Cleaning Teak Furniture
INSIDE : Clean your outdoor furniture like a pro! Get expert tips, step-by-step guides and my product recommendations for sparkling clean, long-lasting teak. Cleaning Teak Furniture has never been more simple.
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Outdoor Furniture
About five years ago, we bought a lovely outdoor patio set from Article. If you have been following along, we undertook a huge backyard project that removed sections of concrete, installed an irrigation system and then installed sod.
Because of these updates, we finally had a decent sized area to have a sitting lounge space in our backyard and I was overjoyed about it all!!
After much research, I decided to go with Article outdoor patio furniture. We have purchased quite a few pieces from them over the years and their products have always been made with quality and when there were any issues at all with the furniture, they were a DREAM to work with on replacing.
So, we got the Article Urba Outdoor Sofa in Slate Gray, two of the Aeri Outdoor Lounge Chairs in Slate Gray, a (similar) Haskel 40″ Outdoor Teak Coffee Table and a Solina Outdoor Stool in white Terrazzo.
Outdoor Furniture Covers
At the time, Article didn’t carry covers for any of this outdoor furniture (they might now, not sure), so I went on Amazon and bought an outdoor cover for the sofa, two chair covers and a coffee table cover.
We left all of the furniture outdoors rain or shine and in all seasons, so having a cover to throw on when I had a chance before a rainstorm and all winter long really helped to protect the patio furniture.
How does Teak outdoor furniture age?
Over time, I got a little less consistent on getting the covers on our furniture during rainstorms and eventually although I almost always covered the sofa and chairs – I simply quit covering the coffee table.
When teak furniture is left outdoors, the surface oils from the wood begin to evaporate. Slowly due to the sun’s UV rays and the elements (like rain or snow) teak will go from a brown color to a silver gray patina color.
This weathering doesn’t change the durability of the teak wood, but it does give a more rough texture to the wood as well as a more aged look.
Best way to clean teak furniture
When you first get teak furniture, there is no need clean it as the teak has a protective oil naturally. With time though, all things need to be cleaned.
0 to Year 2 of age
However, during the first year with age and weather you can regularly clean your teak with a mild soap and water solution to prevent dirt and grime buildup.
Year 2+ of age
Once your teak wood has hit about year two and older, you will see the natural aging occur. The wood will become more rough and gray in color. At this point, using a simple cleaning product kit is ideal to help restore the natural color and give more protection to the wood.
I bought the Star Brite Teak Care 3 Step Kit with a cleaner, brightener and oil. Some people say the teak cleaner and brightener is enough, but I really liked having the teak oil at the end to help bring back some of the teak’s original luster.
How to clean teak wood with a cleaner kit
The first step to cleaning teak is a brush down of loose dirt or cobwebs on your surface. Then, gather your supplies. You will need –
- Rubber gloves
- A rag or sponge
- A Steel Wool Scrubber or tough brush
- Teak Cleaner kit
Teak Cleaner
Be sure to follow the directions on your cleaner, but mine said to gently pour out cleaner onto the tabletop.
I used a sponge to sort of spread it around as it just pours freely from the bottle and I had no way to guiding the liquid out in a smooth manner otherwise.
Then allow the cleaner to sit on the teak wood top for 2 to 3 minutes.
Next, use a steel wool scrubber and begin to scrub the wood along with the direction of the grain. Some say the best brush for cleaning teak is a hard bristle brush, but I think as long as you can sufficiently clean the wood any type of product will work.
Once you have covered all areas of the wood (sides included) give the teak wood a nice rinse down. Once I had completely rinsed all cleaner off the table, I noticed a few spots that I could have gotten better so I ended up doing this cleaner step again.
I then allowed the wood to fully dry and this is how AMAZING it looked afterwards! Honestly, I could have stopped at this step – I was so thrilled with the outcome.
Teak Brightener
After the table had dried about an hour, it was time for the next step – applying a teak brightener. It helps to enhance the natural wood grain and color.
The teak brightener required application with a rag (I used an old cut up towel) and then for it to sit on the wood for 2 minutes.
After two minutes was up, you rinse off the brightener. I used my garden hose for this step.
Teak Oil
Applying teak oil is the last step of this process and it really takes the wood from clean, but sort of raw to a finished Teak looking piece of furniture again!
The teak oil helps seal, preserve and finish the wood and really it was that perfect finishing touch that made the entire process worth it.
You apply the oil with a clean rag and slightly rub it in as you go.
Allow for the oil to soak in for a few minutes (about three) and then using another rag, wipe any excess oil from the table.
Cleaning teak garden furniture
You can see below how cleaning our teak garden furniture brings back the bright color of this outdoor coffee table. Once the oil soaked in a bit more, the color slowly starts to fade a little.
However, now that I have the teak cleaning products I plan to clean this garden furniture about once a year to better keep up and maintain the teak’s appearance.
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Cleaning teak wood no longer has to be a huge time investment! I am so thrilled with the results. Added bonus that I still have over half of the Starbrite teak cleaner products left, so this process will help keep our backyard furniture looking great for years to come.
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