If you have decided to leave the teak raw then the furniture requires minimal cleaning to remove sooty moulds and stains. This can be done with a normal household plastic bristled brush [not too hard] and some warm mild soapy water. Wash down afterwards with clean water. There are also proprietary cleaners on the market which can be used to clean off various deposits and accumulated dirt and stains.
We do not recommend the use steel wool or steel wire brushes as any residue left in the grain will rust and discolour the wood, you also risk leaving small sharp pieces of metal in the surface of the furniture.
If the furniture has some stubborn and heavily ingrained stains these can be removed by sanding with a fine grade of sandpaper, being sure to work only with the direction of the timber grain. After sanding stains away like this, if the furniture was previously teak oiled you may wish to re-oil, or if it had previously been left natural, the fresh teak colour exposed by sanding will soon mellow in with the existing furniture’s silver-grey patina.
If you prefer the golden colour there are a couple things you can do to slow down the aging process. We recommend using a furniture oil with anti-fungal and sunscreen. Use as manufactures suggest. Some regular cleaning and recoating of the finish is also necessary to keep the furniture looking beautiful.
