squirrel proofing outdoor furniture

Most sites recommend 'stinky' stuff that might also repel humans (hot sauce, mothballs) and/or if applied to cushions might damage fabric.

I'd suggest either covering the furniture when not in use with tarps, or buying a 'deck box' to store the cushions. With the latter, you'd still have to treat the furniture base if they are chewing on it.

At a rural garden in the US I used dried blood around the perimeter to keep deer out of it. Some sites say it will work for squirrels. You can get dried blood at garden centers (in US) as it's also a nitrogen boost for soil. No idea if sold here.

Another idea is to set up a motion detector sprinkler; we used one effectively against possums at a different house here. It could work depending on where the squirrels are getting access to your patio.

Squirrels can do a lot of damage.

Once lived on 5 heavily wooded acres in VA.

One chewed through a cedar attic vent (house was cedar clapboards) to the tune of $1500 repairs.

Others chewed through the propane line at our bbq grill repeatedly.

When our electric power would go out and we'd call to report the outage, the rural electric cooperative agent would say, "Yeah, well there's a lot of squirrels on your street."

I won't even get into what they did to our garden and bird feeders.......

Squirrel gravy is really good. There should be some nice fat ones here. Best way to remove squirrels are live traps. Bait with peanuts or corn. I always leave a trail of peanuts to the trap with several on top of trigger pan. Take them out in the country and let them be someone else's problem or give to gardener I am sure they can find a use for it.

We had problems with them tearing away the car engine compartment insulation. We brought back from NOB an animal repellent spray that we now treat the car every time we are gone for long period of time. We bought it at Home Depot so maybe they carry it down here.

I spray Peppermint oil in my engine area. Works great.