How to clean teak patio furniture

Today I wanted to talk to you about how to clean teak patio furniture. We already know that teak is a tropical hardwood and how frequently it is used in outdoor furniture.

It’s extremely durable and has natural weather and rot-resistant quality.

Its weather resistance and sturdiness are the reason why it is oftentimes used on boat decks exterior construction and in boat building in general. Of course, it’s also widely used for patio and poolside furniture such as lounge sets.

It’s known for its rich golden honey color when it’s new and it requires very little maintenance. However, will maintain if it’s left outside in the weather without proper care, it will eventually develop a kind of natural silver-gray patina color. If you clean and treat it properly from time will maintain that luxurious golden honey color longer.
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How to clean teak wood patio furniture properly

Regular cleaning of teak outdoor furniture is necessary in order to prevent discoloration and mildew and mold build-up.

Rule number one when cleaning teak furniture to always start with the least aggressive solution first. If that doesn’t seem to work then gradually move to something a bit more aggressive concentrated.

Sometimes, just a quick wash with mild soap and water is all that needed. However, in a bit more serious cases you may go for a deeper more aggressive cleaning solution. I will show you some great DIY solutions that you can make. However, you can buy a commercial teak cleaner on Amazon for a cheap price.

How to make homemade teak cleaner?

There are two DIY teak cleaning solutions that you can do at home with the items from your household. The first one is to mix vinegar with a gallon of warm water and use that as a cleaning solution.

The second, a bit rougher one is to mix one cup of bleach and one cup of laundry detergent with warm water as the solution. If your teak patio furniture is especially stained you can also mix in two teaspoons of trisodium phosphate.

I neglected my teak patio furniture for a while and I had some really dark stains so I went right to a commercial-grade cleaner I bought on Amazon.

Things you need to clean teak furniture

Now I want to talk about some rules and detailed steps on how to clean teak lounge chairs and other patio furniture. Here are the things you are going to need:

• appropriate cleaning solution (soap, DIY solutions, commercial cleaner)
• spray bottle/garden sprayer
• plastic scrubbing brush
• a protective coating (optional)

When you apply a cleaning solution you should use either a spray bottle or a garden sprayer. I recommend the garden sprayer because it works quite well and requires less effort on your hands. It also distributes the solution evenly and smoothly.

It’s important that you do this in a well-ventilated area. Spray the teak furniture completely to get it wet and let it soak. Try to keep it wet to allow the cleaning solution of your choice to soak in for 15 minutes. It’s also a good idea to follow the manufacturer’s directions as well. For scrubbing, I used a nylon kind of plastic scrubbing brush and it worked great without damaging the wood. Then just use a garden hose to rinse it all off and wipe it with a wet cloth.

Few quick tips

I would recommend you to try doing all of this in the shade because the sun can dry furniture out very quickly. If that happens solution won’t have time to soak up properly.

After the job is done allow 24 hours for the teak to fully dry. If it’s still stained, you can use a half a cup of oxalic acid and mix it in the gallon of hot water and repeat all steps.

I’ve coated my chairs with teak oil. If you too decide to do some sort of protective coating or oil, please let them dry out for 24 to 48 hours before applying.

By cleaning and maintaining teak furniture like this, the furniture will last longer and remain beautiful for years and years to come. I hope that this short tutorial on how to clean teak will help you keep your outdoor furniture last for decades.