If you are one of those fortunate folks who owns a set of teak outdoor patio furniture, then you already know what a delight it is to have this type of furniture. If your home is anything like mine, the neighbors like to drop over for a cocktail or glass of iced tea in the summer just about sunset. And at my house, they actually fight over who is going to get to sit in the teak chaise lounge.
It used to be that teak was not so affordable for people if you didn’t have a lot of money, but nowadays with the way the economy is, there are great bargains online on all kinds of patio gear, and teak furniture is no exception.
And if you are going to indulge yourself in a set of teak furniture (which I highly recommend) then you will have to learn how to take care of it, so you can keep your patio furniture looking great and make sure that you do not ruin it when you go to clean it up.
For routine cleaning maintenance, all you need to do is wipe down the furniture with a soft damp cloth, and then buff it with a dry cloth. It is better if you use an all cotton cloth, not polyester or one of those microfiber cloths. Polyester builds up a static electric charge when it glides over the urethane finish of the wood which actually repels the dirt particles. And the microfiber cloths get stuck in the grain if it’s raised a bit from the sun. Cotton will leave some lint on your furniture, but it’s in big enough pieces that you will be able to remove it easily.
Don’t use steel wool to clean your furniture unless you really need to because something gooey is stuck on good to the wood. The steel wool is great for buffing out your finish touchups, but it does have a tendency to remove more of the wood and finish than if you are just using a cloth to clean with.
If you need a bit more in depth cleaning like after a party, a great product to use is Murphy’s Oil Soap. We use this inside on our wood furniture as well and it has never failed us. It cleans up most dirt and grime form wooden furniture easily and leaves behind just a bit of natural oil to keep the finish looking sharp and shiny.
That is about all there is to cleaning up your teak patio furniture. It is a little more complicated than simply spraying it with a hose, but the truth is, it look so good when you are done, that you will forget that little bit of extra effort the cleaning took.