some character to your small patio!

I am so happy with my patio makeover, I have been using Windex® Foaming Glass Cleaner to clean and spruce up other areas of my home as well. What spring cleaning tips and tricks can you share? Please leave a comment below!

(*Based on lab testing against leading competitor aerosol glass cleaner per AC Nielsen 52 weeks ended 1/28/17.)